STAFF at the Christian charity World Vision UK are challenging themselves to make a positive difference to the environment this month.
The second annual February “Go Green” Challenge sees workers get together to share ideas and challenge each other to make changes that will help look after planet earth.
World Vision is a global charity that brings hope and transformation to children, families, and their communities in some of the poorest parts of the world. The February “Go Green” Challenge is part of a wider Climate Policy devised by the global charity as it aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2035.
Mark Sheard, Chief Executive Officer of World Vision UK says: “We are all affected by the global climate crisis, but some places feel the impact worst. Like the Solomon Islands where Timothy, 13, and his family had to abandon their home due to rising sea levels and erosion. Or Mozambique, where Ludia, 12, only ate once a day, surviving on wild fruits and leaves due to drought.
“Our “Go Green” Challenge reminds all World Vision UK staff to consider the impact of their daily habits. We know that governments and organisations have a lot to do to stop the effects of climate change, but individually we also feel compelled to do our bit.”
So far, the challenge has included a walk to connect with nature, with colleagues sharing photographs from their ram
bles. Staff was encouraged to reduce waste by repairing, swapping, or upcycling items instead of throwing them away and buying brand new replacements. A vegan lunch with recipes shared helped workers increase their repertoire of healthy, environmentally friendly meals.
Delphine Wolfe, Campaigns and Innovation Manager at World Vision UK ran a workshop encouraging data saving. “In the office, when it comes to reducing our impact on the environment, people tend to think that one solution is to avoid printing and go online, but that’s not the whole picture,” says Delphine. “The issue is that we don’t see the gigabytes of data we send and receive every day. This data is stored in gigantic data centres located around the world and these are using a lot of electricity. One of the world’s biggest data centres uses enough energy to power 80,000 homes.
“There are two easy ways to alleviate the problem; the first is to improve the way we work, only send links of documents as opposed to attachments. That way our documents are not stored multiple times unnecessarily. And the second is to delete everything we don’t need. Imagine having an empty inbox with all your documents organised and easily accessible – what an effective and stress-free way of working.”
Arthur Mist, World Vision’s Regional Portfolio Manager for East Africa and Senegal, who leads World Vision UK’s Green Team, says: “I am passionate about the environment and the difference we can make as individuals every day, by just changing the small things that we do. Small things add up to big changes in the weather that badly affects some of the poorest children and communities we work with.”
Kimberley Jones, who led the challenge, added: “The climate crisis is daunting by its magnitude, and making small steps may not feel like much. But with each small step this can lead to a new improved habit, then multiply that by working together and supporting each other the change will only grow, increasing the positive impact we can create for our planet and the most vulnerable.”
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