Local Environment

If your organisation has an area of grass or garden – let it grow. That’s right, even the weeds! While some people may say that this looks messy, it’s a great way to support nature and biodiversity in your area. Try to only mow every month or even less to give wildlife a chance to bloom. You could even just choose one area of grass instead of the whole thing.

‍

Top tip: If you don’t own your building, this is a great thing to bring up at an eco council meeting! 

Help to increase local habitats, create shade for hotter days and protect your building from flooding by planting trees, shrubs and plants in your grounds or local area. Planting has so many mixed benefits for both local people, resilience to the effects of a changing climate and bringing back much needed habitat to our built up streets.

‍

Try to think about a diversity of plants that are local to your area. Choose plants that will encourage insects and other wildlife to your patch. If you don't have an outdoor space, consider window boxes and vertical gardens.

People in the UK are well-known animal lovers. Share the love by taking climate action in the form of building shelters for animals around your building. You can build birdboxes, hedgehog homes, and even mansions for bugs. 

‍

It’s really important that as we build more urban areas, animals have places to live so that species can continue to grow and avoid extinction. Loss of species can have a big impact on eco-systems and our environment, so give them a helping hand!

To find out how healthy our environment is and what kind of plants and animals are living in it, scientists take surveys, counting the type and number of species that they find. There are several big surveys which the public can help out with – a fantastic way to help study our natural world, keep track of the problems facing it, and learn more about the nature on your doorstep!

‍

Why not create a community event such as encouraging local families to take part in the Big Garden Bird Watch with your organisation?

Who doesn’t love a day out to the beach? If you’re lucky enough to have your office near the sea, why not organise a lunch and beach clean as a day-out or team-building exercise?  Discarded plastic and other waste can harm animals living in the oceans. Our oceans are an important part of the environment, contributing to biodiversity and even the oxygen that we breathe. It’s important that we make sure they are protected and it’s even better if you can build this into your work – it’s great for staff mental health and wellbeing! 

Having staff away days and small events at nature reserve centres is a great way to support local nature and biodiversity. You get to support the work of the nature reserve and learn more about the wildlife and nature that they protect. Make sure to shout about your event on social media to encourage more people to support the nature reserve’s work, and if you’re interested why not become a member yourself?

‍

Plants are not only pretty to look at, they’re also a brilliant way to improve your air quality thanks to their ability to purify the air.

‍

Some plants like orchids and succulents even absorb carbon dioxide to convert and release it as oxygen.

‍

Having indoor plants in your room can even help to reduce stress and create a peaceful environment, which can only benefit your productivity. There are plenty of low maintenance plants that require little care which are perfect for people with busy schedules.

Rewilding is the process of bringing wild species back to an area where they once lived. If you organisation has outdoor spaces, you can create environments which encourage species to return. One of the ways you can do this is to build Pollinator Parks to bring back wildlife. Pollinating species like bees and butterflies are really important in supporting the ecosystem by helping flowering plants reproduce – they’re also really important to sustain food crops!