A Sustainable Christmas No4: The Gift of Giving (Environment)
I’m sure it hasn’t escaped your notice that we’re facing some pretty big sustainability challenges on Planet Earth including climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, plastic ocean pollution, and waste management. We’re storing up some pretty big problems for future generations to take care of.
Sometimes the challenges can seem insurmountable. The Stockholm Resilience Centre’s data shows us that we are close to breaching several key planetary boundaries including genetic diversity, and biogeochemical flows of nitrogen and phosphorous. Johnann Rockstrom and his colleagues have also published a plan to keep global temperatures below 2c contains three key tasks which, according to Rockstrom would take a minor miracle for existing governments to achieve. How cheery!
So what can we do? The old motto ‘charity begins at home’ takes on new meaning for me this Christmas. If you think of ‘home’ as being the little blue dot we’re so lucky to live on. Until such time as Elon Musk and his moonshot muckers get us into space, it’s the only one we’ve got.
I learned some years ago from ecologist Joanna Macy that you could look at taking action for the world in three ways: Protect & Preserve, Life Sustaining Systems or The Shift in Consciousness. Charities and social enterprises are mainly focused on the first category. Protecting and preserving the people we’ve hurt and the environments we have left.
So perhaps this Christmas is a good time to gift membership of organisations that are working hard to protect and preserve what we have left of the beautiful biodiversity we’ve inherited. Here are some of your best suggestions:-
Protecting The Environment
WWF is probably the most well-known global NGO involved in a wide range of conservation, sustainability, and regenerative activities. There are many ways to support this organisation, but perhaps the best way is regular membership or adopting an endangered animal.
The Jane Goodall Institute has a special group for leaders with commitment and deeper pockets (you can also donate via the normal channels) called Jane’s Peak Society. You’ll have the chance to work with Jane and her experts on her on-going conservation work to preserve the habitat of endangered primates and prevent illegal trafficking.
Panthera. If you love big cats, you’ll love Panthera. Panthera promote an interesting way to donate by giving appreciated stock. Obviously consult your tax advisor first.
Parley for the Oceans. If you’re in the STEAM brain: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math- are you in a position to create a totally brilliant collaboration with one of the most innovative NGOs involved in. Adidas’s collaboration with Parley produced a new range of shoes from retrieved ocean plastic debris. Could you spearhead the next vision this Christmas?
ZSL. ZSL’s collaboration with carpet tile manufacturer Interface to retrieve plastic fishing nets from the seas off the Philippines in partnership with local fishing villages to create Net-Works range of products, was inspired. You can buy someone a membership of ZSL for as little as £65, or you could decide to give your time by volunteering for any of their many projects.
World Land Trust. Our favourite nature conservationist Sir David Attenborough, along with Steve Backshall, cricketer David Gower and tv presenter Chris Packham are WLTs patrons. WLT works to protect some of the world’s most biodiverse and threatened habitats acre by acre. To do this, WLT empowers local NGOs by providing finance and technical support to create and protect nature reserves, restore degraded habitats and ensure they are permanently protected. You can support in all the expected ways.
The Nature Conservancy. The Nature Conservancy works with local communities, businesses, and individuals to protect over 100 million acres of land around the globe. The goal of this organization is to preserve entire wildlife communities along with their rich species diversity, a holistic approach that’s vital to the health of our planet. One of the Nature Conservancy’s more innovative conservation approaches is debt-for-nature swaps, which maintain the biodiversity of developing countries in exchange for forgiveness of their debts. These debt-for-nature initiatives have been successful in such wildlife-rich countries as Panama, Peru, and Guatemala. I particularly love their partnership with emerging tech.
The Sierra Club, (this one’s for US based peeps) a grassroots organization that works to protect ecological communities, encourage smart energy solutions, and create an enduring legacy for America’s wildernesses, was founded by naturalist John Muir in 1892. Its current initiatives include developing alternatives to fossil fuels, limiting greenhouse emissions, and protecting wildlife communities; it’s also involved in issues like environmental justice, clean air and water, global population growth, toxic waste, and responsible trade. The Sierra Club supports vibrant chapters across the U.S. that encourage members to become involved in local conservation work. If you can’t donate, why not volunteer?
Oceana. Probably the biggest NGO working on ocean issues around the world. They have a simple message. Save the oceans, feed the world. Their commitment is to oceans that can be a source of sustainable animal protein-based food. Join the debate as a Wavemaker or donate to support the next expedition. Or share Oceana’s 10 Ways To Save The Oceans with friends and family and ask them to make a pledge to take at least one action.
Plastic Oceans: you could buy or rent their fascinating documentary A Plastic Ocean and hold a viewing over Christmas.
#5ThingsClear. Local activist in Wales Simon Jordan has been having huge success with his campaign to pick up five pieces of litter on your local beach. If you’re in Wales, why not invite Simon into your school to give a talk or collect any plastic litter you see on your Christmas or Boxing Day walk. Don’t forget to take a picture and post it.
Compassion in World Farming: perhaps the most urgent system that we need to change is agriculture and food production. The future of food is an enormous challenge. Compassion believes passionately that more industrial farming is catastrophic for our planet and that we need urgently to find better ways to produce our food. That includes halting factory farming and all the environmental damage, cruelty and waste of resources it represents.
The Natural History Museum. A visit to the Natural History Museum is a must do on any child’s list. I used to love looking at the big whale that was in the atrium ceiling. Why not join an active project this Christmas? Take part in a wildlife survey, collect samples and data, or help digitise handwritten collection records.
There are thousands of charities who are looking after planet earth to choose from. Helping them helps our future, and it’s a great gift as part of your Christmas shopping!
