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The clock has already started to run marking the bridge between Earth Day (April 22) to World Environment Day (June 5). The good news is that we are not too late to join the call to action to personally commit to living more sustainable, environmentally friendly lives.

A great start for action is to visit the Field Museum in Chicago to view the Melting Ice / A Hot Topic: Envisioning Change exhibit. The exhibit is brought to the citizens of the world through a partnership between The Natural World Museum (NWM) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Art for the Environment program. “Science informs the mind; music, the heart; but art connects with the human spirit. We urgently need to empower all three of these essential human elements if we are to rise to the challenge and seize the opportunities for economic, environmental and social renewal glimpsed through the lens of climate change,” said Achim Steiner, Under Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UNEP. Each year, these two organizations produce a major exhibit for World Environment Day. Kick the CO2 Habit will premier in Wellington, New Zealand, on June 5, 2008.

After a year of global travel, the 2007 World Environment Day exhibit is here at the only scheduled US stop. There are 26 pieces on display, out of the 40 that create the entire exhibit. Each piece reflects climate change from a global perspective, examining the melting and thawing of ice, snow and permafrost taking place from pole to pole. NWM curator Randy Rosenberg states, “We’ve asked artists from around the world to focus on just one dimension: the thawing and melting of the ice caps and permafrost, and the implications for humans and other species.”

Melting Ice / A Hot Topic has been well received by environmentalists, artists and the general public alike. “The support from international communities ensures our exhibit will directly reach over 1 million people, making our overseas openings huge successes, and our Chicago opening all the more anticipated,” noted Mia Hanak, Founding Executive Director of the Natural World Museum. Visitors of all ages will find something that catches their eye and sparks discussion.

A second bonus for the City of Chicago is the selection of the Chicago Botanic Garden as the sole North American host for World Environment Day 2008. There are events planned throughout the week, from June 1-8, for the whole family at the Chicago Botanic Garden (CBG).

On June 5, World Environment Day’s CO2—Kick the Habit! opens to the public. There will be a host of activities for the family, and the CBG—as well as cites around the world—will host local, national and international experts on global warming and climate change to help us reduce our carbon footprint.

Change is not about doing without, but about making better, smarter and more-informed choices. Start the discussion, raise the awareness and see how easy it is to incorporate change into your life for the bridge and beyond.

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