No. 1 Try to be more Sustainable!

There are many ways to become more sustainable. For example, learning to garden and grow your own vegetables can help reduce air pollution and provide a healthy food source. There are also many ways to recycle materials to create habitats in the garden, reducing unnecessary waste and creating homes for different animals. Gardening not only provides all the health benefits associated with being outside in nature, but it also offers opportunities for volunteering at charities like the Wilderness Foundation (WFUK) where you can learn a skill and develop your understanding of sustainability and mental wellbeing. One of our volunteering projects includes the removal of plastic tree guards from the 12,000 trees planted onsite. These tree guards will then be reused as a base liner for our new Chelsea Medicinal Garden that is being built at Chatham Green using the oak surround from the original RHS Chelsea garden. Additional tree guards collected have also been recycled at Spain’s Hall Estate, where they are being used on their new Agroforestry project.

Agroforestry involves growing both trees and agricultural crops on the same piece of land. It helps to protect, conserve, diversify and sustain vital economic, environmental, human and natural resources, while allowing crops and trees to grow at the same time. Research has proven that agroforestry is more biologically productive, profitable and sustainable than forestry or agricultural monocultures. Among the many benefits are the control of runoff and soil erosion, the reduction of insect pests and associated diseases, as well as the augmentation of soil water availability, just to name a few. The WFUK team are proud to be a part of this impactful project which is continuing to find new ways of recycling the resources already in use. Trying to minimise the impact we have on the environment, is one of the core aspects of sustainability and an important value of the foundation.

This ties in with the principle of Leave No Trace, that we value and practice at the Wilderness Foundation, which might be something you could also take part in this year. On the Wilderness Trails our participants learn about the seven principles of leave no trace, in order to have minimal impact on nature. The principles include, planning ahead and preparation, travelling and camping on durable surfaces, disposing of waste properly, leaving plants where you find them, minimising campfire impacts, respecting wildlife and being considerate of others. Learning more about these principles and following them will not only allow you to be more sustainable and protect our planet but will also make the outdoors more enjoyable for others and the generations to come.

By combining the benefits of being outdoors, gardening and recycling plastic that is out in the wild we can make small changes that have huge impacts on our planet.  Why not make your pledge to be more sustainable today! If you’re interested in supporting us through volunteering then please follow the link https://wildernessfoundation.org.uk/volunteer/ . For environmental education projects mentioned in this article please visit https://wildernessfoundation.org.uk/wilderness-school-visits/