The longest-running series of benefit concerts in America, Farm Aid grew out of a comment made by the Bob Dylan at the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia. Suggesting it would be great if the musical community could help America’s struggling family farms as well, Dylan inspired Neil Young, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp to organise an event. The first Farm Aid took place two months later in Champaign, Illinois and raised $7 million. Two decades later, the concerts have raised more than $30 million and featured great American axe wielders such as Tom Petty, Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Grateful Dead (by satellite in 1987) and, of course, the organizers.
World Water Monitoring Day was established in 2003 by America’s Clean Water Foundation as a global educational outreach program that aims to build public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world by empowering citizens to carry out basic monitoring of their local water bodies. Participate in your home and community this year!
Clean Up the World is a community-based, environmental campaign that inspires and empowers communities around the globe to clean up, fix up and conserve their environment. Participate in an event in your community or start one yourself!
Car-free day encourages motorists to refrain from using their car for a day. Most cities have their own websites for car-free day – here is one for the world.
World Environmental Health Day addresses environmental health inequalities. While environmental health may be concerned primarily with the impacts of environmental stressors on health, these in turn are heavily influenced by and frequently reflect economic and social factors.
World Rivers Day is a global celebration of the world’s waterways. WRD highlights the importance and value of rivers and strives to encourage increased stewardship of the world’s rivers. Go out there and adopt a river 🙂