Today is the 62nd year the world celebrates World Meteorological Day! This date, March 23rd, marks the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization in 1951.

The WMO was established because climate and water are shared by everyone on this planet, thus international cooperation is essential in order for earth sciences to develop. WMO is a part of the United Nations and functions as their authoritative voice in water, climate, and weather related hazards.

The world is thirsty because it is hungry!

World Water Day 2012

This is the slogan for World Water Day 2012. According to unwater.org “it takes one thousand times more water to feed the human population than it does to satisfy its thirst.” This year’s theme is water and food security. Watch this clip to find out how many liters it takes to produce one kilo of beef…

Today is World Poetry Day!

First officially celebrated in the year 2000, World Poetry Day celebrates diversity of language, efforts of small publishers, and the return to oral traditions of poetry recitals. Poetry pays tribute to language by constantly questioning and re-questioning the meanings of words and our perceptions. Using the words of the Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO, poetry “convey(s) a timeless message… and always reveals the original brilliance of culture.”

Surprisingly, March 21st is also the anniversary of Twitter! This Wednesday, thus, is a day that celebrates both the traditional, orally recited, connotative word, as well as the instant, pixel-built, abbreviated word…

Today’s date marks a day in 1960 when the police in South-Africa shot and killed 69 people in a peaceful demonstration against the apartheid pass laws. Although much of the legislation has changed since, millions of individuals and communities are still impaired by the injustice that racism inflicts.

Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, people around the world are reminded of the negative consequences of racial discrimination. The first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights famously says that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”.

We now live in the year 1391… according to the Islamic Hijri calendar!

Today is the Iranian New Year. In Farsi (the language spoken in Iran), this day is called Nowruz, which literally translated means ‘new day’ or ‘new light.’ Nowruz marks the first day of spring, thus begins the new year in the Hijri calendar.

“Everyone’s Irish on March 17th!” says a large sign at

A Shamrock has become the symbol of St. Patrick's Day

Dublin’s Guinness museum.

March 17th is, of course, St. Patrick’s Day, a day to honor the death of one of the world’s most popular saints.

St. Patrick was born in Roman Britain, and he has been accredited for bringing Christianity to Ireland. Not much is known of St. Patrick’s life but one of the most famous legends says that he used the Shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to teach the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish people.

Although the religious origins of the day are widely known, nowadays St. Patrick’s Day is also celebrated as a kind of Irish national day…

Today is Commonwealth Day:

Westminster Abbey

a day to celebrate the 54 independent states of which the British Commonwealth consists off. Out of these 54 states all but Mozambique and Rwanda were officially part of the British Empire.

Commonwealth Day is always celebrated on the second Monday in March. It is not a day to simply celebrate diversity, but also a day to promote international cooperation which aims to improve the lives of citizens in Commonwealth countries.

Commonwealth Day is always marked by a multi-faith service in Westminster Abbey in London, in which the Queen gives a speech that is often broadcasted throughout the world.

Maya Angelou, an award-winning American poet and author, was once quoted for saying:

“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!” The media is full of heroes every day, but today is the day that the world celebrates our she-roes: it’s International Women’s Day!

In some countries, Women's Day is a political event.

Once again, in March, countries around the world are celebrating their independence.

Happy Independence Day to:

Bosnia and Herzegovina – March 1st
Ghana – March 6th
Mauritarius – March 12th
Tunisia – March 20th
Namibia – March 21st
Greece – March 25th
Bangladesh – March 26th

Fairtrade Fortnight begins today!

There are approximately 1.5 million farmers and workers, working across 63 countries producing Fairtrade products. This year, Fairtrade Fortnight, is asking everyone to take a step for Fairtrade. The target is to gain 1.5 million steps, one for each Fairtrade worker and farmer. These steps could simply include buying a new Fairtrade product, hosting a Fairtrade chocolate tasting session with friends, or recommending a Fairtrade product to a friend or a colleague. Basically, taking steps for Fairtrade Fortnight are about making new consumer choices.