SUBMITTED
Environment Week 2024: Spreading environmental awareness and promoting sustainability
By MARLANT Safety and Environment
Canada celebrates Environment Week annually during the first week of June, which includes World Environment Day on June 5, Clean Air Day on June 7 and World Ocean Day on June 8. The goal is to promote awareness regarding the importance of protecting and preserving our natural environment. The United Nations theme for Environment Week 2024 was “Generation Restoration”, which encompasses land restoration and desertification as well as drought resilience. Canada aligned its celebration with this theme by recognizing everything Canadians are doing to ensure a healthy environment for future generations, such as the goal of net zero emissions by 2050 and the commitment to preserving 30 percent of Canada’s land and ocean space by 2030.
Maritime Forces Atlantic Safety and Environment (MARL SE) promoted Environment Week throughout MARLANT by encouraging members to increase their awareness about a variety of environmental issues. Daily emails were sent out during the week, highlighting different environmental topics each day, including simple tips and tricks for how personnel can make their work and home routine more environmentally friendly. MARL SE also hosted their annual nature photo contest, providing personnel the opportunity to submit a nature photo for a chance to win one of three admissions to Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site. With over 60 photo submissions, this contest encouraged many members of the Defence Team to get outdoors and appreciate all the natural environment has to offer. The three lucky winners of the photo contest were Caroline McDade from BIS Desktop Support, Cdr Brian May from Atlantic Research Centre, Defence Research and Development Canada, and Tim Wakfer from POES/Fire. Congratulations, and thank you to everyone who participated in the contest!
MARL SE staffed information booths at Willow Park, HMC Dockyard, and Stadacona to educate the Defence Team regarding environmental sustainability. Topics of conversation ranged from ways individuals can reduce their environmental footprint both in the office and at home, to the work Johnson Controls is doing to make DND infrastructure more energy efficient.
