There’s so much you can do once you go greener, and you don’t have to do it alone. There’s plenty of green organisations who could use your support; or get your social or sport club to choose a project you’re all interested in, and organise your own sponsored event. Your opinions matter to businesses who want your money and politicians who want your vote, so remember to let them know what you think.
Write a letter, send an email, speak to the person in charge
Sometimes you can’t buy environmentally-friendly products at your supermarket, or would like your local council or member of parliament to do something about an environmental issue in your neighbourhood. Write a letter or speak to someone responsible for the matter, and ask for a change to be made. Work out what you’d like to say, then find out who to contact. Also, remember to write to managers and politicians if they do something right: they rely on feedback to know if they’ve done what people want.
- Be brief — a letter or phone call that keeps to the point is more likely to be attended to than an essay or lecture.
- Be specific — a simple request that is clearly understood makes it easier for the person to acheive.
- Be polite — there’s a good chance they’re pleased to get requests from interested people. Let them know you’re looking forward to their response (remember to include your contact details).
- Greenpeace has some good letter-writing tips. Also, the EFA has some tips on How to Contact a Politician.
Join a group
What are your hobbies and interests? What issues are important in your area? Choose an environmental group that suits you. You can volunteer your time, skills or money to a goal you think is worth pursuing.
- See if your local council has any programs for bushland, rivers or national parks in your area.
- Can you make your hobbies greener? If you’re an animal lover, enjoy fishing or boating, or maybe gardening, then there’s plenty of projects and campaigns you’ll enjoy.
- Not interested in the great outdoors? No worries, there’s still plenty of stuff to do if you’re into fashion, are interested in computers and technology, or enjoy dining out.
- If you’re too busy to be a fully-involved member of a campaign (and many of us are), join in some one-day events like Walk to School Day, Clean Up Australia Day, and so on.
Get your friends and family involved
- Tell people about the things you’re doing to help the environment, and if they’re interested, send them here or to any of the sites mentioned here for more information.
- Give environmentally-friendly birthday and Christmas gifts. You could make a yummy gift-basket of organic chocolates, teas, coffees or wine. You could buy them a Greenfleet gift-voucher, or other environmentally-friendly products. Take a look in your local Australian Geographic shop or Oxfam for interesting and unique presents with environmental and community significance.
- Working on a project is more fun if you get your friends or family to join in too. The Greenpeace Get Active website can help you find out how to start your own group.
Make your workplace environmentally-friendly
Now that your home is looking greener, start a few environmentally-friendly programs at your workplace.
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