Greenprint 2020

By Marie Dunnion (Animal Voice)

“The honeybee is vital to the environment!” – Michael Caine (The Swarm)

The humble honeybee is small but mighty, and it is being increasingly acknowledged for its vital contribution to the preservation of Planet Earth. While Michael Caine may have highlighted the importance of the honeybee way back in the 1978 disaster movie, The Swarm, it has taken until the present day for human-beings to recognise the true value of honeybees. 

Unfortunately, this newfound honeybee appreciation has come about largely because of the sudden decline of bee colonies all over the world. The disappearance of the honeybee has huge ramifications for the wellbeing of the planet and the future of humankind – and that is not exaggerating for dramatic effect. This is real life, not a movie!

An article published in March this year by the Independent declared, “Decline of Honey bees now a global phenomenon, says United Nations.” The world’s leading honeybee experts have issued a serious warning about the disappearance of bees because these amazing creatures are essential for pollinating crops around the globe. Basically, no bees = no food. Just digest the following statistical information: 

“The fact is that of the 100 crop species that provide 90 per cent of the world’s food, over 70 are pollinated by bees.”

So, why are the bees vanishing? There are several possible explanations, including declines in flowering plants, damaging insecticides, the worldwide spread of pests, and air pollution. Scientists have warned that without profound changes to the way we manage the planet, declines in pollinators needed to feed a growing global population are likely to continue. 

The message is loud and clear – we just need to listen. Human-beings now have to take urgent action in relation to creating a bee-friendly landscape. The United Nations report suggests farmers and landowners be offered incentives to restore pollinator-friendly habitats, including flowering plants near crop-producing fields. Timing is also of the essence in terms of the application of insecticides – bees are vulnerable to these and other chemicals. 

Special consideration also needs to be given to the artificial means through which we are combating the problem on a short-term basis. Industrial-scale hives and managed colonies are being used to make up the short-fall of bees and to maintain food supplies. However, this is another example of the manipulation and exploitation of animals to serve humankind. The answer lies in bettering the natural environment and not in transporting bees around to farms and fields at our human convenience. 

In a world where human-beings constantly assume that they are “top of the food chain,” there is the tendency to forget how indebted we are to our fellow creatures, some so small they are often entirely overlooked. However, just remember…

“Bees underline the reality that we are more, not less, dependent on nature’s services in a world of close to seven billion people.”

The good news is that we can all play a special role in helping the declining bee populations! You can turn your garden into a safe haven for bees by investing in a ceramic bumble bee nester! The nester attracts bees to your garden and provides dry and secure nesting for these beneficial garden pollinators. You can buy a nester at the online ethical superstore. I am looking forward to using my nester in February and welcoming in my new bee friends!

Global Action Plan and Greenprint 2020 carol singing at Trafalgar Square

The Stake have £100,000 to spend on a community or business project that will make a real difference in your local area.

If you are between 16-21 and have an idea, let them know! 

By Neelam Shah

My volunteering journey began as a member of the recycling club at my high school. During the two years I was a member, I learnt a lot about how we could protect the environment by reducing, reusing and recycling. I met some really great people at recycling club that I am still in touch with after three years.

A couple of years later I joined Global Action Plan’s Greenprint 2020 youth volunteering programme as a volunteer feature environmental writer. I have written around 10 mini articles on topics from renewable energy to environmental education to growing your own veg (more coming soon).

This volunteering has allowed me to combine my passion for writing and my interest in the environment. I’ve built my communication and social media skills whilst also encouraging other young people to go green too.

I don’t have any regrets when it comes to volunteering. Volunteering of any kind is an opportunity to learn new skills, combine interests and abilities, meet new people and make new friends. It is very rewarding, as you are raising awareness and making a positive difference to important issues.

Volunteering also makes a great addition to your CV. Employers will see that you are a well-rounded person who has used multiple skills and contributed to the community.

I’d encourage everyone to give volunteering a go; there is no better way to spend your time than doing something active and positive. In the future you will be able to look back on your life knowing you made a difference and that taking time the time to volunteer was worth it.

I look forward to continuing to volunteer with Greenprint 2020! 

Get involved with Greenprint 2020

By Neelam Shah, Greenprint 2020 volunteer

We are now beginning to see the impacts of keeping green in educational institutions. Many Universities and schools have adopted green societies and green impact groups where they recruit students to check the universities are following the environmental credentials of reducing paper, recycling, reusing recycled paper, switching off computers, printers, scanners etc. 

Kingston University has a green impact accreditation scheme where students can sign up and get involved with different levels of the program to achieve bronze, silver, gold levels.

Many schools and colleges have adopted similar ways to enrich young people with knowledge on how sustaining the environment they are in will allow them to appreciate the resources around them for years to come.

The British Council have recently initiated a new scheme for advocating more green degrees to students across UK who are passionate about the eco-system, environment, sustainability and ecology. A number of Universities are taking part , including Glasgow, Cambridge and Hull.

Having a ‘green’ degree from the UK will give you the skills needed to tackle the challenges of the emerging ‘green’ economy. Policy, engineering, biology, design, management and development - whatever your interest may be, there is a ‘green’ program of study in the UK for you. Below is a featured sample of ‘green’ degrees offered in the UK.

To find out more about these courses and the universities that offer them.

Picture source

No more fun and games

By John Holden, Connecticut intern

At the beginning of my semester here we went to a football game (I mean, British football). When we sat down and looked out at the crowd my friend leaned over and said to me, “look at all these people, do you ever think about the energy it takes to get them all gathered here for a match?”

I hadn’t thought about it, of course.

“Well”, he said, “they’ve all had breakfast, coffee, and tea; I assume they’ve all taken showers, and they managed to get from their houses to the stadium, and here they are waiting to be entertained on a Sunday morning”.

Meanwhile, while huge planes bound for Heathrow flew low over our heads every few minutes, I started thinking about the incredible amount of energy being expended all around me; it was a hard thing to wrap my head around.

In the past five years there’s been so much attention given to the environment and the negative impact we’ve had on it, so everyone is at least aware of the climate change going on. When I started working for Global Action Plan I realised they weren’t just spreading knowledge, they actually get you to look at your personal environment and inspire you to look at things differently.

The difference between acting and looking, however, is an individual choice. For me, I look at what I can re-use, especially when it comes to water bottles. I don’t have one of those fancy water filters, the Thames water is good enough for me, and I keep a 2 litre bottle in my flat which I refill with tap water; perhaps it no longer has those tasty volcanic minerals that come with unopened bottles, but at least I save plastic.

This is just a start, but spending time around the employees of Global Action Plan has given me many more ideas and opportunities for me to be a positive voice for the environment. Though everything seems to be running smoothly, we need to act before we reach a truly critical situation where things are too bad to be reversed.

Get involved with Global Action Plan’s Greenprint 2020.

Our festive advent calendar was a huge success last year saving 24.5 tonnes CO2, which is equivalent to the carbon emissions of heating six UK homes for a year! So we thought we’d bring it back again.

Each day we’ll reveal an action to help you have a celebration that’s kinder to the environment and your purse strings. We will share tips, facts, events and ways to get creative and have fun!

Use the ‘record your action’ links to register your actions and whoever completes the most actions will go into a prize draw for a chance to win Christmas goodies!

Take part in the Great, green advent calendar!

Image source: Guardian

By Heather Poore

Sainsbury’s has launched an exciting, promising sustainability plan that will hopefully lead the way to setting high and ambitious environmental standards across the board. 

The plan includes doubling the amount of British food on the shelves, decreasing energy use in stores, increasing sales of fairtrade products and the welfare standards of dairy, meat, poultry and eggs… 

…all of which we were hoping for in our Greenprint 2020 vision of a sustainable future!

With food being an essential part of our lives, supermarkets are in a great position to influence consumer behaviors. It’s great to see another supermarket joining Tesco and M&S in taking a long term view and breaking the mold of short-termism that is so widely practiced; something which young people who created the Greenprint 2020 vision have been desperate to see happen.

As Sainsbury’s chief executive, Justin King, puts it, ”This will change the agenda in our industry.” We hope he is right and look forward to seeing what happens next!

Read the Guardian article; “Sainsbury’s launches sustainability plan”.