Every 5th of June since 1974 as established by the United Nations we celebrate World Environment Day. For me it's a date I mark in my calendar.

This year's theme and challenge is Beat Plastic Pollution (If you can´t reuse it, refuse it) and create awareness using globally the hashtag #beatplasticpollution There are events all over the world, being the major event host in India, which will try to address how we can combat Plastic pollution exposing their own struggles with it. Each year this date focuses on a focuses attention on a particularly pressing environmental concern but that doesn't mean we must ignore the others.

We live in the most amazing planet... home of so much diversity and life... cradle of so much beauty. But most still ignore how alarmingly quick it is all degrading, species vanishing into the oblivion of extinction, animals cornered in small habitats and doomed to fade away, our climate severely altered by our own pollution. And we see it all happening in front of our eyes... until we reach those critics points where things cannot be undone. One species gone, wild fires gone crazy due to severe draughts, tropical storms flooding countries out of the blue...
But we always choose "convenience", the short-term fix...
Nature and Life in our planet are certainly at stake, and so also our existence because we belong to Earth and so far this is our ONLY HOME.

Don't think it is not worth to make a difference... you can!

It is the perfect day, if weather allows to go outdoors and hike... and maybe even organize a clean up. Even in the remotest most beautiful places I've been there is that annoying piece of plastic. It's everywhere... almost unavoidable in every packaging, in components of every single item we buy...
So before buying... remember this year's slogan.... "if you cannot reuse, refuse it"

^{Picture above courtesy of @hedac}

Héctor and I were hiking together and we were sad to stumble upon this sad view... It seems we cannot escape plastic, can we? That bottle will flow downriver, will end up decomposing into microscopic toxic particles.

And some other time we were walking peacefully and enjoying a lovely forest trail when we found this... Why would someone leave it there... It escapes logic... But it is indeed concerning.

^{Picture above courtesy of @hedac}

The power of small acts

So many small actions and change of habits can do SO MUCH. And each one of those small efforts are worth because they add up, each one of us, until it become a trend. I hope within my lifetime to see plastic in disuse. There are alternatives but obviously they are not sponsored.
But we can´t reduce to great extent by small measures...

• Using a fabric bag (every year more than 500 billion plastic are used)
• Favouring those foods that doesn't come in plastic wrap or polystyrene trays
• Meticulously sorting our waste for proper recycling.
• Use a reusable water flask and lunch box.
• Volunteer on clean ups. Collect plastics if you find them when hiking for proper disposal
• Spread the word and create awareness among yours

So next time at the department store, maybe consider to buy a reusable canteen or water flask to start with... because that plastic water may end up like the picture shared before. Besides not only plastic degrades into small pieces that end up in the sea threatening marine wildlife. Animals choked after eating plastic, or strangled by it... Small marine creatures that incorporate microscopic particles that are amplified into the food chain until we eat them again. Even the calves of dolphins are whales are dying because the milk becomes poisoned with chemicals derived from plastic consumption as all fish are contaminated by them.

Above: me in Urederra River. The river's name means "Beautiful Water". Hyaline, crystal, unpolluted... this how all water sources should be. Urederra strikes almost as an utopian place, but even now and then while you walk the forest trails around you stumble upon some plastic wrap from the hikers.

But I leave this message even to the ones with less heart and not caring about any of that... be aware microplastics and chemicals also detach from the containers after a while and we swallow them... and the extent of the heath damage they can cause is being researched. It is proved that once absorbed by the body they are hazardous altering hormones and probably causing many related human health problems including cancer
I do not like preaching but this date is always an important reminder

I will act...

What you will do, for this planet, for the life it holds, for US, or even for yourself is up to you.
You are responsible too.

You can choose

And you can gift yourself and others the chance to live in a better and cleaner planet... If you have Nature at hand, this is a lovely day to be outdoors. I unfortunately can't today while I write this, but already dreaming of the weekend.

You all know that I love Nature which is a great source of inspiration for my music and my art... and yes... one of my favourite things is to dress as a fantasy character and look for fairytale locations... But we must take "care" of them... EACH ONE OF US IS A GUARDIAN

Tuesday, June 5th: World Environment Day 2018