The 5th of June was the Day of the Environment. 5th of June? Honestly? It's only a fortnight ago, but who cares today?

Nepal cares – and not just because it is fashionable but out of dedication, as one could witness. Nepal and its people not only celebrated the day that reminds us of the environment, but each year turns this day into a day of activities and social engagement.

It's not a bank holiday in Nepal, nor is it in Germany, but it is actively celebrated here. People clean streets and rivers, school rallies against the use of plastic were visible all over the city, and tree planting is a common activity. The media covers the day, new projects are announced or completed, lectures are given in schools and universities.

And it all is driven not by obligation but by a clear understanding: something needs to be done every day if you want to protect the environment.

Environment is a word that is difficult to define. Is it the neighbourhood we live in, our social circumstances or just anything? In its true sense it is a synonym for nature. Nature that we all need and have around us. The water to drink and wash with, the air to breathe and the food grown to eat. Without this nature, none of us can survive.

But increasingly nature has to fight for its very survival.

Let me give examples from one particular country: The air is too often polluted, fine dust from cars and bikes threatens the health of the people in its cities. Parts of the country do not get enough rain anymore: the ground water level is falling and fields are abandoned, villages empty as people move away.

Other areas in the same country are drenched in rain that is so strong that small streams become mighty rivers in a very short time, damaging everything in their way and flooding large areas of settled land. Climate change has arrived in the country and brings major challenges.

Animal and plant species are in danger of extinction. Invasive species are imported, causing diseases or competition with native species, resulting in damages estimated to run into billions of U.S. dollars.

So what country are we speaking about here? It must be Nepal, for sure; and everyone knows – it is only the poorer countries that have these sorts of problems. But no, it's not Nepal. It's Germany.

Germany has all the described challenges, and many more: Germany often is referred to as the world champion of recycling, and indeed it has a well-established system, with a big effort put into it and everyone participating.

Still Germany only recycles 70 per cent of the enormous amount of waste it produces every year. The German Federal Bureau of Statistics just released the latest figures on the Day of the Environment:

in 2023, Germany produced 380 million tons of waste, which is the equivalent of astonishing 380 billion kilos of garbage in one year. At least 30 per cent of this is incinerated or driven to landfills.

While recycling is good, avoidance is much better. Still this simple idea in the middle of Europe is less widespread than one would like to think.

Nepal in contrast seems to have understood this early on, banning plastic bags from supermarkets, protecting its forests that cover 45 per cent of the land, supporting the use of electric vehicles and bikes that can be seen increasingly in the city; also the needed electricity is not generated by coal or oil, but hydropower and water from the mountains.

This is impressive progress, and the Embassy of Germany in Nepal is part of this. A year ago, we changed our garbage disposal to a recycling system, run by a company called Doko Recyclers that meanwhile serves thousands of customers and households, buying their paper and plastics for recycling in factories nearby.

Our car fleet shall be electric soon, blending in with the fair-sighted traffic policies of Kathmandu.

And, finally, we seek sustainable partnerships on occasions like Environment Day 2025 as we partnered with MBSH (Mind, Body, Soul & Heart), a Lalitpur concept store for recycled, naturally and proudly manufactured Nepalese products, and reached out to the Ideal Model School nearby for a joint activity.

Fifty children were on site and another 60 all painted their pictures on clay pottery, for which soil and plants were provided afterwards. Now more than 100 new leafy greens grow in the homes of these pupils, thanks to this great festivity carried out on June 5th.

Pessimists will say: this is only a very small effect, it's only kids doing this, small scale. But isn't it true that each deed matters? Isn't it the new generation that will change the world for the better, further reverse possible damages done in the past, and learn to live a sustainable life that allows the planet and us to recover?

There is simply no such thing as 'second nature'. We are the same humans everywhere and depend on the same basic natural processes everywhere. There is nothing like a German nature or a Nepalese nature only. It is one planet, one environment that we share. And we have to work together to keep it alive. And we will.

Meier works with the Embassy of Germany in Nepal