Today countries around the globe are taking part in celebrating World Environment Day. People in the African continent are taking part in tree plantings and beach-clean ups, while others in Europe are hosting environmental film screenings and poetry contests. The great news is you can help too — and local environment groups have told The Royal Gazette exactly how.

Bermuda Environment Sustainability Taskforce (BEST):

World Environment Day is an opportunity for citizens around the globe to begin or continue to recognise, repair and rebuild damage to the global environment. This means modifying our actions to cause the least amount of harm to our environment and working together to strengthen global environmental health.

It means moving beyond merely using the words "environmentally friendly" and "sustainable" to incorporating those principles in daily life at home, at school, at work, whether on-Island or abroad.

It means contemplating giving greater value to quality of life, then taking steps to become exponents of a quality-based lifestyle versus a quantity-based one.

Specifically for Bermuda this means:

Reducing waste: Residents in Bermuda produce more waste, per capita, than just about anywhere else on the planet. From consumers to retailers to wholesalers to government, we must make a concerted effort to reduce consumption, packaging and other progenitors of solid, liquid and gaseous wastes.

Reducing fossil-fuel consumption: Bermudians likewise are at or near the top of global energy consumers, per capita. We need to be conscious of every thread of our consumption of energy — fuels, electricity, transportation (for ourselves and our goods) — and consciously reduce them.

Returning to historical water practices of conservation and purity, and transferring these qualities to other facets of community life.

Overlaying the dominant material focus with a human focus, one that puts more emphasis on developing the individual than on buildings and bank accounts.

Bermuda Environmental Alliance:

World Environment Day (WED) is all about creating environmental awareness and it perfectly aligns with our mission, "To create awareness of environmental issues that impact all of us through education and global exchange of information by using visual and social media."

Bermuda Environmental Alliance (BEA) is an amazing platform that offers well researched science based factual knowledge through infotainment. Knowledge is powerful — and we believe knowledge will propel people to take action.

This year's WED theme is "Water Matters" — the theme is appropriate, as the world is coming to grips with the looming water crisis — scientists predict that there will be water wars if we don't do something about it.

However, a tiny speck in the mid-Atlantic is harvesting rainwater like no place else on the planet. Bermuda is a shining example of water conservation, Bermuda roofs are rain catching machines, however not too many countries know about the story.

Still there's always room for improvement in areas such as recycling for example. Much more tin, aluminium and glass (TAG), can be recycled at the Bailey's Bay recycling facility, however the plant is being used only a few days a week because few people are recycling. It takes time for people to change their habits, but if they can see the fruits of their labour and are made aware of the impact of reducing waste, they'll start doing more.

Greenrock:

In terms of what we think Bermudians should do on World Environmental Day (which by the way, I did not know existed which is probably true for many others), our first thought would be that people should consider their impact to the environment every day.

We need to start thinking about the environment when you are throwing something in the garbage – can this be recycled, composed, or reused. If you are buying big ticket items – what is the energy rating on this product, is it eco-friendly, how will it be disposed of, and is there ways to reuse it or fix something to avoid single-use consumption.

(You should also think about) what is the mileage and emissions of the vehicle; if you decide to go somewhere – how can I get there using public transport, can I walk or ride there or arrange a lift with someone else.

If you are at home (you can consider things like) do I have too many lights on, should I set my air conditioning control on a timer or how can I use fans to circulate the air. Ask yourself if there are appliances on that don't need to be and if you have a full-load yet to do laundry or dishes.

When you are doing general shopping think 'Did I bring my reusable bag?', 'Can I buy locally produced food rather than imported' or 'Is there another food item with less packaging?'

By taking the time to think about the consequences of your actions when doing just one or more of these things, you are becoming more aware. And this awareness is what Greenrock is trying to encourage in Bermuda when it comes to 'Changing the Mindset'.

At the end of the day, we as a community needs to work together in order to make Bermuda a place where sustainable thinking is part of your day-to-day lifestyle.

Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS):

The oceans cover 70% of the planet, and provide 99% of the planet's living space. The ocean is home to the largest mountain chain, and to the deepest trenches. It distributes the planet's heat, conditions its atmosphere, and is the mechanism that forms the clouds that feed its rivers and lakes. It is a truism among oceanographers that scientists know more about Mars and the Moon than our planet's oceans.

The Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences made a commitment over a century ago to make the most of its unique location and resources to be a collaborative world leader in global ocean science, research and education. Today BIOS has emerged as an important base for studying the open ocean and ocean atmosphere, understanding unique marine habitats and being a major knowledge centre for marine research for the island of Bermuda and globally.

With disasters like the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, BIOS knowledge is critical in working to reverse the declining health of marine ecosystems and increase awareness about the health of our oceans. Bermuda is not immune to the effects of such environmental disasters. The global system of ocean currents and air circulation has brought to our island dust from the Sahara desert, birds on the winds of hurricanes and sea creatures, such as the Lion Fish, on the ocean currents.

While politicians and scientists are battling with complex global problems to find solutions to the environmental threats that face us. There is a simple solution: for every person to truly value, respect and love the environment and the planet. "Think globally, act locally."