World Rivers Day 2022 Set for September 25

Burnaby, Canada, September 12, 2022 --(PR.com)-- World Rivers Day commemorates the immense values of our rivers and encourages river stewardship and conservation around the globe – massive worldwide event involving up to 100 countries and millions of participants has its roots in British Columbia's Rivers Day.

Millions of people and thousands of events, both physical and virtual, will mark World Rivers Day 2022 on Sunday, September 25 in what has become one of the largest environmental celebrations on the planet. With many of the world’s rivers in a degraded state and facing increasing pressures associated with pollution, industrial development and climate change, more than 100 countries will participate in this year’s activities.

The theme of this year’s event is once again “waterways in our communities,” with an emphasis on both protecting rivers that remain in a healthy state, while striving to restore those that have been damaged in past. Many events this year will also profile several sub themes including the all-important link between the state of our rivers and the state of our oceans, as well as the significant impact that climate change is having on waterways.

“The importance of clean fresh water has been essential to the fight against COVID-19 the last two and a half years, so World Rivers Day is a timely opportunity for literally millions of people around the world to come together to commemorate the importance of healthy vibrant waterways,” said Mark Angelo, the founder and Chair of World Rivers Day.

Events this year will be both physical and virtual. Many physical events will focus on educational and public awareness activities, while others will include river cleanups, habitat restoration projects, streamside plantings and community riverside celebrations. Activities of a digital nature may include school projects, art festivals, the launching of new campaigns, on-line essays and poems, digital photo galleries, the announcement of new research projects, live-stream panels and virtual film initiatives.

This year is the 17th annual World Rivers Day which has its roots in the great success of BC Rivers Day, which is celebrating its 42nd anniversary in Canada’s western-most province and which Angelo founded in conjunction with the Outdoor Recreation Council.

“World Rivers Day strives to increase public awareness of the importance of our waterways as well as the many threats confronting them,” said Angelo, founder of both BC and World Rivers Day and Chair Emeritus of the Rivers Institute at the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

“Rivers are integral to all life,” added Angelo, who has paddled more than 1000 rivers in over 100 countries, perhaps more than any other. Angelo’s life-long commitment to river conservation, including the founding of World Rivers Day, has also been the subject of several feature length films including the award winning RiverBlue and Last Paddle; 1000 Rivers, One Life.

Endorsed in its inaugural year by the United Nations University and the International Network on Water, Environment and Health, and with groups such as the Pacific Salmon Foundation and Sitka Foundation as lead sponsors, along with the support of the Real Estate Foundation of BC. World Rivers Day events will take place across 6 continents in countries ranging from Canada to England, the United States to India, Australia to Bangladesh, Austria to Nigeria, and from Mexico to Caribbean nations such as Dominica; the list goes on and on.

“Millions of people, dozens of countries, and numerous international organizations will be contributing to World Rivers Day,” says Angelo. “It provides a great opportunity for people to get out and enjoy our waterways. At the same time, the event strives to create a greater awareness of the urgent need to better care for our rivers and streams.”

Through its first decade, World Rivers Day complimented the UN’s Water for Life Decade and continues to do so as part of the UN’s current International Decade for Action: Water for Sustainable Development.

Angelo, a recipient of the Order of Canada in recognition of his global river conservation efforts as well as the inaugural recipient of a United Nations Stewardship Award, initially founded BC Rivers Day in British Columbia back in 1980 in conjunction with the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC. He then successfully lobbied numerous organizations as well as agencies of the UN to recognize World Rivers Day in 2005.

All countries are encouraged to participate. More information is available at http://worldriversday.com/.

For more information, contact Dave Pinton at 778-808-5661 or Mark Angelo at 778-865-2375.