Every 5th of June, World Environment Day is the ideal opportunity to raise awareness, bring people together, organise an event and take action for the planet. Whether you are a local authority, an association, a company or simply a committed citizen, this day can become a real lever for mobilisation. To create an impactful event, it’s essential to think about every detail, from defining the objective to logistics, communication and compliance with regulations.
This step-by-step guide will help you design a celebration that is committed, inclusive and sustainable.
Summary
1. How to celebrate World Environment Day: define a clear objective to structure your action
First and foremost, take the time to define what you want to achieve on this day. The creation of World Environment Day dates back to 1973, when the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) launched an international campaign to protect the planet.
Defining objectives is essential for structuring action and giving your event a clear direction. The objectives can be very varied: raising awareness of a local environmental issue among local residents, promoting eco-actions for citizens among the general public, mobilising young people around biodiversity, or launching a collective initiative in a given area. The way you structure the event will directly influence its impact and scope.
This intention will guide all the other decisions, from the format of the event to the choice of venue, speakers and activities. A good celebration is always supported by a strong, clear and coherent slogan that sums up the central message of the day.
Remember also to adapt the content to families: accessible times, controlled duration, a friendly atmosphere. If you’re offering a limited number of places or access by reservation, a solution like Weezevent will enable you to manage ticketing efficiently, centralise registrations and make the reception on the day more fluid.
2. Understanding the challenges of World Environment Day
World Environment Day, celebrated every year on 5 June, is a unique opportunity to mobilise the public around the major environmental challenges threatening our planet. There are many issues at stake, including the fight against plastic pollution, the sustainable management of natural resources, the restoration of degraded land, the preservation of biodiversity and adaptation to climate change.
Around the world, governments, businesses, associations and citizens are invited to get involved and multiply their initiatives to reduce pollution, restore ecosystems and promote responsible resource management. World Environment Day is therefore a real catalyst for action, highlighting innovative solutions and strengthening collective mobilisation. It is also a key moment to remember that every gesture counts, and that raising public awareness is essential to changing behaviour and meeting the environmental challenges of our time.
3. Use the annual themes to guide your project
Each World Environment Day is based around a specific theme, chosen to highlight a major environmental issue. These annual themes are a good source of inspiration for structuring your projects, campaigns and events. For example, a theme focusing on plastic pollution could give rise to workshops to reduce single-use plastics, clean-up operations at natural sites or awareness-raising campaigns on recycling. A theme dedicated to land restoration or the protection of biodiversity could inspire planting campaigns, conferences on species conservation or exhibitions on local ecosystems.
Taking the year’s theme as a starting point will give your initiative a sense of coherence, fit in with a global dynamic and provide you with shared communication tools. It’s also an opportunity to unite different players around common objectives, multiply synergies and amplify the impact of your actions. Whether you’re an association, a company, a local authority or an ordinary citizen, let the annual theme be your guide to developing innovative projects, organising events that make a real impact and playing an active part in protecting the environment. World Environment Day is the perfect time to turn inspiration into action and make your own contribution to a more sustainable future.
4. Choose a format suited to your audience and your ambition
Your format will depend on your resources, your audience and the message you want to get across. Here are a few ideas:
- Guided nature walks: perfect for gentle, educational discovery
- Practical workshops: making household products, composting, etc.
- Eco-festival or community village: stalls, events, conferences
- Screenings-debates or conferences: to go into more depth
- Participatory workcamps: to get straight to the action
Don’t forget to involve local residents and associations: the more people who build together, the more meaningful the event.
5. Communicate effectively to maximise your impact
To maximise the impact of your event, it is essential to design a coherent communications campaign to communicate your event, mobilising different channels to raise awareness and encourage collective participation.
Your event deserves to be visible:
- Visual identity: create a poster, an event name and, if possible, a logo.
- Communication tools: social networks, website creation, local posters, press, newsletters, association websites, as well as publishing articles in the local or national press to boost media coverage.
- Communication: sending reminder emails or practical information.
- Free ticketing or online registration: to anticipate attendance and collect useful data. It is also advisable to create a website dedicated to the event in order to centralise information, facilitate registrations and monitor the success of your campaign.
- Sharing images and videos: on the big day, remember to document the event to show off the participants and prolong its impact afterwards.
6. Select a venue that is consistent with your message
The choice of venue is an essential step, for practical, symbolic and environmental reasons. You need to select a setting that is suited to the theme of the event, to reinforce the coherence of the message being conveyed.
A public park, a shared garden or even an urban wasteland can provide the perfect setting for activities, while providing a concrete illustration of the issues surrounding nature in the city, the environment and the reappropriation of green spaces. It’s also important to choose sites that promote the preservation of the Earth and illustrate the fight against drought or desertification, by promoting the restoration of degraded land and the sustainable management of resources.
It is important that the site is accessible by public transport, easy to find and, if possible, suitable for people with reduced mobility. You should also consider the compatibility of the site with the planned activities: uneven ground will not be suitable for children’s workshops, while an area that is too small will not be suitable for setting up a stage or stalls. Finally, make sure you choose a venue that is authorised for use and temporary occupation by the town hall or the relevant authorities.
In this way, the choice of venue can become a lever for raising awareness of the need to protect land from drought and desertification.
7. Involve the community to boost your project
A successful event depends on the involvement of a wide range of players. Involving local associations, schools, committed businesses and artists will enhance your programme and reach a wider audience. A lively event is one with many voices. Involve schools, shopkeepers, associations, volunteers, artists… Create a local and collective dynamic. This teamwork will strengthen the feeling of belonging and multiply the positive impact, well beyond the single day of 5 June.
The success of the event also depends on the collective efforts made by the whole community to ensure an effective and lasting mobilisation.
8. Integrate eco-responsible logistics
Organising an environmental event must be exemplary from an ecological point of view. This starts with the rejection of single-use plastic, the introduction of visible and well-explained selective sorting solutions, and the provision of local, organic and, if possible, vegetarian catering to reduce the ecological impact.
It is essential to reduce the production of waste and to take into account the life cycle of the products used during the event, in order to limit their environmental impact at every stage, from design to recycling. Every year, millions of tonnes of plastic waste are generated around the world, illustrating the scale of the challenge involved in organising more sustainable events.
Encourage participants to walk, cycle or carpool. If you are organising a larger event, think about the technical aspects: access to water, electrical connections, security, lighting. The comfort of participants is important, but it must be compatible with a low environmental impact.
9. Comply with the rules and guarantee safety
As with any public event, certain administrative formalities are essential. If you are occupying a public space, you will need to apply to the town hall for authorisation. Depending on the size of your event, additional rules may apply: declaration to the prefecture, safety plan, presence of first aiders, specific insurance. Public safety must be taken seriously.
This means providing clear evacuation plans and signage, and appointing a contact person in the event of a problem. It is also advisable to take out civil liability insurance to cover any incidents that may occur.
10. Communicate forcefully and consistently to bring people together
Even the best event can’t achieve its goal without the right communications. It is essential to get your message out in advance to mobilise participants. Effective communication can inspire lasting change within the community, by encouraging the adoption of responsible behaviour. Go for a clear visual identity, an evocative name and a simple but recognisable graphic charter.
Use the channels at your disposal: social networks, local press, posters in shops, word of mouth. Communications also play a key role in raising awareness of global warming, by highlighting the urgent need for collective action. Don’t forget to relay the highlights of the event live or afterwards, with photos, videos or personal accounts. This will help to prolong the impact of your action, strengthen the links created, and make participants want to come back or get involved for longer. It is important to maintain this commitment to the environment over several decades to ensure a real transformation.
11. A day to raise awareness of World Environment Day, a dynamic to last
Celebrating World Environment Day (WED) is not just about organising an event on 5 June. It’s a fantastic opportunity to create new dynamics in your area, while contributing to the well-being of the community. On this day, you can initiate long-term actions, such as environmental education projects, urban greening initiatives, citizens’ groups focusing on zero waste or responsible consumption.
The participation of many countries in the WED, such as the Republic of Korea, which will host the 2025 event, illustrates the international commitment to protecting the environment and combating plastic pollution. Local initiatives are demonstrating a growing resilience in the face of environmental challenges. Research also plays a key role in environmental innovation, helping to develop sustainable solutions to preserve biodiversity and nature. Finally, the “One Earth” vision reminds us of the importance of acting collectively to preserve our unique planet.
Taking action for the environment often starts with a first collective experience. So make your event a starting point, not an end point.
To simplify the organisation of your International Environment Day event, rely on a solution like Weezevent. Online registration, access control, customised emailing… everything you need for the best possible event.
