The effects of the climate crisis are no longer a concern for the future, are a reality that we live day to day. The heat waves are becoming more intense, prolonged drought affecting crops and reservoirs, forest fires and floods that devastate thousands of hectares of land and the loss of biodiversity in unique ecosystems are clear signs that climate change is altering our daily life and our natural environment. In fact, this summer has been the hottest ever recorded in Spain, while most of 2,1 °C above the average of 1991-2020, which intensified the conditions for forest fires.
Before all of this, not enough to worry about: the urgent need is to act. And there is where comes the environmental volunteering and environmental activism. Although both forms of involvement have different approaches, together they can generate high-impact
Environmental volunteering: hands-on
The environmental volunteering is when you are sums of practical ways to take care of nature. It is the direct action, dedicate your time and energy to projects and activities that protect, restore and enhance the environment. Some examples could be: reforest a forest or an urban area; clean beaches, rivers, and parks; to participate in recycling campaigns; or care for animals rescued from natural disasters.
Through the environmental volunteering not only help to mitigate the climate crisis, but also:
- See concrete results: a space more clean, one tree planted, an animal recovered.
- You learn a lot about the natural environment.
- You strengthen bonds with your community and meet people with your same interests.
- It is an experience that fills you with well-being and connection to nature.
Environmental activism: to raise the voice
Environmental activism, in contrast, seeks to change the rules of the game. This is not only to cleanse a space, but to protect the environment and promote sustainability through various strategies, such as awareness of social, political pressure to change laws, scientific research, and direct action. In particular, consist in: attend marches and demonstrations; to sign and spread requests; engage in awareness-raising campaigns on social networks; to promote projects of law or to report harmful.
By the environmental activism, you can:
- Help the environmental problems are visibilicen
- To achieve large-scale changes, such as laws or policies that are more fair.
- Empower people and communities to defend their right to a healthy environment.
- Building networks and alliances with other social causes.
What if you combine both?
The best thing is that you don’t have to choose just one to act against climate change. You can participate in as a volunteer on a weekend and at the same time to join campaigns or demonstrations. Planting a tree helps, obviously, but require policy of reforestation multiply that impact.
In fact, volunteering and activism complement: one transforms the immediate environment, the other is looking at large-scale changes. And together they are an unstoppable force to defend our planet, and your well being, as your desire to change the world.
If you want to explore the pathways of collaboration through volunteering, enters Hacesfalta.org and discover all the possibilities. And if, in turn, want to join the environmental activism, sign in Accionporelclima.org to find your community.
