Make a difference!

So many things about the way we have come to live no longer make sense. We face massive environmental and social justice issues that threaten the future stability of our world. Going on “as usual” is no longer an option, but what needs to change?

Here are a few things we can all do in our daily lives that will make a difference and move Worcester on to a more sustainable future.

So much waste!

We can all work to cut the amount of household waste in our rubbish bins. There are plenty of ideas on reducing, reusing and recycling, plus special offers and all the contact information on the Worcestershire County Council website.

So the One Planet Worcester Action Point is to look there, pick one thing (just for starters) and get started!

[ Click here the Worcestershire County Council website] and if you have something you don’t need that needs a good home, sign up [ Here ] and pass it on rather than bin it.

Think energy!

We are so wasteful of power, but as fuel costs rise and we enter a world of Peak Oil, we need to be more frugal. Again, help is at hand on a local website with practical home energy saving tips.[ Here ]

If you care about energy waste, the One Planet Worcester Action Point is to look there, pick one thing (just for starters) and get started!

If you want to see what some families in Hereford are doing about it, go [ Here ]

But if you are in any doubt about the seriousness of the Peak Oil issue, there is plenty of websites that will help. Here are a couple -

[ Here ] and [ Here ]

Change for the sake of wildlife

If we have grown up in Worcestershire, we may take the wildlife of the city and the beautiful countryside around for granted. But human activities and demand for cheap food have had a terrible impact. Many front gardens in the city are now paved for car parking. This makes the rest of the garden even more important, and small changes there can be great for wildlife.

So the One Planet Worcester Action Point is to resolve to make at least one change in your garden that will benefit the birds and animals that share our city.

To get ideas, go [ Here ] then, just for fun, and to reconnect with nature, pick a fine day and go out to enjoy one of Worcestershire Wildlife Trust Reserves.[ Click here for more information ]

Your money is playing while your back is turned!

If we have money saved in banks, building societies or in other investments, it will be used until we want it in various ways. It doesn’t make sense to be doing constructive, wholesome things in one part of our lives for them to be undone by our money when we are not looking.

For example, what is the point in campaigning against animal cruelty, then allowing our money to finance businesses involved in factory farming? Why campaign for the US to sign-up to the climate change action and then invest our ISA or pension in the big US oil companies that are lobbying against reducing emissions?

Ethical investment is still the fastest growing area of investment in
the UK, and is only held back by some financial advisers being unwilling to discuss it and investors being unwilling to place their finances in line with their principles. But if you care, there are some specialist advisors who will help and some are not far from Worcester.

The One Planet Worcester Action Point is to visit [ Here ] then review your savings.

“Better light a candle than curse the darkness”

We are just starting, and the challenge of creating a truly sustainable city is daunting. Rather than get downhearted it helps to remember these words of the founder of Amnesty International, Peter Benenson. He died in 2005 at the age of 83, but took for the start of the Amnesty movement this old Chinese proverb.

One Planet Worcester is helping to light a candle of hope for the future of our city. If you care, there are ways of getting involved that would suit all ages, skills and talents.

The One Planet Worcester Action Point is to join one of the participating groups or help to set up a working group on some aspect of sustainability that interests you.

And we are not alone – other cities and towns up and down the country are grappling with the same issues and this presentation gives an idea of how they are setting about it. [ Click here for more information ]