The Lowdown on Environmental Volunteering

Like no other generation before us, the pressure is on for our age bracket to take the initiative on environmental issues, clean up our act and ensure the world is inhabitable and healthy for our children, our children’s children and so on.

With the UN climate change summit scheduled to take place in Paris in the coming days, it’s inevitable that governments and big businesses will have the largest role to play in the environmental clean-up of our planet. However, that’s not to say that individuals can’t have a significant impact – indeed, if every one of us chooses to do their bit, the wellbeing of tomorrow’s world will surely be safeguarded.

This not only concerns our daily habits and the carbon footprint we individually produce, but also how we go above and beyond the call of duty by volunteering for worthwhile environmental causes. If you’re interested in getting involved in environmental volunteering but are not sure where to start, it’s first important to pigeonhole your exact area of interest – then work from there. Here are a few different facets of environmental volunteering to get the ball rolling.

Animal Protection

With hundreds of endangered species in the world and many thousands more suffering cruelty and injustice, there are a myriad of animal organisations you can join to help lend a hand. Volunteering with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) would directly serve one of the biggest animal organisations in the world, but there are many smaller organisations closer to home which you can easily locate via Google.

Plant Conservation

Whether it’s volunteering to plant trees, clear debris or work on an organic farm, there are literally hundreds of ways you can work to ensure a safer and healthier future for the vegetation on planet Earth. Indeed, you can even change your own eating habits to exclude less meat and more plants – which, paradoxically will save plant-life since the livestock industry consumes far more vegetation than humans do!

Air and Water Pollution

Increased emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other harmful chemicals are increasingly responsible for the pollution in our air (especially in big cities like London) and for the after-effects of climate change (see below). One way you can help is by becoming involved in the DIY air monitoring revolution! Using just a Smartphone, an add-on and an ingenious app, people just like you are helping to map out a comprehensive picture of the air quality in our environment. For information about one such project taking place across Europe, check out the article What is the iSpex-EU Air Pollution Project?  

Climate Change

The buzzword on everyone’s lips right now is climate change – you can do your bit to undo the harmful effects of global warming by signing up with a local group which specialises in the topic. Organisations such as Greenpeace are always looking for volunteers – and not just in the field, either. Operating such a global entity as Greenpeace requires a whole lot of technical know-how, so you can put your own specialised skills (whether it be project management, accountancy, administration, carpentry or whatever) to good environmental use.