Durban — March is a significant month on the environmental calendar, offering us a chance to reflect on how we impact our planet – and how we can all make a positive difference in our sphere of influence, says the Sustainable Seas Trust (SST).
On March 14, it is International Action Day for Rivers; March 18 is Global Recycling Day; March 22 is World Water Day; and, Earth Hour is on March 23.
Sustainable Seas Trust CEO Janine Osborne says these international days reflect the importance of global thinking accompanied by local action, which underpins all the work that SST does.
“We are encouraged by the regulatory shifts that are happening worldwide and we continue to add SST’s inputs and expertise to policy discussions affecting the development of local and global regulations and treaties.”
Speaking about International Day of Action for Rivers, Osborne said since 1985, this day has been dedicated to highlighting the vital importance of our rivers, the struggle to protect them, and the rights of the communities who depend on them.
She said that people could organise a clean-up along their nearest river bank to observe this day.
Osborne explained that Global Recycling Day was established in 2018. This day recognises and celebrates the critical role recycling plays in preserving precious resources and securing the future of our planet.
She encouraged people to separate their recyclable household waste and drop it off at a recycling centre.
Of World Water Day, she said we often take it for granted but, in 2010, the UN recognised the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights.
“You can save water by catching your shower run-off and use it to flush the loo.”
Osborne said Earth Hour was now one of the world’s largest grassroots movements for the environment and has become a catalyst for positive legislative change, driven by millions of people in more than 180 countries.
She said people can join this movement on that day by turning off all lights for an hour at 8pm.
“Strategic collaborations are essential to achieving our goals, as you will also note in the wide range of contributors who’ve enriched our best practice guide for dealing with abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear in Africa. Together, we’ll sustain Africa’s seas.”
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