ND Energy and the Environmental Change Initiative (ECI) are coming together to celebrate #WorldEnvironmentDay on Monday, June 5th. World Environment Day is sponsored by the United Nations (UN) and encourages worldwide awareness and action for the environment. This year, the host country is Canada, and the theme is Connecting People to Nature with a slogan of “I’m with Nature”.
Every form of energy that is used to generate power for electricity has an impact on the environment. Nonrenewable energy sources, such as fossil fuels or coal, oil, and natural gas, have substantially more harmful effects on the environment than renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, and biomass. In fact, renewable energy sources provide substantial benefits for our climate, health, and economy; here’s why.
- They produce little to no greenhouse gas emissions, improving global warming and air pollution.
- They provide clean air and fresh water, improving our health and the quality of our eco system.
- They are secure and stable, lessening the chance of failure or disruption to our power supply.
- They are affordable, supporting the stability of future energy prices.
- They require additional manpower, creating more jobs and improving local communities through local government tax collections.
- They provide enough energy to power the world.
At the University of Notre Dame, ND Energy and ECI are working with researchers to develop new technologies and systems to address the harmful effects of using non-renewables and to create sustainable energy solutions that will have long-term, positive impacts on our planet. For this, we invite you to join the celebration of World Environment Day and take a moment to thank an ND Energy or ECI affiliated faculty member for helping to ensure that we will enjoy the beauty of our planet for generations to come.
Here are a few additional ways you can get involved.
- Take a picture of yourself with an ND Energy or ECI faculty member on June 5 and send it to bvillaro@nd.edu; we’ll post it to our website.
- Post a picture of yourself (and others) doing something outdoors to #WorldEnvironmentDay on June 5.
- Clean up any rubbish interfering with the beauty of nature surrounding your workplace or home.
- Take a walk across campus or visit a local park and enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of nature.
- Find a special place in your yard, and plant a tree, shrub, or flower in honor of World Environment Day.
World Environment Day was first started in 1974 to bring awareness to emerging environmental issues. It is celebrated in over 143 different countries and serves as the ‘people’s day’ for doing something good for the planet and coming together to make a positive impact.
By uniting in celebration, we will show our support for the care and concern of our common home and stand in joyous harmony as we enjoy the beauty of the world and all of God’s wondrous creations.
ND Energy is a University Research Center whose mission is to build a better world by creating new energy technologies and systems and educating individuals to help solve the most critical energy challenges facing our world today. For more information, visit the ND Energy website at energy.nd.edu or contact Barbara Villarosa, Business and Communications Program Director, at bvillaro@nd.edu or 574-631-4776.
Originally published by at energy.nd.edu on June 02, 2017.