And why is cycling important for sustainability?
Welcome to the Sustainability Calendar blog, aimed at introducing you to events on the calendar, explaining why they are important to sustainability, and giving you resources for further information and how to get involved. Today, Bike Week!
Introduction
Bike Week highlights the many benefits of cycling, from the obvious health and physical well-being benefits to mental well-being, community, social and environmental benefits. It is organised by Cycling UK and it takes place every June; in 2021 the dates are Sunday, 30 May to Saturday, 5 June.
From a sustainability perspective, cycling is important because it enables us to reduce journeys based…
Helping you to plan climate and sustainability action in June
Welcome to my monthly overview of the Sustainability Calendar. The full year-long calendar is here. Scroll down for the full list of events in June.
Summary
June is the home of a couple of big events: World Environment Day on Saturday, 5th June, followed closely by World Ocean Day on Tuesday, 8th June. Both remind us of the importance of our environments and the roles they play in supporting all life on Earth.
Also, this month is one of the biggest events for a while, the G7 Summit, to be held at Carbis Bay in Cornwall, UK. The hosts, the UK…
Helping you to plan climate and sustainability action in May
Welcome to my monthly overview of the Sustainability Calendar. The full year-long calendar can be found here. Scroll to the end of this post for the full list of events in May.
Highlights
Endangered Species Day and International Day for Biological Diversity
These two are inextricably linked: lose species, and biodiversity is impacted; similarly, declines in biological diversity can cause species to become endangered if food sources are compromised or habitats destroyed. In the worst case these changes can cause extinctions.
This week: Ade on the Frontline; Why I support malaria charities; and next week’s sustainability calendar
Welcome to the seventh issue of my sustainability newsletter Rethink Convenience weekly. Each week I introduce my latest stories, highlight the work of other sustainability advocates, and preview the week ahead to enable you to plan climate and environmental action.
This week I watched the second episode of Climate Change: Ade on the Frontline (BBC). I’m a couple of weeks behind but it was good to pick up this series again. Ade is travelling the parts of the world that suffer most from the climate crisis (Bangladesh this week), and again the personal stories he encounters deeply moved me.
Great article, and I love the idea of making incremental changes. Not everyone has to ditch the car and convert to foot or pedal to make a difference.
A few other suggestions:
Stop idling
Drive as if your goal is to save money on fuel; no harsh breaking, no aggressive acceleration, plan your routes. Less fuel burnt equals less money spent _and_ fewer emissions. What's not to like?
Don't carry dead weight. Clear out your boot/trunk.
Maximising the impact of charitable donations this World Malaria Day
Five years ago, walking off a stag-do hangover in Bristol, I spotted a book that changed my life. Doing Good Better¹ by Dr William MacAskill argues that our altruism needs to be as effective as possible, which means that we need to make as much impact as possible for every pound or hour donated.
I found this concept to be remarkably empowering². …
This week: What is Earth Day?; greenwashing on Earth Day; and next week’s sustainability calendar
Welcome to the sixth Rethink Convenience weekly. Each week I summarise the latest articles in Rethink Convenience, highlight some interesting things I’ve encountered in the last week, and give a preview of what’s coming up.
I started Earth Day with an email from Amazon, wishing me, without the faintest hint of irony, a happy Earth Day, and telling me all of the amazing things they were doing to save the planet. I knew right then that I was in for a day of unrepentant and shameless greenwashing.
The sad truth is that many companies see an event like Earth Day…
And why should it matter to you?
This article is part of a series highlighting events and holidays from the sustainability calendar, your definitive guide to a year of climate action. Find out more here or read the monthly summary for April here.
What is Earth Day?
Earth Day is one of our oldest environmental awareness days, established in 1970 before many of us thought of nature as anything more than something to be used¹.
Earth Day celebrates nature in all its forms, our relationship with this planet and its planet-wide ecosystem. More information can be found on the official website.
This year’s theme is “Restore Our Earth”:
This week: resistance to change, tiny volunteering, and next week’s sustainability calendar
Welcome to the fifth Rethink Convenience weekly. Each week I summarise the latest articles in Rethink Convenience, highlight some interesting things I’ve encountered in the last week, and give a preview of what’s coming up.
I took a couple of weeks off over Easter, so thanks for sticking with me.
New Stories
Almost a Quarter of Us Won’t Change to Prevent Climate Change
The results of a recent survey of British people, on how willing they’d be to change their behaviours on behalf of the planet, made for depressing reading. Not least because the purpose of this blog is to encourage people…
And why should it matter to you?
This article is part of a series highlighting events and holidays from the sustainability calendar, your definitive guide to a year of climate action. Find out more here or read the monthly summary for April here.
What is Microvolunteering Day?
The event’s website¹ describes Microvolunteering as:
bite-sized, on-demand, no commitment actions that benefit a worthy cause
That is quick actionable ways that you can donate your time, money or expertise in the support of others. Microvolunteering Day is a way to bring together individuals, sponsors, charities and non-profit organisations to celebrate the meaningful impact that even the smallest actions can have.
Microvolunteering can take…
