Environmental Awareness Days 2022

At the start of last year, I posted a list of environmental awareness days for 2021 and I received quite a few messages from people who said they found it really helpful and referred back to it throughout the year.

So, I’m doing the same again this year!

***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 – This is an annual challenge which helps educate and promote veganism. The purpose is to encourage people to explore a vegan lifestyle throughout the month.
• Big Garden Birdwatch – January 5, 2022 – February 22, 2022 – This is organised by the RSPB and encourages everyone, young and old, to spend some time outside monitoring and recording birds you seen. Afterwards, the information is submitted via their website and allows them to record how many birds there are in the UK.
• Houseplant Week UK – January 10, 2022 – January 16, 2022 – Houseplants are brilliant at purifying the air, this week is a perfect opportunity to find out which houseplant to buy. A good place to start is a blog I wrote last year about the plants I have.
• Big Energy Saving Week – January 17, 2022 – January 22, 2022 – This week is dedicated to how to cut your energy use and how to save money. This initiative is lead by the Citizen’s Advice Bureau in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. The website is full of tips and ideas.

March

• Compost Week – March 14, 2022 – March 20, 2022 – As the name suggests, this week is dedicated to composting and its benefits. Composting is becoming quite popular and it’s really healthy for your garden. If you’re a newbie, the link is a great place to start.
• Global Recycling Day – March 18, 2022 – Started in 2018, this day is recognise and promote recycling and the importance it plays on the future of our planet.
• World Water Day – March 22, 2022 – This day educates us about how vital it is to have clean water. Even today, there are still parts of the world that do not have access to safe drinking water and water pollution affects many lives.

April

• Walk to Work Day – April 1, 2022 – Not only does walking provide great health benefits, it’s also good for the environment. Plus, walking doesn’t cost anything.
• Community Garden Week – April 4, 2022 – April 10, 2022 – This week takes the opportunity to celebrate schools and community gardens up and down the country. Learning to love our gardens has been lost in the last few decades. Working together and inspiring each other, what’s not to love?
• Earth Day – 22nd April – This movement has been going since 1970 and their aim is to educate and encourage individuals to protect our planet. You can sign up to their newsletter and keep up to date with their progress and campaigns.
• Stop Food Waste Day – April 27, 2022 – The amount of food wasted is eye-watering. The website provides great tips and creative ways to reduce food waste.

May

• No Mow May – 1st May to 31st May – I found out about this campaign about two years ago and it’s a brilliant initiative. The idea is that you don’t cut your grass for a whole month, allowing flowers to bloom which are a vital source of nectar for bees and other insects. Ever heard of a ‘scaremow’? – click on the link to the National Trust Website to find out more.
• Sun Awareness Week – May 3, 2022 – May 8, 2022 – This is a campaign led by The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) to educate and highlight the dangers of UV radiation from the sun. Their website has some great ways about staying safe when the sun is shining.
• Water Saving Week – May 17, 2022 – May 22, 2022 – This week is to raise to raise awareness of the issues around water usage. Promoting ways we can use it efficiently everyday.
• The Great British Spring Clean – May 28, 2022 – June 13, 2022 – Encouraging you to pledge whatever time you have, even if its an hour, and use that time to go litter picking or join a litter picking group.
• National Children’s Gardening Week – May 28, 2022 – June 5, 2022 – Use this week to celebrate the joy gardening holds for children. 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. A healthy eco-system is the key to life on this planet.
• Bike Week – June 6, 2022 – June 12, 2022 – In partnership with Cycle UK, this annual campaign is to celebrate cycling and its many benefits. Also, this a brilliant way to reduce your carbon footprint!
• Garden Wildlife Week – June 6, 2022 – June 12, 2022 – An annual celebration of the natural world around us, including the plants and animals who live in it.
• World Oceans Day – 8th June – This day aims to raise awareness of the importance our oceans play and how it helps to sustain a healthy planet. There is a lot in the media about plastic entering the ocean. Sign up to get involved.
• World Refill Day – June 16, 2022 – I remember this from 2020. In an effort to prevent plastic pollution, this campaign highlights and encourages us to make the swap from single-use plastic bottles to reusable ones. Time to join the refill revolution!

July

• Plastic Free July – 1st July to 31st July – This is a global campaign I am incredibly passionate about and encourages us to make changes to reduce our plastic use. I even wrote a blog about what I did for 2020. Small changes do a massive difference and I would encourage everyone to make a change. If you’re on Instagram, check out my profile.
• Plastic Bag Free Day – 3rd July – This is a global campaign to eliminate the use of single-use plastics which is part of the Break Free From Plastic movement. I honestly can’t remember the last time I bought a plastic bag! Their website also has some interesting facts about the different types of plastic used in bags.
• Don’t Step on a Bee Day – 10th July – Bees are vital to the planet’s ecosystem. Check out my blog about bees.
• Love Parks Week – July 23, 2022 – July 31, 2022 – An initiative launched by Keep Britain Tidy, it encourages us to visit and enjoy our local parks.

August

• National Allotments Week – August 9, 2022 – August 14, 2022 – This week is to celebrate the importance of allotments and their benefits; I strongly believe learning how to grow your own food should be a life skill. If you can’t get an allotment, you can grow food in your garden or windowsill.

September

• Organic September – 1st September to 30th September – The vision of this campaign is to bring awareness by exploring and eating organic food and to educate people about farming practices in growing organic food.
• Recycle Week – September 20, 2022 – September 25, 2022 – As the name suggests, it’s a week to promote and encourage recycling. This is Recycle Now’s flagship event to celebrate recycling up and down the country.
• The Great British Beach Clean – September 17, 2022 – September 25, 2022 – Every year, thousands of people give involved in cleaning up our beaches. It also gets you outside and there’s nothing like breathing in sea air!
• FSC Friday – September 24, 2022 – Promoting awareness about forest management and the vital role they play in climate change.

October

• Unblocktober – 1st October to 31st October – This campaign promotes awareness for our sewers, drains and waterways by changing our habits at home. The amount of items flushed down their drains that can cause blockages is startling. I’m sure we are becoming aware of what baby wipes do to blockages. Their website has some brilliant ideas.
• No Disposable Cup day – 4th October – as the name suggests, it asks everyone not to take a disposable cup for that day. Personally, I think everyday should be disposable cup day!
• National Clean Air Day – 8th October – Their aim is to help protect children from polluted air. Their website states ‘Every year, air pollution causes up to 36,000 deaths in the UK.’

December

• World Soil Day – December 5th, 2022 – Learning about the soil and it’s maintenance is vital for food production. Chemicals used in food production around the world is leaving large areas of land unusable as the soil is no longer fertile enough to grow food.

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

If you enjoyed this post, please sign up to my newsletter. You’ll even get a free download