World Environment Day is celebrated annually on June 5th and was created to inspire people around the globe to take an active part in environmental protection and learn more about ways we can help to guarantee the future of our planet is safe.

The very first World Environment Day took place in 1974, established by the United Nations General Assembly on the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment that took place in 1972. Each year the United Nations picks a theme and a host city where anyone who is concerned about the environment can talk about environmental topics with others, followed by different kinds of exhibits to promote environmental awareness. Environmentalists, academics and scientists come together to bring new ideas on the table concerning the environment.

The 2018 World Environment Day was hosted by India, and the theme was Beat Plastic Pollution. It urged people to explore and choose supportable alternatives like paper or cloth bags to reduce the production and use of disposable plastic, which made up 10% of all of the waste. Even though the United Nations picks a specific host city every year, people around the world still celebrate World Environment Day in their hometowns with parades (游行), concerts, cleaning up, tree planting and all kinds of green actions to work towards having a beautiful planet and battling pollution.

World Environment Day is not a public holiday, so you won’t be getting the day off work or school, but if you want to celebrate, why not bring it to the attention of your parents, friends, colleagues or classmates? World Environment Day is all about working together to take action for the planet, so try to get everyone you know interested in helping do something. Things as small as making sure people have a way to recycle can make a difference. You could also try beautifying your neighborhood by planting gardens, learn about green foods, raise money for a local wildlife conservation group or simply learn about the effects of different products on the earth.

World No Tobacco Day is celebrated each 31st of May. The aim is to bring attention to the growing use of tobacco and its deadly effects. The World Health Assembly established the event in 1987. This year, special attention is being given to the harmful effects of tobacco marketing to women and girls.

The WHO says the tobacco industry has increasingly directed its marketing campaigns at women and girls. Study shows that women currently represent about twenty percent of smokers while tobacco use among girls is increasing. Data collected from 151 countries show that about seven percent of young girls now smoke. That compares with twelve percent of boys. In some countries, however, the rates are almost equal.

Almost 170 countries have signed an agreement called the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which calls on those governments to ban tobacco advertising to the fullest to protect women. The agreement seeks to reduce the demand and supply of tobacco products. This year marks the fifth anniversary since the treaty went into effect. Up to now, eighty percent of the signers have banned the sale of tobacco products to young people. Seventy percent have required health warnings on tobacco products.

Events are planned in a number of countries to mark World No Tobacco Day. Many of the events are aimed at persuading people, especially the young, not to start smoking. Others aim to educate people about the many health benefits of giving up smoking.

The World Health Organization says tobacco kills nearly five and a half million people a year and has become a top cause of death worldwide. It is estimated that so far in the world one billion people smoke. More than eighty percent of tobacco users live in low and middle income countries. The WHO estimates that tobacco use caused one hundred million deaths in the twentieth century. If current rates continue, that number could reach one billion in this century.

When you walk along a street in a big city in the United States, you may see clocks in most stores. Radio announcers give the correct time during the day. People there think that it is important to know the time. Most Americans have watches. They do not want to be late.

Not all people all over the world value time. Suppose you visit a certain country in South America, you would find that people living there do not like to rush. If you had an appointment(约会)with someone, he would probably be late. He would not care about arriving on time. In some countries in South America, even the radio programs may not begin right on time, nor do the radio announcers think it important to announce the right time. Many people regard a clock as a machine. It seems to them that a person who does everything on time is controlled(控制)by a machine. They do not want a clock or any machine to have that much power over their lives.