Words by Smiley Team
Ah! Spring is in the air at last, or at least it will be officially in one month’s time. Prepare for this gorgeous season of flowers blooming and wildlife waking up, by planning what positive actions you could take for the environment or to help people in need.
Whether you have an expansive country garden or an inner-city balcony, you can help wildlife this spring with a range of activities that the RSPB will tailor to your patch of green. To get your personal plan, tell the organisation about your outdoor space, how many people want to participate and how much time you have via their online form. By enticing nature to your garden, you can contribute to collective efforts to help all life on land.
What’s better than a springtime walk in the woods while bluebells are sprouting and birds chirping in the trees? But this is only possible if we protect these valuable habitats for all sorts of wildlife. After decades of deforestation accounts for just 2.4 per cent of land in the UK. To protect what tree coverage we still have and to plant more, one of the best things you can do is support one of the Woodland Trust’s appeals. From pine forests in the Scottish Highlands to the woodlands of Worcestershire, there’s plenty of opportunities to protect this natural carbon sink and valuable home to diverse ecology.
As the weather warms up, spring is the perfect time to get out and get active. If you’re planning on upgrading your fitness routine, you could also consider doing so for charity. There are plenty of fundraising runs, walks and other events to get involved with. One of the biggest upcoming events this spring is the London Landmarks Half Marathon on 23rd May. By participating you can fundraise for the charity of your choice from their selected organisations.
If you’re going to send greetings to your loved ones this Easter, why not pick a card with a cause? Tackling poverty worldwide, Oxfam offers a beautiful range of options, including hand-embroidered greeting cards made by women in Bangladesh and a classic card decorated with eggs made from FSC paper which comes with a plastic-free envelope. You can also support end-of-life charity Marie Curie by buying from their online shop, offering a variety of gifts featuring their iconic daffodil. Or you can save on paper while supporting life-saving cancer research by purchasing one of MacMillan’s Easter e-cards.
One of the downsides of occasions like Easter is all the waste packaging that comes with it. Try to reduce how much you chuck in the bins this 4th April by buying zero-waste or plastic-free alternatives. Aldi is making a particular effort for the upcoming holiday, removing two million pieces of unrecyclable plastic from its Easter ranges. You can also purchase low-plastic and plastic-free Easter eggs from Co-op and ASDA.