Top 10 things you can do to change the tide on the climate crisis
We are the first generation to know we’re destroying the world, and we could be the last that can do anything about it. Speaking up is one of the most powerful things you can do especially if it’s to the right people.
01
USE YOUR VOICE
- Talk to your TD. Tell them to commit to action to protect our natural world.
- Contact the brands you buy from and get them to tell you how their products are sourced.
- Use social media – this is one of the most effective ways to get brands to listen to you, so tell them that you want a change.
- Talk to your family, friends, neighbours & colleagues and get them to make positive changes too.
- Speak up, speak to and make your voice heard.
Dont wait for your ship to come in, row out and meet it.
02
BE INFORMED
One of the best things you can do is to keep yourself informed – the more you know the better. It leaves you better equipped to have those conversations with your friends and family and the people you want to influence.
- Get yourself clued up on the facts – ensure you use reliable sources of information.
- Stay up to date with recent news on the state of our natural world and work out what you can do.
- Keep up with the news and research organisations that are working to make our planet a better place.
03
TRAVEL RESPONSIBLY
One of the most efficient ways of lowering your environmental impact is by travelling responsibly. This means, whenever you can, choosing a more sustainable way to get from A to B – walk or run or cycle or scoot or share a lift when you can.
Holidaying closer to home can make a big impact on your carbon footprint. One short haul return flight can account for 10% of your yearly carbon emissions, and long-haul flights can completely determine your carbon impact.
Get creative and try to find alternate ways to travel.
04
WATCH WHAT YOU BUY
We can all do more to be more conscious about what we buy, and where we buy it from. Buying less will save you money, reduce waste and improve your environmental footprint. Living a less consumerist lifestyle can benefit you and our planet.
Use your purchasing power and make sure your money is going towards positive change. By supporting eco-friendly products which are less damaging to the environment, you’re encouraging companies to source and produce their products in a sustainable way.
05
REDUCE YOUR WASTE
We need to make wasting our resources unacceptable in all aspects of our life. Every product we buy has an environmental footprint and could end up in landfill. The impact of plastic pollution on our oceans is becoming increasingly clear, having drastic impacts on marine life.
Recycling what we can reduces the amount of new materials we are making, and upcycling is a creative way to make old items into something more valuable. This could be reusing a jam jar as a candle holder, or using old tins as plant pots – the possibilities are endless!
It’s not just the products we buy. It’s estimated that a third of all food produced in the world is lost or wasted. Do your bit by eating up leftovers and use any ingredients you have spare to make interesting meals. Try to waste as little food as possible, and compost the organic waste you can’t eat.
06
VOLUNTEER FOR YOUR WORLD
Volunteering can be daunting if you don’t know where to look. But it doesn’t need to be this hard to do good. There is always someone looking for volunteers. Often local nature forests or parks are looking for regular volunteers, which can give you practical conservation experience as well as helping to restore nature your local area.
The WWF Young Adult Volunteer & Intern Programme enables committed and outstanding young people, aged approx 19-27, to have a 3 to 6 month volunteer/internship experience working with WWF in such places as Bolivia, Madagascar, Pacific, the Carpathians and at WWF International.
07
FIND WAYS TO DONATE
There are so many worthy organisations who are helping us to restore nature and tackle the main causes of nature’s decline, particularly the food system and climate change. They rely on generous donations to carry out our projects all around the world.
There are lots of ways to give:
- Become a member of WWF
- Adopt an animal
- Take on a challenge for Team Panda
- Encourage your family and friends to donate by setting up a Facebook birthday fundraiser.
08
Sustainable Eating
- Avoid Highly Processed Foods.
- Choose Nutritious Foods.
- Avoid Overeating. .
- Avoid Purchasing Fresh Foods Out of Season.
- Use Preserved Foods in the Off Season.
- Consider Organic Foods.
- Reduce Food Packaging.
- Reduce Food Waste.
- Limit Your Number of Food Shopping Trips.
- Grow Some of Your Own Food.
09
BE POLITICAL
Being politically engaged is not limited to voting and it certainly isn’t limited by how young you are. Every year more and more young people are working together to show our political leaders that they want change.
However, so are older activists, the most impressive is Jane Fonda willing to use her celebrity and go to jail to campaign on behalf of the Climate Crisis.
We need to ensure we hold our politicians accountable. You can do that by contacting your local TD.
09
MAKE A PLEDGE
You can make a pledge to make a change in your own daily life, in your own town, in your own village.
You join a global movement of people fighting to protect our planet.
This is on us – all of us.
One person’s change might seem small, but together we can make a difference. We can all make the change today.
