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VOLUNTEERING/
SAVING THE EARTH
source: www.cev.be/facts&figures.htm
www.onlinevolunteering.org
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There are thousands of examples of individuals and communities volunteering to address biodiversity problems, environmental emergencies, or simply to keep our planet clean…- more than 10,000 young Irish volunteers, mostly aged 18 to 25, went to North West Spain (Galicia), at Easter in 2003, to help clean up oil that had washed up onto Spanish shores following the Prestige oil tanker spill. Since December 2002, thousands of volunteers – coming from several countries - have joined efforts in the cleanup work. No statistics are known about the exact dimension of the voluntary movement. It was estimated that on the first weekend of December 10,000 volunteers were working on the Galician coast, as reported by the environmental journalist Catalán Deus, who estimates totals close to 500,000 volunteers. Only for the recollection of birds, SEO-Birdlife reports a total of 1,400 people that have been collaborating for at least 6 months; (1)
- known worldwide by its panda logo, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) leads international efforts to protect endangered species and their habitats. Now in its fifth decade, WWF works in more than 100 countries around the globe to conserve the diversity of life on earth. With nearly 1.2 million members in the US and another 4 million worldwide, WWF is the world's largest privately financed conservation organisation. WWF Young Partners in Conservation (YPC) voluntary activities partner members with local conservation efforts such as tree planting, beach cleaning, and restoration projects; (2)
- Earthwatch's mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. Since its founding in 1971, this international non-profit volunteer organisation has mobilised over 2,900 projects in 118 countries and 36 states. More than 65,000 volunteers have contributed over US$53 million and 10 million hours to essential fieldwork; (3)
- volunteers can choose to work in Russia at one or more project sites around Lake Baikal, this coming summer… The Great Baikal Trail can only be built and maintained by teams of volunteers, working every summer for probably the next decade at least. In the summer of the 2004, there were 15 teams that had some 480 local and international volunteers (coming from some 18 countries and from most regions of Russia) working at various trail sites around the lake, for time periods ranging from 2-4 weeks. In 2005, some 30 new projects are planned, with openings for participants from all over the world; (4)
- founded in 1951, the Nature Conservancy is a leading international, non-profit organisation dedicated to preserving the diversity of life on Earth. The organisation operates more than 100 marine conservation projects in 21 countries and 22 US states. The Nature Conservancy has about 1 million members and supporters, more than 1,500 dedicated volunteers, and 3,200 employees, 720 of whom are scientists; (5)
- Global Vision International (GVI), through an international network of 40 personnel in over 20 countries, supports many of the most critical conservation and humanitarian projects around the globe. GVI sends over 800 volunteers every year to aid-reliant projects worldwide. Volunteers come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. To date over 1,500 volunteers have joined projects resulting in the direct financial support of over UK£500,000 (US$750,000); (6)
- EarthCorps has grown steadily since its origin as an all-volunteer effort in the early 1990s. Today the organisation is recognised as a global leader in environmental restoration, service education, and volunteer engagement. In 2004, in cooperation with the City of Seattle and Cascade Land Conservancy, EarthCorps embarked on the Green Seattle Partnership, one of the largest urban re-greening efforts in history. Its goal is to revive 3,700 acres of dying forests in the city's parks. EarthCorps manages up to 75 staff and participants and 10,000 volunteers (ages 8-80) per year. Overseas volunteer restoration projects are currently running in Guatemala, Mexico, and the Philippines. (7)
(1) On November 2002, the Prestige - a 26-year-old single-hull tanker carrying 77,000 tons of heavy fuel oil - sprang a leak off the coast of Galicia and ruined more than 1 thousand km of Spanish coast.
(2) [ http://worldwildlife.org/ypc/volunteer.cfm]
(3) [ www.earthwatch.org]
(4) [ www.earthisland.org/ecotours/volunteer/eurasia/baikal/gbt_brochure.html]
(5) [ www.nature.org]
(6) [ www.gvi.co.uk]
(7) [ www.earthcorps.org]
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