1. Connecting with nature
Spending time in nature has many positive benefits to our health and well-being. ‘Green spaces such as parks, forests and gardens have been shown to have a significant positive impact on physical and mental wellbeing, promoting resilience, social connection and connection to nature.’ Cardiff University: Green social prescribing.
Get a well-being boost from just 20 minutes a day outside. Gareth Clubb, Director of WWF Cymru shares 8 ways to get your daily dose of nature as part of their ‘Prescription for Nature campaign’.
2. Making space for nature
“Imagination and commitment are more important than financial resources” Simon Nurse, from
Capital Coated Steel demonstrates how creating a wildlife-friendly garden at work has multiple benefits for people and pollinators.
Capital Coated Steel’s biodiversity and well-being garden
From creating a community orchard to turning a neglected space into a vibrant garden, the Local Places for Nature project from Keep Wales Tidy can helps groups and organisations of all shapes and sizes to create a space for nature.
3. Volunteering in your community
From tree planting with Stump up for Trees in Bannau Brycheiniog to litter picking with Keep Wales Tidy there are many fantastic volunteering opportunities across Wales. A good place to start is by searching for ‘environmental volunteering opportunities in Wales’ via your favourite search engine or visiting the Volunteering Wales website.
For specialist nature advice in your local area, you can contact your Local Nature Partnership Coordinator to find out about projects and volunteering opportunities on your doorstop.
4. Building positive partnerships
Collaboration is at the heart of the sustainability movement in Wales and is embedded into the Well-being of Future Generations Act through the Five Ways of Working. By building in opportunities for collaboration at the start of a project can lead to unexpected innovation.
Size of Wales, have an impressive history of creating positive partnerships that support people and protect tropical forests. The Deforestation Free menu, is an excellent example of how working with the Cookalong Clwb, they were able to inspire children to advocate for sustainable, deforestation-free school meals, with the Monmouthshire County Council committing to becoming the Wales’ first Deforestation Free Champion.
Sign up to the Cynnal Cymru newsletter for a monthly round up of sustainability news and opportunities.
A growing area for collaboration between small businesses is that of public sector and corporate tendering through sites like Sell2Wales.
Networks like People, Planet, Pint often have regional hosts and are a great opportunity to meet like-minds.
5. Feeling empowered to speak out
“Between 80 and 89% of the world’s people want their governments to be doing more to address climate change.” The Guardian: The 89 Percent Project. We often hear in our training, how people are worried about climate damage and the future. They think they’re alone, so they don’t want to speak up.
Through our Nature Wise and Carbon Literacy courses, we bring people together on journey to learn about why it matters, what you can do to make a difference and how you can develop the confidence to speak out.
You’re not alone!
