National Environment Month is celebrated in June. The South African government, industrial leaders and environmental organisations are leading the way by stimulating awareness of environmental issues and challenging all to become change agents.

The theme for World Environment Day and National Environment Month rests on three pillars. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted annually. Therefore, communities are encouraged to “Think” before discarding food as waste. The second pillar, “Eat”, encourages consuming food to reduce the environmental impact. This means consuming organic foods that do not utilise chemicals in the production process and purchasing locally produced food. If food is wasted, all the resources invested in its production are destroyed. As such, the final pillar encourages communities to make wise decisions about discarding food and “Save” as far as possible.

The theme looks at promoting an understanding of the impact that food waste has on the environment and, in so doing, encouraging communities to change their attitudes towards environmental issues.

South Africa is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. It is home to almost 10 percent of the world’s known bird, fish and plant species and an equally impressive six percent of its mammal and reptile species.

Raising awareness of the importance of protecting our environment, biodiversity and natural heritage and looking at how every South African can play a role in environmental conservation. Undoubtedly, the environment and its ecosystems are critically important to our future. How we treat our natural environment can have significant consequences for the future well-being of our planet.

Learning to live in harmony with the thousands of species with which we share this beautiful planet is essential. Use this month as a starting point to become more environmentally conscious. David Attenborough once said, “We can now destroy, or we can cherish; the choice is ours.”