"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead, American anthropologist, 1901-1978
Back in February 2023, the BBC’s Panaroma did a programme called “Is the Cloud damaging the planet?” Reporter Richard Bilton investigated the question.
Cloud stores our pictures and emails and it powers our internet searches. It enables us to stream movies and box sets. So far, that’s great.
The problem with digital pollution
The problem is that it depends on huge data centres which use huge amounts of power and water – so every time you and I go online, that increases our carbon footprint.
Then there’s all the emails you don’t need or want, duplicates of photos and videos, files and apps you’ve got but don’t use. Cloud stores them and needs energy to do it.
It all creates a type of pollution called digital pollution, and it consumes energy – even when we don’t think of it or use it. It just sits there, consuming electricity, forgotten and all too often unnecessary.
And yet, when we think of carbon emissions, we tend to think of things such as farting cows, car journeys, dirty factories, planes in the sky, and all that sort of thing. How many of us think of digital pollution and the damage it does?
Let's get deleting!
Delete your unnecessary stuff and there are a number of advantages such as, we can extend the life of our gadgets, and we pollute less and help the environment.
Plus, it gives you a feeling of control of your digital stuff. I’ve just spent a 30 minutes deleting a lot of stuff from my phone – old messages, three pictures taken of the cat because she kept moving her head when only one was any good, photos sent of things I no longer want or need. And my phone seems to have a new lease of life and burst of energy as a result of it. I’ve cleared a lot of rubbish to create more space.
Now there is an event in March (on the 16th) which gives you the chance to do your own digital de-tox, or you could make a start whilst waiting for something, or someone.
It’s the Digital Cleanup Day and its on 16th March 2024. It’s a really good opportunity to raise awareness of digital pollution – most of us wouldn’t even think of it. Clean up your data stored in i-Cloud such as files, pictures and videos, your mobile phone, and social media accounts. And take a look at your email account. Often it’s a good chance to see if you can get better organised with it all, too – which will help with the general organisation and running of life. Why not have a digital clean up party and see who can delete the most?!
So there are four things to do:
Clean up your smartphone
Clean up your computer hard drive
Clean up your mailbox
Make new arrangements and do things in a different way - there are lots of ideas on the website
You could share your results - you'll need to register to do that
Have you discovered a bee on the floor who looks like they are struggling? What do you do to help?
The RSPB says that if you come across a struggling bee, you should place them safely on a bee-friendly flower - but if there aren't any flowers close by, or the flowers have been drained by nectar by other bees , then a boost of a sugar solution can help the bee find their way to a flower that is full of nectar.
Well, help is at hand with bee revival kits from Beevive! The one below is and above, available from the RSPB, is pre-filled with ambrosia® syrup in a small aluminium vial, and it also somes with 5+ uses which are refillable from home - you just follow the instructions.
Beevive started in 2018, when three friends met a very tired bee, and so created the Bee Revival Kit. They've since visited schools, hosted workshops and collaborated with businesses to spread the word about how important bees are.
Of course, one of the great things we can all do to help bees is to plant flowers that attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies.
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has a "Go Potty" campaign to encourage us to do that - you just need a pot to go potty with! Find out all about it here.
Extend the protected area of land by 181 hectares This will mean 1,031 hectares are protected – the ecosystem is threatened by agricultural activity. Pumas roam here – they are safe from human conflict and illegal hunting, but the encroachment of agricultural land could change all this. Without this land purchase, the area could be bought up and used for livestock – and that will make forest fragmentation worse.
Restore 100 hectares of essential cloud forest habitat This will be done by planting 36,500 native tree species between 2023 and 2028. It will reconnect fragmented forests for animals such as the puma, the ocelot and Northern oncilla so that they can move safely, rest and feed. The pumas’ presence and condition will be monitored by the forest rangers, using camera traps to see what the pumas are up to, and rehabilitated wildlife will be released in the area, too.
Protect habitat of 665 species. 15 species are on the IUCN Red List so this project is giving them a lifeline. Species such as the Antioquia Brushfinch are here – this species was once thought to be extinct – and so is the Antioquia Chocolate Frog, a tree frog found in northwestern Columbia alone. This frog needs the torrents and puddles that the damp terrain provides. But a successful appeal will help:
28 Amphibians, of which 3 are threatened species.
443 birds, of which 6 are threatened species
148 mammals of which 4 are threatened species
46 reptiles – 2 species are threatened
Over 250 plant species. These include 120 recorded orchid species and the area also has the world’s tallest palm tree!
4. Ensure the health and security of very important water cycles Wildlife and local people depend on these, as the cloud forest captures, stores and releases water downstream.
5. Offer livelihoods to local people through ecotourism and conservation jobs. Nine cabins will be built to host guests, for example, and ecotourism activities will be developed with local communities. Three forest ranger positions will be held by local people for the first three years of the project and their role will be to plant and nurture trees, monitor camera traps and accompany visitors to the reserve
The Antioquia Brushfinch is one of the species who need this appeal to succeed.
This is an exciting and important opportunity to support Fundación Guanacas, a partner of the World Land Trust, to expand its Guanacas Reserve which has one of the only cloud forests in its Antioquia region. Fundación Guanacas needs funds to save land that would suffer deforestation and soil degradation if it were not saved and restored.
Please support this appeal if you can!
All about the World Land Trust:
The World Land Trust is an amazing charity based in the UK, (HQ in Suffolk). It focuses specifically on conserving threatened habitats and it does this through raising funds for land purchase. It goes down this route with considerable care, and the land is purchased, protected and managed by local partner organisations. Thus is has the ability to respond swiftly when lands are under threat of destruction.
So far, the World Land Trust has protected 2,409,420 acres, and planted 2,457,900 trees. It works in countries such as Argentina, Ecuador, Belize, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, the UK, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Paraguay, India, Guatemala – and lots more! View their projects here
It raises some of these funds through a Buy an Acre scheme – a £100 donation can buy an acre of land and protect it for wildlife in perpetuity. You can also donate (one off or monthly) to the Action Fund which is used to for funds to enable the Trust to respond fast where action is needed, be it to extend and safeguard existing reserves or fight fires, or make sure that the reserves are protected by experienced rangers.
Every year, the World Land Trust has a huge appeal in the autumn. It's called Big Match Fortnight...
All about previous Big Match Fortnights
In 2022, this appeal was a real opportunity to save Ecuador’s incredible Río Anzu and Río Zúñac forests! The Life of the Edge appeal launched in October 2022 reached its £1,430,000 target! Everyone who donated has enabled the World Land Trust's partner – Foundación EcoMinga – to DOUBLE the size of the Anzu and Zúñac reserves in Ecuador’s upper Río Pastaza watershed. Read all about it HERE
Along with donations from EcoMinga’sother supporters, the World Land Trust’s partner would be able to safeguard 5,1234 acres across both reserves, patrolled by the World Land Trust funded Keepers of the Wild. And – very exciting – they will be linked to a 1.6 MILLION hectare protected network.
In 2021, the Trust aimed to raise £1.2 million for the Guardians of Nimla Ha’ – one of their most ambitious appeals to date. An incredible £1.37 million was raised which enabled the Trust’s partner in Guatemala, FUNDAECO, to complete the purchase to TRIPLE the size of their Laguna Grande Reserve, home to over 700 species. Manatees, ocelots, 357 bird species, primates, Jaguars, Margays will all be much safer thanks to this purchase. The reserve tripled in size from 1,668 to nearly 5,000 acres. Find out more about the Guardians of Nimla ‘Ha appeal here.
We need to buy these habitats to protect them. Let conservation be the victor here, not extraction and destruction
Together we can all make this happen. Every single donation will make a difference.
We can act as individuals by donating and spreading the word and being a part of a something really important and terrific. By pulling together, we can power through this appeal and help protect wildlife.
If you can sew, or knit or crochet, then a number of animal charities would welcome your help!
You'll find a short list of them at AnimalsCharities.co.uk. The page is called Knitting for Charities but there will be other things you can do to help as well - crochet, sewing - it's just a matter of exploring their information to see what help the charities need.
People all over the world are knitting, sewing and crocheting for animals...My Auntie Susan used to knit blankets for the cats at the local rescue close to where she lived in New Zealand, which is what gave me the idea for the Knitting for Charities page. It's a great way to do something purposeful in those long winter months!
Join in the fun from 25th December through to 5th January with the Wildlife Trusts!
It’s time for their 12 Days Wild, when the Wildlife Trusts encourage us all to do one wild thing a day – perhaps to go stargazing, or recycle a Christmas tree, or feed the birds – something like that.
You could take small actions to help nature or do something to connect with the natural world!
You can register with the Wildlife Trusts online to get going and they’ll send you activity suggestions.
And if you’ve missed out on the 12 Days Wild dates, why not simply create your own 12 Days Wild Challenge and keep track of the actions you take?
Their purpose is "to bring wildlife back, to empower people to take meaningful action for nature, and to create an inclusive society where nature matters. "
And their vision is of "a thriving natural world, with our wildlife and natural habitats playing a valued role in addressing the climate and ecological emergencies, and everyone inspired to get involved in nature’s recovery."
