Environmental Professionals Day 2021: 15 April Dear IAIA Members and Friends,
When I lived in Baltimore, Maryland, a community activist said to me, “When I think of the "environment," I think of mountains and bears. I do not live near mountains and bears, so it is a low priority for me. But if you are talking cleaner air, cleaner water, and healthier places for our families to live, and our children to play, I am with you, 100 percent of the time.”
Too often, the conversation about the environment leads to topics that may be too far afield to capture the attention of average citizens who are just trying to work, pay the bills, and send their children to school. The cleaner, healthier aspect of our day-to-day lives can often be taken for granted. That was part of the genesis of IAIA and twelve other organizations from around the world joining forces to establish the Environmental Professionals Day in order to honor their contributions to our everyday lives.
Environmental professionals work quietly, most often behind the scenes and unrecognized, protecting our natural, cultural, social, and human health resources. April 15th was chosen for this event because it is the birthday of Leonardo DaVinci – the ultimate multi-disciplinary thinker who symbolizes the spirit needed to create a more just and sustainable world for people and the environment.
As the battle against the pandemic ebbs and flows around the world, we ask that you please show your thanks virtually to our environmental professionals until we can meet in person once again.
Here are some ideas for ways you can show your appreciation for all they do:
Share this blog on your social media accounts or send this blog to other organizations where environmental professionals work
Share the work of someone you know on social media and tag them using #EnvironmentalProfessionalsDay or #ThankYouEPs
Share a short bio of someone you know who works to protect our environment and tag with #EnvironmentalProfessionalsDay or #ThankYouEPs
Share an article written by or about an environmental professional and tag with #EnvironmentalProfessionalsDay or #ThankYouEPs
Environmental professionals include social and environmental scientists, engineers and planners, and public and environmental health specialists, many of whom have continued their work throughout this pandemic monitoring conditions to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.
Thank you to our global community of environmental professionals, including all of our IAIA members. We applaud and appreciate your essential work in creating a more just and sustainable world for all living things.
IAIA thanks the supporting organizations who came together to establish the first Environmental Professionals Day:
The National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP)
New Zealand Association for Impact Assessment (NZAIA)
IAIA - South Africa (IAIAsa)
Sociedad Peruana de Evaluación de Impacto Ambiental (SPEIA)
IAIA – Ghana
Korean Society of Environmental Impact Assessment (KSEIA)
Consejo Mexicano para la Evaluación de Impactos (COMIMPACT)
Association for EIA of Nigeria (AEIAN)
Ontario Association for Impact Assessment (OAIA)
L’Association québécoise pour l’évaluation d’impact (AQÉI)
IAIA - Western & Northern Canada (IAIAWNC)
Portuguese Association for Impact Assessment (APAI)
