Environmental Awareness Days 2023

Over the last two years, I posted a list of environmental awareness days and I received quite a few messages from people who said they found it really helpful and referred back to it throughout the year.

As someone who likes to help, I’m going to the same for 2023 too!

***To make your life even easier, I’ve created a section on my website with Environmental Awareness Days & Dates and sustainability dates which I aim to regularly update and add new ones to ensure they remain in date – here’s the link***

Please note, this isn’t a comprehensive list list.

January

• Veganuary 1st January to 31st January – In 2023, they supported and inspired over 620,000 people to try vegan food with participants from 228 countries and territories. You can even download their free cookbook
• Big Garden Birdwatch – January 6, 2023 – February 20, 2023 – Organised by the RSPB, it encourages everyone, young and old, to spend some time and go outside to monitor and record all the birds you seen. Once you have the information, upload the information to their website – The last day for sending us your results is 20 February
• Houseplant Week UK – January 9, 2023 – January 15, 2023 – I like to call this indoor gardening. Having a houseplant (or ten) offers some great health benefits including purifying the air. A good place to start is a blog I wrote last year about the plants I have.

March

• Compost Week – March 13, 2023 – March 19, 2023 – Learning about the benefits of compost is crucial to growing plants and food. Composting your household food waste allows you to create nutrient-rich food for your garden
• Global Recycling Day – March 18, 2023 – Now in its 5th year, this day is dedicated to recognising and promoting recycling. Recycling plays a crucial role in the future of our planet.
• World Water Day – March 22, 2023 – Celebrating water, this day also highlights that there are about 2.2 billion people around the world who do to not have access to cleaning drinking water.
• The Great British Spring Clean – March 25, 2023 – April 10, 2023 – This campaign encourages you to pledge whatever time you have to join a little picking group. Get outside, meet new people, what’s not to like?

April

• Walk to Work Day – April 7, 2023 – As the name suggests, this day promotes changing your routine and walking to work. The added benefit is a healthy walk to the office.
• Community Garden Week – April 3, 2023 – April 9, 2023 – This week takes the opportunity to celebrate community gardens and schools gardens in the UK. Working together as. a community and inspiring each other, what’s not to love?
• Earth Day – 22nd April – First started in 1970, the aim is to educate and encourage individuals to learn about our planet to work to protect it. If you would like to get the kids involved in Earth Day, check out my website for some great digital downloads to keep them busy

• Stop Food Waste Day – April 26, 2023 – So much of our food is wasted unnecessarily and you’ll be able to find creative and impactful ways to change our behaviour.

May

• No Mow May – 1st May to 31st May – I came across this campaign a few years ago and I really do like this one. All you have to do is to not cut your grass for the month of May. This will allow flowers to bloom creating a vital source of nectar for bees as well as other insects. #NoMowMay
• Sun Awareness Week – May 1, 2023 – May 7, 2023 – Led by The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD), this campaign is to educate and highlight the dangers of UV radiation from the sun. Check out their website as it has some great tips about staying safe in the sun.
• Water Saving Week – May 22, 2023 – May 26, 2023 – Water is a vital source for all life on earth and this week is dedicated to promoting ways in which we can save it.
• National Children’s Gardening Week – May 27, 2023 – June 4, 2023 – This is a great way to encourage and celebrate the enjoyment gardening hold for our little ones. They love getting their hands dirty and it’s a great way to teach the next generation about gardening.

June

• World Environment Day – 5th June – On the same day every year, this day is dedicated to our environment. There is only one Earth, let’s look after it for future generations. Here’s some great ways to help the kids learn about the environment.
• The Great Big Green Week – June 10, 2023 – June 18, 2023 – This is a huge celebration to tackle climate change and protect nature. What can you do to get involved?
• Bike Week – June 8, 2023 – June 15, 2023 – This annual campaign in partnership with Cycle Uk, promotes and celebrates the may benefits cycling offers and the added bonus is that it helps reduce your carbon footprint.
• World Oceans Day – 8th June – The aim of this day is to promote and protect our oceans as they play a vital role to life on earth. Sign up and get involved.
• National Clean Air Day – 15th June – Their website states ‘Every year, air pollution causes up to 36,000 deaths in the UK.’ Everyone has the right to access clean air. Personally, every day should be National Clean Air day.
• World Refill Day – June 16, 2023 – Highlighting and encouraging us to ditch our single-use plastic bottles and refill our drinks when we are out and about. There’s even an app that tells you where your local refilling station is.
• World Rainforest Day – June 22 – This day raises awareness about our planet’s rainforest and the biodiversity found in them. Rainforests are disappearing at an alarming rate, get involved to see how you can protect them for future generations.

July

• Plastic Free July – 1st July to 31st July – This global campaign has grown year on year encouraging use to adapt our habits to reduce our plastic consumption. Small changes do a massive difference and I would encourage everyone to make a change. I’m always posting about this on my Instagram, check out my profile and follow me.
• Plastic Bag Free Day – 3rd July – The aim of this global campaign is to eliminate the use of single-use plastics. I genuinely can’t remember the last time I bought a plastic bag!
• Don’t Step on a Bee Day – 10th July – Bees play a vital role in our planet’s ecosystem. Check out my blog about bees.
• The Big Butterfly Count – July 14, 2023 – August 6, 2023 – Someone got in touch with me last year about this one and I’m really glad I can include this in the list. A UK-wide survey which allows everyone to get involved to monitor and record the health of our butterfly population. Check out the website to see how you can get involved.
• Love Parks Week – July 28, 2023 – August 4, 2023 – This campaign is launched by Keep Britain Tidy and promotes visiting and enjoying your local parks.

August

• National Allotments Week – August 7, 2023 – August 13, 2023 – This week is dedicated to the importance and benefits of allotments. I’ve always felt growing your own food should be a life skill. Some UK councils have a waiting list for an allotment due to the rise in popularity. See if you can get one through your local council.
• National Bog Day – August 26, 2023 – Bogs are often overlooked but play an important part in our environment. Check out the website and see how you can help.

September <– (link updated)

• Secondhand September – 1 September to 30 September – This has been going since 2019 and encourages us to buy things we need secondhand. I’m a huge fan of this and have saved a lot of money buying something secondhand.
• Organic September – 1 September to 30 September – The month of September is dedicated to bringing awareness to growing and eating organic foods and highlighting farming practices that doesn’t include harmful chemicals.
• Recycle Week – September 18, 2023 – September 24, 2023 – A whole week dedicated to promote and encourage recycling. This is Recycle Now’s flagship event celebrating and encouraging recycling up and down the country. Check out this great recycling game to help teach your kids about recycling.

• The Great British Beach Clean – September 16, 2023 – September 25, 2023 – This is a great initiative where thousands of people give involved in cleaning up our beaches allowing people to enjoy our beaches without having to avoid rubbish.

October <– (link updated)

• Unblocktober – 1st October to 31st October – This brilliant campaign promotes awareness for our drains, waterways and sewers encouraging us to adapt our habits at home. Many items flushed down our toilets cause blockages – wet wipes are a massive problem. Check out the website about how to get involved.
• No Disposable Cup day – 4th October – Encouraging us to refuse a disposable cup and instead use a reusable cup. Disposable cups really are unnecessary.
• Big Energy Saving Week – October 17, 2023 – October 23, 2023 – This week is organised by Energy Saving Trust and Citizens Advice Bureau and dedicated to how save money on your energy bill. As the cost of energy in the UK is putting a strain on many households, this week is key to helping many people up and down the country.

December <– (link updated)

• World Soil Day – December 5th, 2023 – On the same day every years, this day encourages us to learn about the soil and how its maintenance is vital for food security. Sadly, a lot of chemicals are used in food production which reduces the fertility of our soils turning vasts lands into barren spaces.

Here’s a more in-depth blog for September to December 2023

If there are any other events that you feel should be mentioned, please do let me know 💚

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