All - Leep Calendar

Republic Day in Hungary marks the anniversary of October 23, 1956, the beginning of the uprising against the Soviet Union. The Soviets crushed the rebellion on November 4, and it wouldn't be until this day in 1989 that Hungary would finally become independent. Republic Day is a national holiday.

Africa

Oct

Sausage Week, United Kingdom: October 27 - November 5

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Meat Management Magazine reports this week is to resume in 2023. Based on other sources, it appears to be organized for the 27th of October through November 5.

UK Sausage Week is an annual initiative of Meat Management magazine. Its purpose is to boost trade throughout the United Kingdom in meat products via butchers, manufacturers, retailers, and associations. Specials, cooking classes, and tasting events are available throughout the week.

Africa

Oct

Snow Leopard Day, World (2013): October 23

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October 23 is the World Snow Leopard Day. This event raises awareness of the situation confronting the snow leopard, a highly endangered animal due to poaching and weaning habitats.

Twelve Asian countries, Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, are committed to preserving and increasing the number of snow leopards in the wild. These countries declared October 23, the anniversary of 2013's first Global Forum on the Conservation of the Snow Leopard, International Snow Leopard Day.

Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambaev and the Global Tiger Initiative agreed to the first Global Snow Leopard & Ecosystem Protection plan, where more than 20 snow leopard habitats will be preserved and protected. Snow leopard habitats are under pressure from large-scale mining activities, poaching, retaliation killings from local farmers, and climate change. 2015 was the Year of the Snow Leopard.

Africa

Oct

Talk Show, (Television) Host Day (1925): October 23

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Television Talk Show Host Day in the United States occurs on Johnny Carson's birthday, one of the first and most iconic TV talk show hosts in American history. He was born on October 23, 1925, and died on January 23, 2005. Talk Show Host Day commemorates talk show hosts and all the endless hours of entertainment they've brought to the small screen. From Carson and Leno, Oprah, Dr. Phil, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Trevor Noah, regardless of what you think about some of them and their shows, their work brings unmeasurable joy to millions of people.

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Oct

Bologna Day, Ntl.: October 24

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Bologna sausage is created from smoked and cured beef and pork blended with spices and originated in Bologna, Italy. The sausage dates back to the 1400s. National Bologna Day is an unofficial holiday with no sponsor celebrated annually in late October.

Africa

Oct

Development Information Day, World (1970): October 24

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International World Development Information Day was first declared in 1972 by the UN General Assembly to draw attention to development problems and raise awareness about the need to strengthen international cooperation to solve them. It coincides with United Nations Day and the day of the International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade.

Africa

Oct

Disarmament Week, World: October 24-30

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The United Nations promote World Disarmament Week. It encourages nations and people to choose peaceful solutions over militancy when solving problems.

Africa

Oct

Dussehra (Vijaya Dashmi)(H): October 24

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Dussehra (Vijayadashami, Dasara, Navratri) occurs on the last day of the Navratri festival during Durga Pooja. Ramlila, a play about the life of Rama, is performed; festivities symbolize the victory of good over evil, as illustrated by the day Lord Rama killed the demon Ravana. Celebrated throughout India, Dussehra caps off with Ravana burnt in effigy. PLEASE NOTE: We use the Indian civil calendar, the official holiday calendar in India. The Hindu faith has many calendars, each specific to different regions and tribes, with dates and celebrations marked by differing positions of the sun, moon, and stars. Names of months and holidays and the corresponding dates in the Gregorian Calendar may vary widely from one calendar to the next. Determine the proper calendar before attending local events.

Africa

Oct

Media & Information Literacy Week, Global: October 24-31

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The UN General Assembly, recognizing the substantial digital divide and data inequalities across and within nations, declared the commemoration of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week in 2021. The initiative aims to promote the dissemination of factual, timely, accessible, multilingual, and science-based information and to enhance digital competencies.

Given the complex ecosystem of media messages, it is critical for the public to possess media and information literacy competencies to navigate digital landscapes effectively and contribute to societal discourse. Global MIL Week is an annual celebration that reviews and highlights progress towards achieving "Media and Information Literacy for All."

MIL is crucial because the quality of information we engage with shapes our perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes. As access to information and communication increases dramatically worldwide, it's essential to navigate and critically assess content effectively online and offline. MIL helps answer questions about accessing, critically assessing, using, and contributing to content wisely, understanding online and offline rights, acknowledging the ethical issues of information use, and engaging with media and ICTs to promote equality, intercultural and interreligious dialogue, peace, freedom of expression, and access to information.

UNESCO supports the development of MIL competencies through capacity-building resources, policy guidelines, curricula development, and assessment frameworks.

Africa

Oct

Origami Days, World (1898): October 24-November 11

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World Origami Days begins each year on October 24, the birthday of Lillian Oppenheimer (1898-1992). Oppenheimer founded the first origami group in America and was a founding member of the British Origami Society and OrigamiUSA.

The two-and-a-half-week event ends on November 11, National Origami Day in Japan. The purpose of these weeks is to share the wonder and skill of origami with a new generation of enthusiasts.

Africa

Oct

Polio Day, World: October 24

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Since 1988, Rotary International has sponsored World Polio Day with a focus on eradicating the disease from the earth for good. The world was doing pretty good at eliminating this preventable disease until the 2020s, when anti-vaxxers, spurred by conspiracy theories and junk science coupled with lockdowns due to COVID-19, made keeping up with immunizations difficult. As a result, polio has been detected in the United States again and is spreading among the unvaccinated. World Polio Day is part of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, supported by the International Rotary, the World Health Organization [WHO], UNICEF, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Oct

Prescription Errors Education Week: October 24 - 31

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Each October, directly following Food & Drug Interaction Week, Pharmacists Planning Service, Inc. sponsors Prescription Errors Education Week. The FDA defines a medication error as "any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is controlled by the health care professional, patient, or consumer. Such events may be related to professional practice, health care products, procedures, and systems, including prescribing; order communication; product labeling, packaging, and nomenclature; compounding; dispensing; distribution; administration; education; monitoring; and use." Each year tens of thousands of people become ill or die from prescription drug errors. This week is an opportunity to discuss your medications with your doctor or pharmacist (including any herbal supplements and over-the-counter drugs you're taking) and assure no potential errors exist.

Africa

Oct

Recycle Your Mercury Thermostat Day: October 24

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Saving the World One Thermostat at a Time – the hows and whys of thermostat recycling by Ryan L. Kiscaden
(Edited for grammar and clarity by LEEP Calendar)

A Brief Background

Honeywell, White-Rogers, and General Electric started Thermostat Recycling Corp. (TRC) as a nonprofit in 1998 to safely remove mercury-containing thermostats and keep them out of the waste stream. Because mercury is an element, you cannot destroy it, and scientists have identified it as a hazardous substance to humans and animals. Furthermore, the media has raised concerns about the safety of mercury in our waterways and the dangers of eating fish with unacceptable levels of mercury. Today, 31 manufacturers participate in TRC's efforts with financial support. Our clear-cut, collective goal is to keep mercury out of the waste stream to protect the environment.

The Influence of Smart Thermostats

Consumers (leaving aside a small number of DIYers) will generally remove and replace a thermostat by calling a contractor. But there can be a motivation for consumers, too, as many are now becoming interested in smart thermostats that offer more options. A combination of falling prices on certain intelligent thermostats and utilities offering rebates makes it far more likely to impact consumers' decisions than a rebate we pay to a contractor. So, in a sense, the change is more likely to initiate from the consumer (for all the benefits of a smart thermostat) yet is tied to a contractor who has the added incentive of a rebate for following proper recycling protocols.

The thermostat product landscape has changed, too. A decade ago, who would have thought that having a neat-looking thermostat in your home could be cool (forgive the pun)? The benefit to utilities is that they help their customers save on energy costs with an intelligent thermostat while also building their consumer usage and preferences database. The advantage of having a utility involved is they often will have an approved contractor who knows the installation process and how to recycle a mercury thermostat.

It's Not Just About the Incentive

While economic incentives are appealing and have played a significant role, Tom Murray, an environmental consultant, suggests an alternative message we must not overlook. Murray says the appeal to a higher cause — our environment — is the carrot, and the stick draws attention to the liability issue. "Many people simply aren't aware of the statutes out there that address the issue of properly disposing of mercury-containing thermostats," he said. If a problem occurs, the contractor could be liable if he leaves the mercury thermostat behind.

He also offered his thoughts on how to affect the behavior of DIYers who might buy a smart thermostat from a retailer, bypassing the contractor altogether. "Why not include in the box their purchase information on how to properly dispose of the old mercury-containing thermostat," he said. "The consumer might not realize that his old thermostat represents a hazard, and you've given him an easy answer to deal with its disposal."

Mercury-Containing Thermostats: A Historical Perspective

The first efforts to recycle mercury-containing thermostats started with the passage of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act on Oct. 21, 1976. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act — commonly referred to as RCRA — was our nation's primary law governing the disposal of solid and hazardous waste.

The law intended to address the nation's increasing problems from growing municipal and industrial waste. It identified certain "metals of concern," such as mercury, and flagged products that contained mercury. After the RCRA's enactment, mercury thermostats were co-mingled (pardon the recycling pun) with other household products (batteries, certain pesticides, and lamps) that fell under RCRA enforcement. This rule – published in 1995 – included lowering the standards for manifest shipping requirements, defining small quantity generator designations, and classifying these products as universal wastes instead of hazardous ones.

Lessening their designations allowed for the streamlining of recycling programs, eased the regulatory burden, and reduced the number of hazardous wastes going to landfills or municipal combustors. The rule allowed several states to tighten legislation requiring manufacturers to pay for recycling or develop penalties for improper disposal of mercury thermostats through disposal bans. Along with RCRA, the Mercury Export Ban Act (MEBA) of 2008 required a reduction in the use of mercury in products and prohibited the reintroduction of mercury back into commerce.

MEBA eliminated the market for mercury-containing products, such as mercury thermostats, even though their product life cycle was declining. MEBA required the Department of Energy to designate and operate long-term management of storage for elemental mercury generated in the U.S. To date, the long-term storage plan is incomplete." Author: Ryan L. Kiscaden is the Executive Director of the Ft. Washington, PA-based Thermostat Recycling Corp., a nonprofit that 31 manufacturers support.

Africa

Oct

Take Back Your Time Day (US/CA): October 24

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Take Back Your Time Day in the United States and Canada promotes rest, vacation, and free time. It raises awareness of the dangers of overworking and speaks to the importance of rest. A rested person is more productive than an overworked person and happier. Making sure Americans get more vacation time (and take it) is one of the priorities. Here's what you can do. Organize a discussion in your workplace. If you are an HR director, bring your employees together to celebrate Take Back Your Time Day. Give them an hour (or two) off, provide some snacks and beverages, and let them know you want them to take their vacation time. Ask a few to show some photos from their summer holidays. Ask them to talk about how much that vacation meant to them and their families. The goal is to reduce the number of vacation days Americans give back by 20% in the next two years.

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