Volunteer and Have Fun!

Grab Friends, Go Green!

Volunteer, Have Fun, and Save The Planet

In recent blogs I have talked about having fun and being eco-friendly, for example by having an eco-friendly non-motorized weekend or learning a new eco-friendly skill such as wildlife photography or organic cooking.   Or going camping, or being even more simple and just enjoying quality time with the special people in your life.

We’re all so busy that we need to take “time out” regularly, in between going on a proper holiday or vacation.

Today I’m looking at another way of having fun and being eco-friendly – volunteering.  Now don’t panic – I’m not suggesting taking off for six months to the Amazon jungle (although you could do that too!).   There are loads of different ways of volunteering, and they can be great fun – find a type of volunteering that appeals to you.

So today, I have a question for you.

Litter
Litter

Do you Hate Litter?

Yes, me too!

It really gets me angry.

I bet you get angry too.

So DO something about the litter, instead of just complaining!

Here are some suggestions.

Get a group of concerned citizens together and spend a Saturday afternoon cleaning up the streets of your city, or your nearest beach or forest.

Perhaps you don’t want to get dirty? You don’t have to actually touch the litter that you pick up – there is a big choice of easy picker-uppers – and you don’t even have to bend down!

Put on your leader hat and recruit some of your most fun friends to find a spot in your community that could use less litter and more love. Turn it into a monthly (or even weekly) event and watch new volunteers join in.

If you don’t want to lead, then join an existing litter pick-up campaign – a great resource is Keep America Beautiful – you can click on your State and easily see what’s happening in your area.  In the UK find volunteer opportunities for litter and for the rest of the world there are lots of volunteering options

If you collect litter not only will you live in a cleaner, more pleasant environment, you will also feel good, get some exercise and be outside in the fresh air, help to save the planet, and you might even find something interesting while collecting litter – lots of people do!

You could argue that picking up a small amount of litter in one area will not help the whole litter problem world-wide.  But that’s the same argument as “my little piece of wrapper won’t make a difference if I drop it” used by millions of people worldwide – and together, all those “little pieces” make a huge difference.  By collecting litter in a small area, you are stopping that litter from blowing away, ending up in our oceans, being eaten by animals and generally causing problems.

Volunteer - pick up trash
Volunteer – pick up trash

Some people do a litter pick-up while they are on vacation which is great too.

You don’t even have to do a pick-up in a group.  Or over a large area.  For example, keep a supply of bio-degradable bags in your bag or car.  Then, anywhere you stop briefly, pick up a few pieces of litter close to you and then dispose of them properly.

Yes, on occasion I’ve had a few strange looks.  That’s OK.

I read that one woman, who regularly goes to a particular spot and picks up the litter there, was told by a bored onlooker “you won’t be able to collect all the litter in the world, you know”.

“No”, she replied.  “But at least I am doing something about the problem, and this small area is now clean”.

Want more volunteering ideas? Here are loads: Volunteer – Conservation.  You might also enjoy Why Volunteer?

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Photo Credits: all microsoft.com


Tags

eco friendly, environment, Fun, fun activities, green, litter, pick up, plastic waste, save the planet, trash, volunteer


  • I pick up trash stuff and throw it away in the trash barell when I’m walking from my car to a store. I know it embarrases my family but I hate thinking about that wrapper or whatever getting stuck on or in some poor animal’s head somewhere far away. I look at it as saving animals while my family looks at it as having a crazy mom/wife. Live on people!

    Peggy

    • Peggy, I’m sure your children will look back on it as they get older, and reflect that picking up litter was indeed the right thing to do – and hopefully continue the tradition that you’ve started!

  • We don’t need to care what others think when doing the right thing. A walk on the beach that you were doing for your own enjoyment can be more enjoyable to those that follow due to your actions. Forget about skipping stones and pick up some litter instead. It’s a fun activity and even if you are not an actual volunteer you can reduce the trash and plastic waste.

  • Great Idea!

    Living in Las Vegas and Pahrump, you know there are too many areas that need help picking up trash and litter.

    Thanks!

  • I detest litter bugs . They can’t be bothered walking 3 metres to a rubbish bin to dispose of their garbage . I always pick up rubbish when I come across it .

  • Hi Green Goddess,

    Volunteering and getting out and about in the community is great way to spend your time and meet people at the same time!

    Happy Dating and Relationships,

    April Braswell

  • Clare, volunteering is a great placee to meet quality single people.
    Scott Sylvan Bell

  • I am involved in this activity called geocaching and one of the tenets is CITO: cache in, trash out. I have been more conscious about this and try to do it every time I find a geocache.

    Thanks for writing about this issue.

    • Well done Mil – it’s great to be so aware! Helping with litter clean-ups, building trails and removing invasive plant species are all great ways to add value to the fun of geocaching. Thanks for telling us about it!

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