The Earth Day 2017 was celebrated Saturday across Pakistan with tree plantation. The theme for of this year’s ‘Earth Day’ was environmental and climate literacy. The purpose of the theme was to highlight the vital role of education in providing solutions to challenges confronting the planet.
Ignoring the importance of the day, however, the Punjab Environment Protection Department (EPD), which is considered as the most concerned department toward environmental issues, failed to conduct any activity to promote environmental campaigns. However, World Wildlife Fund (WWF-Pakistan) and other organisations held events with the aim of encouraging and promoting the environmental and climate-related education across the country.
To mark the day, a number of activities were organised by WWF-Pakistan in different cities that engaged educational institutions, corporate entities, civil society organisations, local communities and government departments.
In Lahore, WWF-Pakistan, in collaboration with Agility, conducted the main event at Ali Institute of Education (AIE) where a number of employees of both organisations planted indigenous trees. It also organised an event at Changa Manga with Teradata where participants planted local tree saplings to show their commitment to protecting Earth through increasing tree cover in the city.
In line with this year’s theme, WWF-Pakistan, in collaboration with Beacon House School System, Islamabad, conducted a wilderness exposure trip of over 100 students to Nathiagali. It served as an insightful experience for understanding various challenges faced by the fragile ecosystems.
In Karachi, WWF-Pakistan organised an event at Korangi Industrial Area which was attended by a large number of participants including officials of different organisations. In Kashmore, the event was organised in collaboration with Sindh Wildlife Department, Sindh Education Department and Sindhu Mallah Tanzeem – a local community-based organisation. More than 300 students attended the event where they presented tableaus and took part in a speech competition. Another event regarding the day was organised at Kund Malir, Balochistan which aimed at providing a real experience to the participants.
Director General WWF-Pakistan Hammad Naqi Khan, while commenting on the importance of the day, said that education can play a pivotal role in addressing environmental problems which are increasing by the day. He said that it can also help create public support for conservation of Earth’s resources. “With quality education, we can inspire action towards environmental protection and sensitise people to adopt green technologies”, he said. He also said that people should switch to alternative energy, discontinue use of plastic bags, conserve freshwater bodies and make effective and wise use of natural resources.
The Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) organised an event at Lahore Zoo in collaboration with Albayrak and Lahore Zoo. In this regard, an awareness walk, symbolic waste picking activity and art competition among special children of a local school for special children were arranged in the zoo. Participants also carried out plantation, pledging to contribute to the betterment of the planet.
