Find somewhere to volunteer, visit a foodbank, support a friend, or a charity and find a way to donate. The act of giving can help to re-affirm and strengthen connections and contacts and provides the opportunity to demonstrate our appreciation for others. Making small changes to our daily lifestyles can help mitigate the impacts of climate change and allow us to give something of real value to the next generation.
Go reusable! Trying to swap one-use plastics for alternatives, such as reusable water bottles, beeswax cloths, reusable grocery bags and reusable sandwich bags to decrease the amount of plastic we use in our everyday lives. A more immediate way of giving back, can be picking up litter. Whether you follow the initiative of plogging, a combination of jogging and plugging up litter at the same time or just look out for any kind of waste you see on a walk and pick it up to recycle it accordingly. However, just remember to take a bag and gloves as some of what you will encounter is better not touched barehanded. Another way of giving back to the planet is planting wildflower seeds in your garden or outdoor space, as these are very welcomed by bees. The importance of bees and the drastic consequences a further decline of bees would have on life as we know it, is all the more reason to find ways to protect them! We at the Wilderness Foundation are proud to say we each year get our own batch of Wilderness Honey, from the busy bees working on our site. It is a great opportunity for the people who come on site to also learn more about bee keeping and the utter importance they play in our lives.
At the end of last year, the importance of protecting our world and the species we share our beautiful planet with, was at the heart of the UN COP15 summit in Canada. The discussions around the summit were largely connected to the indigenous communities living in areas with the richest biodiversity found worldwide. According to the UN around one quarter of world’s land is managed or inhabited by indigenous communities, and the care the indigenous communities show towards their land is reflected in its biodiversity and richness of life. A main idea of protecting the planet is to leave 30% to nature, to further and protect the local biodiversity there. Something Western societies can learn from the practices of indigenous communities is that conservation is also restoration. In a sense that we have to actively look out for our planet and give back to it.
This may sound abstract now, or you wonder how you can participate in making the world a better place for its current inhabitants and the generations to come after us. There are many small steps we can each take individually, that will make a difference in the grand picture. Maybe your local village or community is organising a beach clean-up , a community gardening event or species surveying. There are many opportunities to get out there and give something back, be it to your community or the planet! Further, volunteering provides many mental health benefits, such as increasing feelings of self-esteem, social connection and well-being. Making it a brilliant way to spend your time in a meaningful way on many levels. If time is of limited availability, you may be able to find an opportunity to donate. A great way of making an impact and giving back. Donations can also be a great gift, especially if you do not want to give another material present, choosing donations as wedding or birthday gifts is a great way to have a positive effect and make people happy. Or if you are thinking of making an impact, even if you are not on this world anymore, legacy donations can be great way of making a difference to the world and those to come.
At Wilderness Foundation UK, our work is embedded in the support of mental health and the environment and if you would like to contribute towards the work we do, any donation is greatly appreciated. We understand the current economy can restrict the ability to donate financially and we also have volunteering opportunities for those who would like to donate their time.
https://wildernessfoundation.org.uk/donate/
https://wildernessfoundation.org.uk/volunteer/
Whatever you decide to do, we at the Wilderness Foundation UK would like to wish you a very happy and prosperous year ahead.
By Katharina Kommer
Leave A Comment