Significant Days

World Water Day

The presence of water determines our everyday lives. We take drinking water for granted, but if we continue our wasteful usage of it, this can have great drawbacks in a very short time. However, this is not just about changing our drinking habits, but rather stressing the significance that our freshwater supplies are limited.

The World Water Day, held every year on the 22nd of March tries to help change our thinking. In 2009, the programs of the Day were about water basins reaching over country borders. It is understandable that pollution does not stop at the border, not in the case of surface, nor in the case of ground water. This is particularly true for the operational area of our Directorate, since we have border waters. As a result of the nicely shaping borderline water cooperation, we could mention quite a lot of examples of protecting and wisely using water, of course, not just on the World Water Day. You can read more about this topic on the www.vizvilagnap.hu website.

Earth Day

Forty years ago, an American university student named Denis Hayes started a movement in the name of protecting the Earth. Right after the initiation, he had 25 million American supporters.

Since then, the movement has spread out across the globe, with more than a thousand participating organizations and institutions. In Hungary, Earth Days have been organised since 1990. The aim is to raise consciousness about the importance of protecting the environment, with different events and actions. One of the slogans of the movement is: “Who says you can’t change the world?” In 1989 the International News Centre for Earth Day was formed, in California State, USA. Since then, monthly newsletters have been sent to all the counties of the world, to celebrate 22 April – Earth Day. Almost 130 countries and its civilians have joined the movement. Denis Hayes became a leading researcher and scholar in the field of alternative energy.

World Environment Day

Just think about the everyday phrase: global warming. Or the fact that at the end of the 20th century, some researchers have pointed out that the new milennia will be of great, powerful storms. Or think about the Brazilian or Indonesian rainforests – or what is left of them. One can think that they are far away in the distance, yet we feel the effects. This is why the statement that the protection of the environment is in everybody’s interest is not an exaggeration. 
This has been stated quite a lot of times, including the Man and Biosphere world environmental conference held in 1972 in Stockholm. The conference was opened on 5th June, a date declared by United Nations Congress the World Environment Day.
Every year a country is chosen, where the main events are held. The initiatives and actions connected to the World Environment Day are diverse, so everyone can become part of it, and also feel that they have done something for the protection of the environment. Hungary has not had the privilege yet to host the event.

The aims of the World Environment Day:

- energy efficiency, the best usage of local resources
- the utilization of renewable sources
- the lowering of waste and garbage production
- the prevention of pollution.

Danube Day

Danube: one river - shared responsibility.

A catchy slogan if you think about it: the Danube is the only river in the world which collects water from the territory of 19 countries. The aim of the international Danube Day is to focus on this river which is used every day, sometimes carelessly over-used, and to form a certain shared solidarity for the Danube.

The countries of its water basin celebrated this day for the first time on 29th June 2004, and the reason for the celebration was that they had signed the Danube River Protection Convention, a treaty for the protection of the river and its basin, ten years earlier. Since then, the event has become a tradition. On Danube Days, there are educating events and cultural programs and festivals in 14 countries. Even more, on the 29th of June, at 2 p.m., as a way of honoring the river, the ships pay a tribute to the Danube with a common horn-signal. For more information, please visit www.duna-nap.hu.