It’s no secret that we, as humans, have made a mess of our planet. From wildlife habitat loss to rising sea levels, climate change is a real and present danger. Politicians and private citizens alike are trying to discover ways that they can help make a positive change, but it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. After all, what difference can one person or family make?
When one family or person starts, so will another. Then another. Before you know it, the snowball effect is in full force and thousands of families are working together to help repair the Earth.
But what exactly can you do? What’s the best use of your time and energy as you look for opportunities to participate in climate restoration activities? Today, we’ll take a look at a few different initiatives you can participate in, and how everyone can be a part of restoring the climate.
Global Restoration Initiative
The Global Restoration Initiative is a partnership between governments, businesses, and communities that’s dedicated to restoring at least 500 million hectares of deforested and degraded land.
What’s fun about the Global Restoration Initiative is that they’re constantly working on projects of all shapes and sizes. So, whether you’re a CEO looking for a way for your company to give back, or you and your family have decided you want to do more to help in climate restoration, the GRI likely has a project in your area that you can help with.
You can attend their online events, and look for projects occurring soon in your area, to see exactly where and how you can help.
NOAA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
The Great Lakes are a vitally important piece of habitat in America, and their health greatly impacts the climate not only in the Great Lakes area, but across most of the East Coast as well. That’s why the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is taking the lead on the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. This is a collection of high-level projects, funded by state and federal agencies, aimed at helping to restore the health and vibrancy of the Great Lakes.
If you’re near the Great Lakes, getting in touch with those leading the Restoration Initiative is your best bet for discovering ways to help. With so many projects going on across a handful of states, you shouldn’t have a hard time finding ways to help.
Ecosystem Restoration Camps
This is an interesting group, but one worth considering if you don’t already have a family and other serious commitments. You can choose to attend various camps across the world, and the entire time you’re there, you’ll work on climate restoration. Specifically, this group focuses on habitat and restoring degraded land. They’re led by a group of scientists and conservationists, using the best knowledge available to help them achieve their goals.
Again, this group isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you’re serious about getting something done to help the planet, then this is it.
At the end of the day, every little thing we do will help to improve the climate. But we all have to start somewhere – and for you, maybe that somewhere is one of these three options.