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The 31st Environment Day Commemorative Event to Be Held by Busan Metropolitan City

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it will hold a commemorative event at City Hall today (June 5) in celebration of the 31st Environment Day, with the aim of strengthening commitment to carbon neutrality and promoting a culture of eco-friendly living.

Environment Day is observed annually on June 5. It was established following the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm, Sweden, in June 1972, where the international community pledged joint efforts to protect the global environment.

First, at 2:00 p.m., the “31st Environment Day Commemorative Ceremony” will be held in the City Hall Grand Auditorium under the theme “Clean Environment, Healthy Future, Busan Together.” Approximately 200 participants, including representatives of related organizations, environmental groups, and citizens, are expected to attend. The ceremony will include an awards presentation, commemorative remarks, a celebratory performance, and presentations of exemplary cases.

At the awards ceremony, recipients of the 27th Busan Green Environment Awards, commendations for distinguished contributions to environmental conservation in celebration of Environment Day, and mayoral awards for outstanding local governments in environmental conservation performance evaluations will be honored.

The commemorative performance will feature a male vocal quartet composed of members of the Busan Municipal Choir, delivering messages of harmony between people and nature, hope, and life.

During the exemplary case presentation session, Cheon Yeong-gwon, Director of the Busan Haeundae Senior Club, recipient of the Grand Prize at the 27th Busan Green Environment Awards, will introduce environmental practices carried out in cooperation with the local community, including operation of a neighborhood ESG center, plastic resource circulation activities, and a safe collection program for unused pharmaceuticals.

In particular, Busan Metropolitan City will provide commemorative green product purchase coupons to ceremony attendees to encourage eco-friendly lifestyles and green consumption. Participants will be able to use these coupons at the side-event venue in the City Hall lobby to purchase and experience a variety of green products.

In addition, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., various side events open to all citizens will be held in the first-floor lobby of City Hall and the subway passageway.

The Green Products Exhibition and Sales Booths will showcase environmentally friendly detergents, zero-waste products, and other green products. The Eco-Friendly Lifestyle Experience Booths will offer hands-on carbon neutrality programs such as making beeswax candles, wrapping-cloth bags, and citric-acid fabric softener, as well as demonstrations and repairs of household items.

The Environmental Education Experience Booths will feature seven participating organizations offering a variety of experiential programs in conjunction with the 5th Busan Environmental Education Week.

In addition, sixteen winning entries from the 2025 Busan National Geopark Photo Contest will be exhibited in the subway passageway at City Hall Station, allowing citizens to appreciate the beautiful landscapes and ecological value of Busan National Geopark.

Meanwhile, Busan Library will launch the nation’s first integrated climate citizen living-lab program based on a reading club, titled the “Green Lab Book Club.”

The program is a library-based climate citizen academy where participants read environmental books through reading and discussion, learn through lectures and hands-on activities, and put their knowledge into practice through campaigns and outreach. It combines a reading club, lectures, experiential activities, and a living lab into a single model. In particular, collaboration with the Busan Metropolitan City Carbon Neutrality Support Center of the Busan Development Institute (BDI) has enhanced the expertise of the lecture component.

The project will run for seven months from June through the end of the year. It consists of a core program featuring reading discussions and expert lectures, special programs such as kayak plogging, beachcombing, field visits, and outdoor reading, and an environmental living-lab component in which citizens lead research, planning, and outreach activities.

Applications will open on June 14 through the Busan Library website (https://library.busan.go.kr). Twenty participants will be selected and will receive benefits including recognition of volunteer service hours and access to a dedicated club room.

Meanwhile, Busan Metropolitan City has designated the period through June 11 as the “5th Busan Environmental Education Week” and will host a variety of environmental education events throughout the city during this period.

Major programs include the “Deullak Nallak Climate and Environment Play Classroom,” organized by the Busan Metropolitan Environmental Education Center and held at Deullak Nallak libraries across the city’s districts and counties. The Busan Environmental Experience Education Center will also operate the “One Step for the Earth” program, further highlighting the significance of Environmental Education Week.

In addition, district- and county-level governments throughout the city will present a wide range of environmental education programs reflecting their local characteristics.

Seong Heui-yeob, Vice Mayor for Future Innovation, said, “In the face of the climate crisis, it is now time for all of us to join forces to secure a healthy future for our children. The small actions citizens take in their daily lives will become a powerful force in creating a greener tomorrow for Busan. Busan Metropolitan City will continue to do its utmost, together with its citizens, to build a clean environment and create a sustainable green city where everyone can enjoy a healthy future.”