'Cleanliness' is an inevitable part of everyone's life. Cleanliness is the absence of dirt, including dust, stains, bad smells and garbage. Most public places in India, be it street, a lane, a government office, a railway station, a bus station, a hospital, or a public park, look filthy. The offensive sites of littered garbage, overflowing sewage, defaced walls, people in hordes easing out in the public and water logged areas dot our city and country.

A clean environment is a pleasure to live in. Personal Cleanliness & Personal Hygiene would be meaningless if we are living in an unclean environment. Therefore, cleanliness should begin from our own surroundings and even as we clean our abode daily, we should spare some effort to keep clean our city, roads, office premises & public places as well. It is the duty of all to keep the environment clean and healthy. The cleanliness of a city, village or an entire town begins from the cleanliness of individual homes. This responsibility for environmental cleanliness is highlighted by the observation of National Cleanliness Day on January 30 th in India. The day calls to maintain high standards of cleanliness in our homes, work place, road/streets and public places. India needs to focus on cleanliness to claim a respectable place in the eyes, hearts, minds and souls of its countrymen as well as foreigners.

On 2nd February 1971, at Ramsar in Iran, an intergovernmental treaty was signed to promote country-level actions and international cooperation in protecting wetlands. This day is celebrated to commemorate the signing of the Ramsar convention and to raise public awareness of the ecological value and benefits of wetlands. Wetlands are a very important part of our biodiversity and it is essential to see that they are well protected.

• Repair leaking taps.

• Turn off the tap while brushing or washing.

• Collect and store rainwater wherever possible.

• Install a flush tank that use less water.

• Don’t use running water for rinsing vegetable, pulses, etc.

• Think of ways for reusing water for instance, water used for rinsing vegetable can be reused for watering plants.

  
  

National Science Day is celebrated in India on February 28 every year to mark the discovery of Raman effect by C.V. Raman. The event is commemorated in honour of Sir C.V. Raman for his legacy and discovery of the Raman effect on February 28, 1928, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930.

It is necessary to highlight the role of science in the protection of the environment. This day should be taken as a platform to put forward the message.

In 1971, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), declared March 21st as World Forestry Day. It is an opportunity for people to learn and reflect on the importance of forests in their day-to-day lives. This is important because forestry is often seen as being far removed from everyday life.

Celebrated the world over on what is the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn equinox in the Southern Hemisphere, this day serves to remind us of the important contributions of forests and forestry to the health of the global environment and to maintaining the quality of human life. Activities such as the planting of trees and highlighting the urgency to increase the green cover.

22 March

The decision to celebrate this day has been taken recently as drinking water sources are fast depleting. The world must wake up to the problem and begin conserving it.

This is the first time in human history that most of the world's population live in cities: 3.3 billion people ...and the urban landscape continues to grow.

38% of the growth is represented by expanding slums, while the city population is increasing faster than city infrastructure can adapt.

The objective of World Water Day 2014 is to focus international attention on the impact of rapid urban population growth, industrialization and uncertainties caused by climate change, conflicts and natural disasters on urban water systems.

This year theme, Water & Energy: responding to the urban challenge, aims to spotlight and encourage governments, organizations, communities, and individuals to actively engage in addressing the defy of urban water management.

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On 23 March 1950, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) was formed for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences. It has 189 members.

World Meteorological Day is celebrated worldwide by the meteorological community every year on March 23 to commemorate the organization of WMO. Each year a different theme is chosen for the occasion. WMO was designated a specialized agency of the United Nations System in 1951.

Various events as conferences, symposia and exhibitions for meteorological professionals, community leaders and the general public are held on World Meteorological Day.

World Meteorological Day marks the presentation of awards for meteorological research like, The International Meteorological Organization Prize, Professor Dr. Vilho Väisälä Award and The Norbert Gerbier-Mumm International Award.

Many countries issue postage stamps or special postage stamp cancellation marks to celebrate World Meteorological Day.

These stamps bear the theme of the event or a country's meteorology achievements

Everyone has to be reminded that weather is an integral part of the environment.

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7 April

The World Health Organization (WHO) was constituted on this day in 1948. In the changing environment around us, health is becoming an important issue.

In 1948, the World Health Organization held the First World Health Assembly. The Assembly decided to celebrate 7 April of each year, with effect from 1950, as the World Health Day. The World Health Day is celebrated to create “awareness of a specific health theme to highlight a priority area of concern for the World Health Organization (WHO)”. Activities – related to that particular theme and the resources provided – continue beyond 7 April, that is, the designated day for celebrating the World Health Day.

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18 April

The International Day for Monuments and Sites (informally known as the World Heritage Day) was created on 18th April, 1982, by ICOMOS and later approved at the 22nd UNESCO General Conference in 1983. This special day offers an opportunity to raise public’s awareness concerning the diversity of the world’s heritage and the efforts that are required to protect and conserve it, as well as to draw attention to its vulnerability.

Environment includes not just the natural surroundings but also the manmade ones.

22 April

This day was first observed in the USA in 1970 to draw attention to increasing environmental degradation due to human actions. It is now celebrated worldwide by concerned citizens, with activities aim at protecting plants and animals and cleaning the environment.

Biodiversity provides the ecological goods and services that sustain all life. Of the million of species of animals, plants and micro-organisms on earth, some 18000 are becoming extinct annually owing to mindless environmental interference by humans. The UN proclaimed this day to increase awareness and understanding of biodiversity issues.

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This day seeks to focus on the state of the global environment. It commemorates the start of UN conference on the human environment, Stockholm, held in 1972. A unique theme and slogan is selected each year.

Theme for 2014 : "Small Islands and Climate Change"

Official Slogan for 2014 : "Raise your Voice Not the Sea Level"

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Past 600 crore a decade age and projected to cross 750 crore by 2020, the human population exerts tremendous pressures on the earth’s resources. This threatens our basic needs of clean air, water, food, shelter, education and health. To highlight this concern, the United Nations, in 1998, designated 11 th July as world population day. Population has to be given special attention, as it is an ever-increasing problem especially in India.

 July

K.M. Munshi initiated the Van Mahotsav in 1950, when he was Union Minister of Agriculture and Food, to increase the area under forest cover. Since then Van Mahotsav a week long festival of tree plantation is organised every year in the month of July all across the country and lakhs of trees are planted.

Ozone is a gas occurring naturally, forming a layer in the upper atmosphere that protects life on earth from the Sun’s ultra-violet rays. This layer is threatened with destruction by man-made chemicals released into the air. World Ozone Day, declared by the UN in 1995, seeks to promote awareness of the damage and ways to reverse it by urgent action.

Theme for 2014 "Ozone Layer Protection : The Mission Goes On"

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The problems of consumerism and its impact on the environment is an area of major concern in today’s world. Awareness building on the importance of recycling-reusing-reducing should be taken up seriously.

‘A healthy atmosphere, the future we want’.

Celebrate this week by building awareness on the importance of preservation of our wildlife.

The earth is the habitat of not only human beings but also all living creatures. Increasing human activities is threatening the habitat of other living things.

this day is observed to heighten awareness about the issues of animals especially; those associated with humans with regard to protect them and ensuring their freedom from thirst and hunger; from discomfort; from pain, injury and disease; from fear and distress; and to express normal behaviour.

Due to a change in the environment there has been an increase in the number of natural disasters. Efforts have to be taken to reduce these disasters.

The UN General Assembly declared this day in 2001 to promote awareness and concern about wartime damage to the environment impairing ecosystems and natural resources long after the end of warfare, transcending space beyond the area of conflict and time beyond the generations immediately involved or affected.

The Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984 killed thousands and seriously damaged the health of at least 50000 more people. Remembering that disaster serves to remind us how negligence or inattention in risky tasks can lead to catastrophic results, and how each individual must be aware and alert to the hazards inherent in such occurrences. 

The Ministry of Power is observing the National Energy Conservation Day on December 14.