Environmental groups across Delmarva share ways they are helping the environment
World Environment Day
DELMARVA – Today is World Environment Day and this year’s theme is “Our Land Our Future” Created by the United Nations, June 5th is a day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of the environment.
All over the world, ecosystems are threatened. From forests and drylands to farmlands and lakes, natural spaces on which humanity’s existence depends are reaching a tipping point.
Lori Brennan, Executive Director of the Nature Conservancy speaks on the damage done to Delaware’s Environment. “A healthy environment means clean water, thriving forest, better air quality, and a sustainable world where both people and nature thrive… The data shows us that nearly half of Delaware’s native plants, have already disappeared or are threatened. 41% of our native birds are rare or absent, we’ve seen a 31 %, we’ve seen a 31% loss of our reptile and amphibian species.”
The problem doesn’t just exist in Delaware. Jean Siers, Delmarva Regional Director of The Society of St. Andrew speaks on food waste, and how that has which has huge environmental implications. “Food is the largest single component in landfills across the country… As it breaks down in the landfills, it’s breaking down in a way that harming the environment in a really toxic way…. We all are guilty of buying more than we need, and things go bad in the back of the refrigerator, so just being really conscious of what we’re eating and what we’re throwing out.
Overall, many organizations across Delmarva are fighting to save our planet– and they want the community to get involved. Brennan leaves us with a word, “Everybody has a role to play, and everybody should care deeply about this. We only have one home, one planet.”
The nature conservancy says Coastal resiliency and climate adaptation are essential to a successful future for Delawareans, and they have protected more than 30,000 critical acres of habitat like bays and wetlands across the state since 1990, and plan to continue.
