Since 2019 Ateliers Verts® has supported Good Causes across the Land, Ocean, Air, People and Animals. After all, they're all interconnected.
With so much noise in the media about vile human behaviour it's good to be reminded of the good work being done by various organisations. Being eco-conscious, sustainable, eco-friendly, planet-friendly or whatever you want to call it will help humanity to survive and reverse the damage we have done to the planet. So positive initiatives which raise awareness and garner support are welcome!
Here are our Top 10 Eco-Conscious Days for the Month of June 2026
1. World Reef Day (1st June 2026)
World Reef Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of coral reefs to planetary health. A quarter of all known marine species live on coral reefs, and these ecosystems support more than 1 billion people. Coral reefs protect coastlines from increasing damage by buffering them against waves, storms and floods, preventing loss of life, property damage and erosion. The day was founded in 2019 by Raw Elements USA, a 1% For The Planet member, as a calendar moment for the world to think specifically about coral reefs. Not oceans broadly. Reefs. (photo by Oleksandr Sushko on Unsplash)
More: World Reef Day 2026
2. World Environment Day (5th June 2026)
The Earth is already speaking to us—through record-breaking temperatures, more intense wildfires, extreme storms and glaciers disappearing before our eyes. For years, we have said that limiting global warming to 1.5°C is essential to avoiding the worst impacts of climate change. Today, that threshold is dangerously close to being exceeded—and every fraction of a degree matters. Climate change is no longer a future threat: it is reshaping life across the planet.
Yet another force is also gaining momentum: collective action. Communities are restoring ecosystems. Young people are driving change. Clean energy is transforming cities and homes. Sustainable solutions are already building a different future. World Environment Day 2026 reminds us that we still have time to change course. The Earth is sending us signals. #NowForClimate (Photo: Lasse Kyed / Ocean Image Bank)
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3. International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing aka End Illegal Fishing Day (5th June 2026)
In a world of growing population and persistent hunger, fish has emerged as an important commodity for the achievement of food security. However, efforts by the international community to ensure the sustainability of fisheries are being seriously compromised by illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities.
According to the UN's FAO recent report, “Review of the State of World Marine Fishery Resources 2025," over a third of fish stocks are being overexploited. IUU fishing catches millions of tonnes of fish every year.
To curtail this, Target 4 of Goal 14 of the Sustainable Development Agenda adopted in 2015 by the UN General Assembly, specifically urged the international community to “effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices” by 2020.
Meeting this ambitious target requires strong awareness-raising efforts to draw the attention of the general public to the negative impacts of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities, an activity in which FAO has been actively engaged.
Direct action by Sea Shepherd and documentaries like Ocean help but more needs to be done, especially in regions like the Arctic where for example krill fishing is out of control and purely about monetary gain. #FightIUUFishing #SaveOurOcean
More: End Illegal Fishing Day 2026
4. World Oceans Day (8th June 2026)
The ocean covers over 70% of the planet. It is our life source, supporting humanity’s sustenance and that of every other organism on earth.
The ocean produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen, it is home to most of earth’s biodiversity, and is the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world. Not to mention, the ocean is key to our economy with an estimated 40 million people being employed by ocean-based industries by 2030.
Even though all its benefits, the ocean is now in need of support.
With 90% of big fish populations depleted, and 50% of coral reefs destroyed, we are taking more from the ocean than can be replenished. We need to work together to create a new balance with the ocean that no longer depletes its bounty but instead restores its vibrancy and brings it new life.
"Reimagine" the theme of World Oceans Day 2026, invites us to change the way we see and care for the ocean. For too long, we have viewed it as something distant, when in fact it is part of our daily lives: the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the climate balance that makes our existence possible. Let's stop being mere beneficiaries of its resources and let's become true guardians of its future. (Photo: Gregory Piper/Ocean Image Bank )
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5. World Day Against Child Labour (12 June 2026)
Since 2000, child labour has almost halved, from 246 million to 138 million, yet current rates remain too slow, and the world has fallen short of reaching the 2025 global elimination target. To end it within the next five years, current rates of progress would need to be 11 times faster.
Sub-Saharan Africa continues to carry the heaviest burden, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all children in child labour – around 87 million. While prevalence fell from 24 to 22 per cent, the total number has remained stagnant against the backdrop of population growth, ongoing and emerging conflicts, extreme poverty, and stretched social protection systems.
Asia and the Pacific achieved the most significant reduction in prevalence since 2020, with the child labour rate dropping from 6 per cent to 3 per cent (from 49 million to 28 million children). Although the prevalence of children in child labour in Latin America and the Caribbean stayed the same over the past four years, the total number of children affected dropped from 8 million to about 7 million.
Under the slogan “Red card to child labour: Fair play for children, decent work for adults”, the 2026 World Day Against Child Labour campaign calls for reinforced action on the policies that prevent child labour and withdrawn children from it: quality education, universal social protection, decent work and adequate livelihoods for adults, stronger laws and enforcement, better data and monitoring systems, and responsible action in agriculture and supply chains.
This action is urgently needed. Despite progress, 138 million children remain in child labour worldwide, including nearly 54 million in hazardous work. (Photo: © ILO)
More: World Day Against Child Labour 2026
6. World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (17th June 2026)
Rangelands are among the world’s most extensive yet most overlooked ecosystems. Covering more than half of the Earth’s land surface, they play a vital role in food security, water cycles, biodiversity conservation and climate resilience. They support the lives of around two billion people worldwide, including many pastoralists and Indigenous Peoples whose knowledge and stewardship have sustained these landscapes for generations.
In 2026, Desertification and Drought Day put rangelands at the centre of global attention. Held under the theme “Rangelands: Recognise. Respect. Restore.”, this year’s observance calls for greater recognition of the economic, ecological and cultural value of rangelands, respect for their traditional stewards and stronger investment in restoring degraded rangelands.
Up to half of the world’s rangelands are degraded or at risk, with serious consequences for food and water security, biodiversity, climate resilience and rural livelihoods. Yet viable pathways for action already exist. Investing in sustainable land and water management, improved drought preparedness and community-led restoration can help secure these landscapes and the people who depend on them.
Now is the time to recognise the value of rangelands, respect their traditional stewards and restore these landscapes for future generations.
More: World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2026
7. World Refugee Day (20th June 2026)
A refugee is someone who fled his or her home and country owing to “a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion”, according to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention. Many refugees are in exile to escape the effects of natural or human-made disasters.
As well as being refugees, they could also be Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons, Stateless Persons or Returnees.
By mid-2025, 117.3 million people worldwide remained forcibly displaced by persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or events seriously disturbing public order.
Low- and middle-income countries host 71 per cent of the world’s refugees and other people in need of international protection, while Least Developed Countries provide asylum to 25 per cent of the total.
At mid-2025, Sudan was the world’s largest displacement situation, with 13.4 million Sudanese refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced people.
Three in every four refugees or people displaced by conflict live in countries facing high-to-extreme exposure to climate-related hazards, compounding the risks faced by people already forced to flee.
World Refugee Day is an occasion to build empathy and understanding for their plight and to recognise their resilience in rebuilding their lives. (Photo: © UNHCR/Shawkat Alharfoush)
More: World Refugee Day 2026
8. World Rainforest Day (22nd June 2026)
Created and convened by Rainforest Partnership since 2017, World Rainforest Day is celebrated every June 22 as a global moment—and a year-round call—to protect the world’s rainforests. As biodiversity-rich and climate-critical forests face growing threats, we work to strengthen community capacity and mobilise collective action for rainforest protection. World Rainforest Day welcomes everyone. It unites organisations, activists, and everyday people to celebrate rainforests and advance conservation together.
In 2025, the world lost 4.3 million hectares (10.6 million acres) of tropical primary rainforest, equivalent to 11 football fields per minute. While this marked a 36% decline from the record-breaking losses of 2024, old-growth destruction remained 46% higher than a decade ago.
2026 is the year of action. Ending deforestation and preventing climate change doesn’t require new solutions; it needs immediate and unrelenting action.
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9. International Day of the Tropics (29th June 2026)
The Tropics account for 40% of the world’s total surface area and are host to approximately 80% of the world’s biodiversity.
The Tropics are a region of the Earth, roughly defined as the area between the tropic of Cancer and the tropic of Capricorn. Although topography and other factors contribute to climatic variation, tropical locations are typically warm and experience little seasonal change in day-to-day temperature. An important feature of the Tropics is the prevalence of rain in the moist inner regions near the equator, and that the seasonality of rainfall increases with the distance from the equator. The tropical region faces several challenges such as climate change, deforestation, logging, urbanisation and demographic changes.
By 2050, the region will host most of the world's people and two-thirds of its children.
Consistent with the higher levels of poverty, more people experience undernourishment in the Tropics than in the rest of the world.
The proportion of the urban population living in slum conditions is higher in the Tropics than in the rest of the World.
The International Day of the Tropics was designated to raise awareness to the specific challenges faced by tropical areas, the far-reaching implications of the issues affecting the world’s tropical zone and the need, at all levels, to raise awareness and to underline the important role that countries in the tropics will play in achieving the SDG's. (Photo: FAO/IPPC)
More: International Day of The Tropics 2026
10. World Snorkelling Day (30th June 2026)
On this day in 1932 Joseph L. Belcher filed a patent for a breathing tube device designed to help submerged users breathe from the surface.
We chose to include World Snorkelling Day 2026 in our top 10 eco-conscious days of June as when you swim in the ocean and observe the life there, you feel more connected to the ocean and more determined to protect it.
We thought we might be able offer some Eco Tips on how to minimise eco damage when snorkelling and point you in the direction of SaveTheReef which a project of Karmagawa, dedicated to saving the world’s oceans and marine life through a number of initiatives:
Swim horizontally and stay relaxed to avoid damaging coral. Not touching the ground with your feet or flippers can protect seagrass, weeds and rocks, and wildlife in general
Use reef-safe sunscreen free from harmful chemicals - Reef-safe sunscreen uses physical mineral filters like non-nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. It excludes harmful chemical UV filters (like oxybenzone and octinoxate) that cause coral bleaching and marine life disruption.
Why not consider wearing UV protective clothing, such as long-sleeve rash guards so you don't have to use sunscreen.
Keep a respectful distance from marine life and avoid feeding fish. Feeding wildlife can alter natural behaviour and disrupt the balance of ecosystems. It may also encourage unwanted interactions when fish begin associating people with food.
Always try and enter reefs via sandy channels whenever possible so neither you or your clothing comes into contact with them.
Try and snorkel with a buddy - 2 sets of eyes are better than one and you can help each other if you experience difficulties. You will see amazing things, and the experience is ehnaced when you share it with someone else. (Photo: Maja Novak on UnSplash)
More: World Snorkelling Day 2026
(Header Image- This year Kenya hosts the World Day to Combat Drought and Desertification 2026. The country is placing a spotlight on both the realities facing dryland communities and the solutions already taking shape on the ground. Rangelands cover around 80% of the country and sustain millions of people, largely through pastoralism and livestock. This is the first time in nearly a decade that the African continent hosts the global observance.)
#MinimiseOurHumanFootprint
©Ateliers Verts Ltd. 2026
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