What do you do to celebrate Earth Day every day? Join 37 contestants to create a more sustainable future and get a chance to win $1000 for your favorite non profit

Running between Earth Day and World Environment Day this year, Wiser.org launched a contest to showcase how people in the global community are embracing actions that are helping to create a more sustainable future! The contest has received 37 entries and 762 votes have been cast. As the end of the contest draws near, we wanted to reflect on World Environment Day which falls on 5th June, the last day of the contest and also share the voices of some of the participants.

World Environment Day (WED) was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Commemorated yearly on 5 June, WED is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. The day aims to:

* Give a human face to environmental issues;
* Empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development;
* Promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues;
* Advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.

The aims of World Environment Day seem to be echoed in the words shared by many of the participants in Wiser’s sustainability contest:

Auldridge writes “I work towards saving energy in my place of stay and work… I teach on conserving power where they should [use] less energy and electronic appliances and consider others who also need energy.” 

“I hope, by example, to raise a child who loves and respects our Earth” says Nikki.

“I use food scraps and yard waste to make compost. I sold my car. I share rides, walk or ride a bike. I don’t buy what I don’t really need. I try to be frugal with water and electricity use” explains Rebecca.

Here some of the inspiring actions shared by contest participants:

Ryan from the U.S. describes his work on the RCC community garden which provides an educational space for students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding community to learn about and participate in local, organic food production. His objective? To enhance the educational aspect, the garden will include a seating area and stage that would function as an outdoor classroom and event space. He also envisions that the garden will include art projects and signage designed and produced with significant (if not full) student input.

Mahbubur from Bangladesh shares his goal to establish a Rural Library in different villages in Bangladesh. He exlains “Our target readers are rural children emphasizing poorer, dropout and disable. Primarily it [the library] would start with different NGO publication viz poster, banner, festoon, booklet, academic & non-academic books etc. We have already established a library at Kustia a rural district in Bangladesh and going to establish another one at the district of Kurigram very soon”.


Mohammad Arifur from Bangladesh describes how he aims to support youth in his region who are undertaking a boat journey to help build awareness for a sustainable world. The main focus of this journey is to create awareness against all type of environmental degradation.

The contest will come to an end on June 5th, World Environment Day when editors will look at the entries and votes to come up with a final winner and 2 runners up. Until then, you still have time to enter or vote in the Earth Day Living contest if you haven’t done so already! You can come back and keep voting because voting is open to everyone. Share a picture and 50 words to describe how you live Earth Day every day. This is also your chance to win $1000 for your favorite charity.

Visit the page now on Facebook to enter and vote!

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