World Environment Day was first established by the United Nations in an effort to spread the message of taking care of the environment. Many different individuals, groups and organizations now take the opportunity to come together in support of this important day, with the intention of helping the public better understand how vital it is to work together to create a healthier world.
This year, the Tampa Bay The Way to Happiness (TWTH) office held an open house in honor of World Environment Day. TWTH has been established to help promote the benefits of The Way to Happiness – a commonsense, non-religious moral code that outlines twenty-one different principles, including “Safeguard and Improve Your Environment” that can be used to help improve the quality of life for oneself as well as all others around him.
Establishing Strong Relationships in the Community
Tampa Bay TWTH representative Marlin Anderson has established strong relationships with leading environmentalists throughout Tampa Bay as a result of his work as a neighborhood president. Kent Bailey, the Chair of the Sierra Club—Tampa Bay Group, Ann Paul, Tampa Bay Regional Coordinator for the Audubon Society, and Marcia Biggs, Community Relations Coordinator for the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) were able to speak at the open house.
Roughly thirty attendees showed up for the open house, and they were able to watch a presentation, which laid out the association between The Way to Happiness principles and World Environment Day. Prior to the first speaker taking the stage, the PSA for The Way to Happiness principle “Set a Good Example” was played for the audience, allowing everyone to recognize the fact that working hard to help improve their environment was, in fact, setting a good example for others. Following the first speaker, the PSA for The Way to Happiness principle “Safeguard and Improve Your Environment” was played for the audience, further establishing the idea that individuals must take action to improve the conditions around them.
The event was able to reach out to and gain support from other important members of the community. Jim Taylor, aide to Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan, attended the open house, and spoke at length with Anderson about the value of the principles outlined in The Way to Happiness. Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman also attended the event and showed her support for both TWTH and World Environment Day. This event was just further proof that with a strong team effort, more can be done to help create a healthier, happier world that benefits us all.
