May 12: International Day of Plant Health

It’s plant health day! The United Nations designated May 12 as the International Day of Plant Health.

This date celebrates and raises global awareness about how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, and protect diversity and the environment.

But you might be wondering, why plant health is essential. Why do we need to raise awareness?

If you remember the Disney film Wall-E, the robot has a mission to clean the earth, after human beings were in space. One day, Wall-E finds another sign of life: a little plant, and the second protagonist Eve, a robot whose job is to find another sign of life—according to the movie, Eve wanted to find and protect the plant. But, why? Why a little plant in a desert earth is so important? Because it can start a new life.

Plants are the source of the oxygen we breathe. Plants are the beginning of the food we eat, provide a home for animals, provide fibers that make our clothes, and tons and tons of things. If we think about it, plants are the most important of anything on earth.

How to celebrate International Day of Plant Health

1. Learn more about your environment and share it with your community.
2. Plant a tree in your yard or a nearby park, and watch it grow over time.
3. Start your vegetable garden!
4. And most important, take care of the plants!

Let’s be like Wall-E and Eve, and protect the plants at all costs.