Photo by Stephanie Romaine, rscj
International Mother Earth Day is a celebration of the Earth and its ecosystems, which provide all of its inhabitants with life and sustenance. Observed for the third time on 22 April 2011, this day is a call to action as it acknowledges our collective responsibility “to promote harmony with nature and the Earth” in order to ”achieve a just balance among the economic, social, and environmental needs of present and future generations” of humanity.
For more information about International Mother Earth Day and good resources on harmony with nature, please see the following:
- the International Mother Earth Day web page of the United Nations, where you can find background information, messages of the Secretary General, documents and more;
- on April 20, 2011, the General Assembly will hold an interactive thematic debate on harmony with nature. The proceedings will be webcast live but can also be viewed at a later date as the web cast will be archived. For live webcast click here, for archived webcast go, on the same page, to “Previous Webcasts” and look for April 20, 2011;
- the video called Momentaufnahme (“Snapshots”) is a thought provoking film about poverty and the capacity of Earth. Produced in 2008, this 17 minute video reminds us that hope lies in the small and multiplying actions of ordinary people who are committed to change. The film can be viewed on-line in eight languages (www.momentaufnahme.at/video.php?lng=en).
- our posting for International Mother Earth Day 2010 also contains valuable resources.
Cecile Meijer rscj
April 2011
