Minister Encourages Participation in Environment Week Activities

The province is encouraging Nova Scotians to participate in Environment Week activities close to home.

United Nations World Environment Day is marking its 40th anniversary on Tuesday, June 5. Many countries, including Canada, have expanded celebrations to a week, which runs Sunday, June 3 to Saturday, June 9, this year. It is a time to highlight, and encourage, action on environmental issues and sustainability. This year's theme is Sustainable Energy For All.

"Protecting our environment is a year-round activity, but Environment Week is a great opportunity to think about how we can do even more to protect our air, land and water resources," said Environment Minister Sterling Belliveau. "Whether it's cleaning up litter, reducing our greenhouse gas emissions or using sustainable transportation, there are many ways to show our commitment to helping the environment this week."

Activities this week include:

• Clean Across Nova Scotia, organized by Clean Nova Scotia, is part of a worldwide initiative June 8-9. A map of community litter pickups is available at http://clean.ns.ca/programs/waste/cleanacrossns/ .

• The Downtown Halifax Business Commission and Eastlink are sponsoring a litter pickup on Wednesday. For more information, visit http://downtownhalifax.ca/index.php/events/ .

• The Commuter Challenge is a week-long, friendly competition between cities to see how many residents can use environmentally sustainable forms of transportation. Information on how to participate is located at http://commuterchallenge.ca/blog/ .

The Environment Department protects the environment and health of Nova Scotians by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, diverting solid waste resources from landfills and keeping drinking water safe. For more information, visit www.gov.ns.ca/nse/.