By: #NatureForAll
When we gift ourselves the time to stop and think, we all realise just how important Nature is, what an enormous place it has in our lives and how much we love it. So, to get people to that place of reflection and realisation, #NatureForAll partner One Minute for Earth created a campaign inviting everyone to add Nature to their list of New Year’s Resolutions. Five major Nature themes were posted on social media throughout the holiday season with accompanying suggestions of how people can support Nature during 2017.
Ocean And Sea Life
Supporting Oceans and Sea life can be as simple as signing a petition to protect sea turtles, vowing to stop using plastic bags, bottles and straws, becoming a member of an ocean conservancy organisation, or learning more about oceans and sea life through books and documentaries. It can be as big as helping your community become plastic-free, getting involved in beach cleanups, organising an ocean educational trip for neighbourhood children and youth, or volunteering at your local aquarium.
Playing With Dirt
Contributing to Sustainable Land Use and Soil Health can be as simple as buying your produce from local and organic farmers, becoming a member of a nature restoration organisation, or getting out and enjoying green spaces more often. It can be as big as helping your community become sustainable, building a compost, organising a community garden, or reserving half your yard space for nature and inviting your neighbours to do the same.
Climate For Nature
Protecting Nature through Climate action can be as simple as supporting groups that work to ensure everyone’s water and air stays clean, sending a donation to an environmental protector group, riding your bike to work, or offsetting any travel you make with carbon credits. It can be as big as divesting your investments into activities that support a healthy planet, putting solar panels on your home, protecting or planting a forest, or becoming a climatarian, a vegetarian or vegan.
Forests
Ensuring that Forests are protected and vibrant can be as simple as signing petitions to guard the rainforests, planting a tree in your yard, only purchasing sustainably grown forest products, or getting out and enjoying the parks and forested areas in your community. It can be as big as creating a local forest restoration activity, buying forested land to protect in perpetuity, organising programs to get kids out into and learning about local and national forests, or volunteering in community conservation organisations.
Wildlife And Habitat
Defending Wildlife and their Habitat can be as simple as signing petitions to preserve wildlife, sending a donation to a wildlife conservation group, or switching to products that don’t contribute to habitat destruction. It can be as big as volunteering at a nature reserve, helping your community restore wildlife or wetlands habitat, or bequeathing funds or land to a wildlife and habitat organisation.
Results
A quarter of a million people were reached over the holiday season. We’re hopeful that these individuals will follow through with their resolutions and begin a conversation with friends, family members and colleagues inviting them to also consider how Nature has touched them throughout their lives, in big and small ways, and inspiring them to fall in love with it all over again through active participation in and for Nature. What we love, we protect.
Although 2017 is in full swing, there are still hundreds of days to add a new resolution and get back into Nature.
One Minute for Earth believes that the more thought we give to Nature, the more we remember our place in it and its place in our every living, breathing moment.