TCV Blogs Editor

The beginning of a new year often leads people to reflect on the things that they wish to change or improve on for the forthcoming 12 months. There is a positive correlation between the start of a new year and people beginning to search for a new job, around 64% of people in comparison to the rest of the year.

Whether it’s the ‘grass is greener’ mentality kicking in during the first few days of January, or the dread of returning to work if you’ve been off over the festive period, research suggests that it can take 1-2 years for someone to actually make a career change after they have decided upon it.

In recent years, news stories and events regarding our natural environment and the impact of climate change have been commonplace. More people are not only changing lifestyle habits in a bid to be more environmentally friendly but also looking at how they can create a positive impact on our environment in their careers.

To gain employment within the conservation sector, work experience is a vital part of obtaining a role. Through volunteering with TCV, the skills and knowledge needed to enter the environmental and conservation sectors are readily available.

Some of our volunteers began their time with us to gain this vital experience to pursue a career in the conservation sector.

Josh Thornhill

Josh is a Senior Project Officer with Enabling Projects in Clackmannanshire (EPIC), after leaving his job in sales construction when he realised that measuring success on the spec of the car you drive and the clothes you wore wasn’t for him.

I left my job, made a plan to begin volunteering with as many different types of organisations as it took to find the perfect place for me and, as I have always loved exploring and walking in Scotland, started with TCV. I’ve not needed to look any further.

Josh Thornhill

Through volunteering with TCV, Josh has had the opportunity to discover what he is passionate about and develop those passions into skills and experience and go on to share them with others as a career.

I have continued my exploration of Scotland’s greenspaces but have switched my briefcase for a beard, my brogues for some dirty boots, and my latte for some loppers!

Not only has volunteering allowed him to pursue a career in conservation but also allowed him to achieve his personal goals of becoming healthier, to work with people passionate about what they do, and to make an improvement to the world through his work.

Katie Gargett

In London, Katie felt compelled to leave behind her career in advertising due to her passion for the environment and trying to combat climate change.

Katie began volunteering at the Isleworth Green Gym as a way of gaining experience in the field and to meet people with similar interests. Through volunteering, Katie gained skills in tree identification, planting and how to build a dead hedge; skills that would not have been learnt in the office.

I feel like I learned a lot and met some lovely people. It’s given me a different perspective; I’ve previously only worked in large corporate companies. I was hoping to learn new skills to enable me to find a role in an environmental charity. I have achieved this, so I am very grateful.

Katie Gargett

Research has shown that people leave their jobs due to their relationship with management, a lack of opportunity to use their skills and abilities and the meaningless of their job, just to name a few. 42% of employees have changed jobs due to the stress of their job.

Ian Price

Ian quit his stressful job in the railway industry, wanting a career change with a specific view to work in the charity and conservation sector.

Ian volunteers with TCV alongside studying Countryside and Wildlife Management at college. The experience gained through volunteering complements the theory Ian learns at college and allows him to put this theory into action.

“Volunteering with TCV Bedford has added to my knowledge about nature and the environment. I hope to use this volunteering experience to pursue a career in conservation.”

And it hasn’t just been conservation skills that Ian has developed through volunteering, but transferable skills such as leadership, teamwork and communication skills.

The team have made me feel welcomed and valued as a volunteer. What I have learnt with TCV Bedford has helped me with my studies. Volunteering has also enabled me to put into action the things I have learnt on my course.

Ian Price

For some people, a change in career has come with a bigger change. Moving to another country sometimes poses the need for a career change.

Anne Aure

In 2018, Anne joined the Camden Green Gym after moving to London from Rio de Janeiro following a health problem. She decided to change her professional life too but was unsure how to go about it.

“I have a background in the corporate world as a civil engineer. Following the move to London, I was looking for a job with purpose but didn’t feel able to do anything. My lack of self-confidence was putting me down all the time.”

Anne Aure

The Green Gym has not only provided Anne with a practical way to improve her English and make new friends but has also allowed her to learn about nature conservation and develop skills related to conservation, community engagement, leadership and mental health.

Anne was quickly identified by the TCV Camden team as having Volunteer Officer material, and she has now joined the TCV staff and a sessional worker.

We all need to have a sense of responsibility for the place we live in and a sense of belonging to a community of people who like doing the same thing as us. I love what I do!

As cited by Prospects, an environmental degree isn’t the only route into the sector and suggests exploring the different paths into environmental work to see which best suits your skills and ambitions.

TCV not only provides a variety of different volunteering opportunities but also training opportunities throughout the UK.

As the year draws to a close, some of us will be thinking about making New Year’s Resolutions. The tradition dates back to ancient Babylonian times, where people would make promises to their gods during Akitu, a 12-day religious ceremony held in mid-March when the Babylonians celebrated New Year.

Similar traditions occurred in ancient Rome and for early Christians, and whilst the tradition may be based in religion, the practice is mostly secular today.

Last year in the UK, only 5% of people made a New Year’s Resolution. It is believed that the declining number in people making New Year’s Resolutions is due to the fact the resolutions people make require a lot of work and the momentum to keep up with their goals wains over time.

At TCV this year, we have been focused on inspiring the next generation of conservation heroes, but there is still so many little things that we can do in our day-to-day lives that can inspire the next generation, and those around us, to protect our natural environment.

So, for those of you who might be inspired to make resolutions this year, we’re sharing a few ideas that are simple to stick to and help save the planet at the same time.

Volunteer

Make a difference to your local environment by volunteering with your local TCV group. TCV are committed to providing positive lasting outcomes for green spaces and volunteers. Join in, feel good, and save the planet along the way.

Drive less – instead walk, bike, take public transport, carshare

Transport emissions accounted for a third of all carbon dioxide emissions in the UK. By walking, cycling or using public transport where necessary, you are reducing your carbon footprint on the planet.

Plant a tree

Trees are a ‘natural climate solution’ as they withdraw carbon from the air and release oxygen. Tree planting initiatives are running across the UK and globally. This year, TCV & OVO’s tree planting initiative ‘I Dig Trees’ planted its 1 millionth tree and we worked alongside the Mayor of London to help increase London’s tree canopy.

Reduce meat and animal products in your diet

Around 25% of all the global climate change problems we’re seeing can be attributed back to the food and the choices that we’re making about what we eat on a daily basis. That’s greater than all the cars on the planet; twice as much global warming pollution as the cars. By reducing the amount of meat and animal products we consume as part of our diet, we can help reduce our carbon footprint and lower the emissions in the atmosphere.

Incorporate seasonal foods into your meals

Not all the fruit and vegetables that are available in the supermarkets are grown in the UK, they are often imported in from overseas so that we have a vast range of choice throughout the year. However, by sticking to seasonal fruit and vegetables grown in the UK, the carbon footprint of the foods your consuming will be significantly less. Even more so if you grow the fruit and veg yourself!

Always bring a reusable mug/bottle

Not only reducing your plastic consumption but can also save you money too. Most coffee shops and cafés offer a discount for those who bring their own mug and by using your own bags, you save paying anything up to 30p a bag.

Set up a monthly donation to a charity that is tackling climate change

TCV is just one of many charities whose work is fighting back against the climate emergency. However, charities cannot carry out their work without the generous support of donations from members of the public. Why not set up a monthly donation to your chosen charity? It doesn’t have to be a huge amount, even the smallest of contributions can make a huge difference. Find out how to donate to TCV.

Reduce plastic consumption

20 times more plastic is used today in the UK than 50 years ago and  UK supermarkets produce 800,000 tonnes of plastic every year. However, 53% of UK consumers have reduced the amount of single-use plastic they use, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Things such as picking loose fruit and veg and not plastic wrapped produce, using paper stemmed cotton buds, reusable food wrap instead of cling film and switching to bamboo toothbrushes are all ways to reduce your plastic consumption.

New Year’s Resolutions do not always have to be radical changes to your everyday life, just small little things that you can do to make big impact on the world.

Article Written by TCV Volunteer Officer, John Bark

Since TCV and OVO Energy launched the I Dig Trees campaign back in 2015, over one million free trees have been allocated to public places, with individual volunteers and community groups helping to get them planted across the UK…..

The speed of uptake this year is way ahead of last year and shows a rising demand from people and groups who want to make a real difference to their local environment. 

All they need now is enough help to get this years’ 350,000 whips (baby trees) into the ground by the end of the planting season to reach the target of one million trees planted since the programme began.

If you are wondering whether it’s worth joining in, here are 10 good reasons to make the effort…

Fight climate change

Global warming is happening because carbon dioxide (CO₂) from all sources (natural and made-made) is accumulating in the atmosphere. Natural processes just don’t absorb the amount that is being produced fast enough.

Unfortunately, we have yet to invent an easily mass-produced machine (running on renewable energy) that will take CO₂ out of the air and lock it away where it can do no harm.

Fortunately, Nature has done the job for us with a highly effective carbon-capture device that’s cheap to install and maintain: the tree!  Through photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and go on doing so for years, absorbing CO₂ faster as they mature.  When trees age and decay, the carbon stored goes into the soil, not the air.

It’s direct action

Taking to the streets or putting your cross in a box are ways to get other people to do what you can’t do yourself. But there is no guarantee they will act – even if they understand the problem and sincerely want to make a difference.  But once you have planted a tree (with the landowner’s position), it’s done. One tiny positive step towards a better future. You don’t even have to be old enough to vote!

Wildlife benefits

Woodland – especially mixed native woodland – is a fabulous habitat for lichens, fungi, insects, birds and mammals. Some of this life you never see, like the fungal ‘mycelium’ network connecting tree to tree beneath your feet; others such as the jay bring a flash of colour and delight to a woodland walk.

Trees planted beside intensively cultivated farmland provide valuable shelter and food for birds such as the lark and the fast disappearing turtle dove.  Urban trees support wildlife too, commonplace creatures you barely notice, but you would miss if they vanished.

It’s good for your community

The simple act of planting trees is a great way to bring together a diverse range of people in a single cause.  And not just people in rural areas or leafy suburbs.

Planting in neglected urban spaces can help to create pride of place and strengthen the bonds within a neighbourhood. Trees can also make communities more resilient in the face of climate change.

Planted in the right place, trees can protect communities by reducing the threat of flooding and soil erosion. Planting a community orchard brings free fresh fruit in season!

Trees create their own climate

The Amazon rainforest makes rain clouds (see episode 3 of BBC’s wonderful Seven Worlds, One Planet), but all trees everywhere affect local climate, capturing rainfall, acting as windbreaks and providing cooling shade for people, animals and buildings.

Woods mean wealth

It is possible to put a cash figure on the benefit of tree-planting to society. According to the National Capital Committee, independent advisors to HM Government, 250,000 hectares of woodland planted near to cities and towns would produce £500 million in ‘societal benefits’ a year.

Cleaner air

Trees produce more oxygen than they use, a by-product of photosynthesis, but they also trap air particles and droplets which can damage human health.

Better health

Working on green projects outdoors is great for anyone who wants to get fit, but maybe doesn’t fancy the gym, or needs a bit more motivation.  Tree planting adds extra purpose that benefits others. It can also be more effective than going to a traditional gym. 

Studies have found that people taking part in conservation activities can use up to a third more calories than in a step aerobics class. And if you join a community group to care for your trees and other green spaces, you could have a fitness course for life (with guilt-free cake at tea break!).

Feel good

Green activity in the great outdoors has been shown to have a positive impact on mental well-being.  And even if you believe you are at the peak of mental strength and fitness, just think of the sense of achievement after an hour or two helping to save the planet.

It’s easy

You can make a lasting contribution towards a better future for everyone in just a few minutes.  All you need is a spade, a tree and some sturdy footwear!

Together we can plant one million trees across the UK.

You can help further by sharing your #IDigTrees experiences on social media:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

So, you’ve asked all the friends and family you have ever known for donations and now you’ve hit a bit of a wall. So where to go next? Colleagues, passer-bys and … complete strangers. But how do you get people you don’t know to believe in your cause and donate?

Here are some novel ideas from us!

Approach local companies and request for every *insert product/service* sold they donate £1

Businesses are always looking for new, innovative marketing ideas. Let them know how you can promote your business to a new audience in return for something from them! You could offer the following promotion:

• Promote their business and how they’re getting involved via your social media feeds. Commit to one Tweet per day and take part in Twitter sessions to really get the conversation going! Digitia has a great list of Twitter sessions UK wide!
• Create promotional posters for your fund raising events / ideas and include their logo prominently, perhaps with a link to their web site to find out more! This way they get web hits too!

Do something you would not normally do.

Are you quite a quiet, reserved person? Go sky-diving. Are you normally a bit louder? Do a sponsored silence. Some ideas you can consider include:

• Bungee jumping
• Three peaks challenge
• Coast to coast cycle ride
• Running a marathon
• Wearing a huge hat for a week

People are likely to pay attention if you’re doing something a little unusual. Make sure you post your charity link all over Facebook and Twitter and getting T-Shirts printed always help with photos and conversations!

Get festive!

Christmas is on its way. Could you organise a Christmall ball or a fair or even a town wide Christmas ‘secret santa’.

If you do organise an event, be sure to tell venues and bands etc that the event is for charity and you might get a discount or an extra something for free! To make more money on the night, hold an auction or raffle and if you’re really good, get a local celebrity to attend. As this is a tough one to organise, approach your charity and ask for some help.

Pack people’s bags!!!

Did you know you could make £500 on a day of packing bags in a local supermarket? Get a team of recruits together and just go for it one Saturday morning. Getting T-Shirts and branded donation buckets from the charity will help with your credibility and team presence on the day! Maybe you could take along some music and sing as you pack to draw attention!

Baked bean bath anyone?

Sometimes, you need to do something a little different to get the kind of attention you want. A perfect example of this kind of fundraising is your typical, sitting in a bath of beans, waxing all the boys’ chests or shaving your head. Make it as wild as possible and film the whole thing so you can add a video to You Tube!! Here are some of examples:

• Organise a “find a partner” day. Collect lots of scarves and for one day the whole office has to tie themselves to another person. They have to go EVERYWHERE with this person, eat, drink and work. Pass it by your boss/teachers first but likelihood is, they’ll see it as a good team building exercise!
• Play “hunt for the chocolate”. This works pretty well at Easter or Christmas. Get the whole school/workplace involved in this one. They each pay £5 to play. You hide 10 chocolate eggs / selection boxes around the office and grounds. At the end of the day the people who find eggs / prizes get their £5 back and get to keep the chocolate. Chances are they won’t request their £5 back anyway!
• Encourage everyone to paint their faces the colour of your chosen charity and carry a bucket round all day. This is sure to grab people’s attention and get some donations flying in.

Raising money can be a challenging activity, especially if you’ve already done 3 half marathons, a sky dive, 2 sponsored silences and 12 cake sales this year. Well done if you have by the way!

So, to help bring new life to your fund raising activities, here are 10 novel new ideas from us!

1. Offer a service in exchange for a donation – if you have a commercial skill such as web design, hair dressing, car valeting or accounting, maybe you could ask people to bid / donate and give one lucky donator some of your time in exchange.
2. Fill empty jars – find a popular car boot sale or craft fair and fill a table with empty cups, jars and other containers. You could even paint them if you wanted! People will come over to see what the fuss is all about and when they come over tell them you’re collecting for your favorite cause and ask them to empty their pockets and fill the cups!
3. Organise a children’s movie night – if you have children, maybe you could offer to host a movie night for your child’s friends and then alternate around the class! Parents could pay £5 for oven pizza, pop and pop corn will all other proceeds going to the charity!
4. Dress down Monday – if you work in a fair sized organization, maybe you could ask the management team if you could organize a dress down day to raise funds. Charge everyone £1 for dressing down. You could maximize the spirit of the day by tacking on a cake sale while everyone is in the charitable giving spirit.
5. Organise a pet show! Why not organize a pet show on your local green and charge people £5 to enter their pet? You could have topics such as cutest pet, cleverest pet and best looking pet. You could also arrange a small agility course on the day and invite food venders down to feed the masses!
6. Pub games – when was the last time your local pub held a darts tournament or a pub quiz? Maybe you could organize one yourself. You could even pick ‘the great outdoors’ as a theme to support Big Green Weekend.
7. Photography competition – you could team up with your local paper to hold a photography competition. People could be charged £3 to enter and categories could include ‘the great outdoors’, ‘local wildlife’ and ‘greatest inspiration’. If you have a blog, you could even put the entries online!
8. Scavenger Hunt – People pay to enter. They each receive a list of items they need to scavenge (a beer-mat, a yellow flower, an item of clothing that’s not their own…) Give a prize to the person who brings all the items to you first.
9. University Challenge – If you work in education, why not pit your uni, school or college against each other! It could turn into a full scale regional, annual event! Getting the press involved will help you to encourage more schools to participate for the exposure. Of course, all entries fees go to TCV!
10. Who’s that baby – Get old baby-photos of your friends or – much better – your bosses or teachers. Stick them up around your school or office and get people to pay to guess who they are. Needless to say, you’ll need a quality prize for the winner.

For more ideas, click HERE to download our fund raising pack!

As we head towards winter, there’s no reason to feel down about the change of the seasons. The warm summer sun may feel like a memory, but there’s no reason to feel like we have to spend months sheltered indoors!

Heading outside in the winter can be extremely therapeutic! Those brisk winter afternoons can show cast a beautiful light over our brilliant countryside.

What if it rains?

Here’s our top four tips for things to do on a rainy weekend!

1. Go For A Run!

If you’re a personal fitness aficionado, exercising in the rain can have some amazing effects! Not only does it warm you up, did you know that running in rain creates higher levels of oxygen consumption? This leads to increased calorie burning and fat loss!

Taking a run through the countryside can help you enjoy our beautiful countryside in the fresh air, and help you clear your mind from the stresses of the week.
Just make sure you dry off afterwards!

2. Volunteer!

If exercising isn’t your thing, there’s still no reason to sit indoors feeling bored.
Giving up just one weekend a month to a local charity by volunteering on an environmental project or in one of their charity shops can make a real difference to the charity, and to your quality of life!

It’s good to give something back, getting involved with new projects and meeting new people. You’ll be surprised what a positive impact volunteering can have on your life.

3. Go Camping!

The autumn can be the perfect time of year to go camping. Take a good waterproof tent, bring along sleeping bags, cushions and some airbeds and go camping in the great outdoors with your family.

Wrap up warm, plot an easy route – you don’t need to go too physical if the weather isn’t great! – and most of all, explore the outdoors.

Camping can have great bonding effects, and can be a great change of pace for you and your friends or family.

Just make sure you tidy up behind you!

4. A nature walk!

Sometimes, nothing beats a good old fashioned casual stroll. Go to a local park or forest and have a wander. Take your time, and study the environment around you. You can show your children things they may not have noticed before – how water runs through the forest in wet conditions, what leaves provide the best canopy cover.

Go exploring, get muddy, and have fun.

The Conservation Volunteers’ Big Green Weekend is coming up! Find out more, and get involved.

It’s difficult to imagine a world without power.

Sure, there are plenty of TV shows that have tried to show what things would be like, but what if we just wanted to switch off for an evening or a weekend; leave our mobiles inside, and do something natural?

We all know that entertainment these days, particularly for children, is largely based around TV, games consoles and WiFi. So we thought we’d buck the trend, in the spirit of the upcoming ‘Big Green Weekend‘, and give you ten novel ideas for getting outside this weekend!

Petting park

Did you know there is likely to be a park with a petting zoo within 30 miles of you? Hop online, quickly before the power goes out, and search out your nearest petting zoo. Maybe you can take some carrots for the animals? • Lawn art! o Take an old sheet and pic it to the ground in the garden using old tent hooks. Then take out your poster paint and make a massive bit of garden art!

Have an alphabet treasure hunt

Set a time limit of sixty minutes and break into teams of two or more if you manage to rustle up a group! Then find an item for each letter of the alphabet. You could probably even do this in your back garden, using your kitchen to supplement your treasure if needed!

Night time bowling

Save up 14 old water bottles and then pop into your local party shop and buy a couple packs of glowsticks. Fill the bottles with water and then put a glowstick into each bottle. The bottles will light up – perfect for night time bowling!

When I was as school…

Teach your kids an old playground game from your youth. Do you remember drawing out hopscotch using chalk on a pavement? Skipping rope games at break time? Racecar tracks, again, using chalk?

Tree golf!

Take some old metal coat hangers and pull them into circle shapes and hang them from branches. Then, using old tennis balls, see how many ‘hole in ones’ you can get!

Bike routes

When was the last time you got the ole bikes out of the garage and went on a family bike ride? Maybe you could pack an autumnal themed picnic and make a day of it?

Orienteering / treasure map hunt

We know that geo cashing has taken off in a big way (geo caching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices) but what about getting back to the good old days of a map and compass? You could even hide treasure along key part of the route and let the kids take the lead in the hunt!

Nature trail

What about taking your Sunday walk to the next level and spotting local birds and other animals. Perhaps you could gather items such as acorns and make a nature table for show and tell!

Reading on the beach

If you’re lucky enough to live near a beach, why not read a book in the sand dunes through the afternoon. The sea air and peace can rest the soul.

Keep your eyes peeled for more information on our upcoming ‘Big Green Weekend 2013‘, taking place around the country.