Recreation

 

Not many folks have the time to be bored nowadays, but we’re certainly all acquainted with that what-should-I-do-now feeling after we do find some spare time to ourselves. What’s your go-to? Does one hit the gym? See a movie? Head to the pub? Maybe you’d rather cool down in front of the TV – and nobody would blame you. But if you discover yourself eager to do a small amount more along with your free time, consider taking over one of the hobbies you can find at . On the other hand, here are 5 eco-friendly and fun hobbies you can start today.

Beekeeping

Bee populations are on the decline, so it’s more important than ever before to worry for our little fuzzy friends, and backyard bee colonies can play a supporting role in increasing the number of untamed bees out there, which are vital for pollination. Did you recognize that one bee colony can pollinate around 300 million flowers every single day?

And additionally, to help preserve the environment, beekeeping will provide you with access to a fresh supply of delicious honey and beeswax, which has innumerable uses. Beekeeping isn’t as tricky as you may imagine, either. The British Beekeeping Association has many resources to assist you to start.

Hiking

The UK is totally full of beautiful walking and hiking spots, and everyone you wish to enjoy the wonderful splendor of nature is a little bit of energy and a pair of decent walking shoes. Take in the scenery and provide yourself a touch of a workout with absolutely zero impact on the world – providing you respect your environment, of course.

You could even make your walk extra eco-friendly by making a degree of collecting any litter you encounter on your way – discovering discarded rubbish includes a bigger environmental impact than you would possibly realize. Take a look at Walking Britain for beautiful trails near you.

 

ALSO READ: Tips to Reduce Your Environmental Footprint

 

Cooking

Depending on your viewpoint, cooking is either a pleasurable pastime or a necessary evil – or lies somewhere vaguely in between. But by turning it into a hobby you’ll have unlimited opportunities for creativity and imagination, still because of the chance to create a culinary mark in an eco-friendly way.

Cooking reception enables you to make better environmental choices by purchasing your own ingredients and directly managing your waste. Plus it’s pretty fulfilling to cater a tasty meal to your loved ones made up of scratch! Try turning everyday food prep into fun challenges by setting yourself themes, like vegan meals, local ingredients only, or zero-waste dinners. LoveFoodHateWaste could be an excellent place to start out for a few gourmet inspirations.

Upcycling

Upcycling is great for people that love a small number of arts and crafts. Breathing new life into old objects is the name of the sport here, from turning an old cupboard into a bright new bathroom cabinet, to giving a tired dress a makeover with some simple sewing tricks. By creating something fresh and new, you’re eliminating the requirement to provide that ‘new’ item from scratch, thus saving energy and resources.

There are upcycling projects out there for each skill level – or create your own. Pinterest may be a goldmine for upcycling inspiration, while UpcycleThat.com is home to plenty of pre-planned projects and guides.

Cycling

You’d be forgiven for thinking that cycling is just some way to induce from A to B, instead of a hobby – and while you wouldn’t be entirely wrong, cycling is such a lot over a mode of transportation. It’s fun and it’s freedom. You don’t need a set destination or scheduled point in time to enjoy Britain’s many scenic cycle paths.

Of course, the more you cycle in your free time, the more you’re likely to include cycling into everyday activities, like commuting or nipping to the shops – and that’s the maximum amount of a win for the earth because it is your health. Sustrans will facilitate the plan of your perfect route.

So next time you’re slumped on the sofa, ask yourself if there’s something else you’d otherwise be doing, and consider pursuing a hobby that’s good for the environment. You’re just about absolute to have a decent time if you’re helping to save lots of the world within the process.

 

 

Everyone includes a role to play in solving the climate crisis. This includes people who enjoy role-playing video games like Rise of Kingdoms and more.

What has been traditionally held in conferences and governance spaces is the formal discourse on the climate crisis. While the increase of digital and artistic platforms has allowed for more creative communications, many sectors remain outside the reach of those dialogues.

Over 2.3 billion people play video games globally. With other functions from communicating themes to developing analytical skills becoming more emphasized in recent games, the influence of this activity on our lives has gone beyond pure entertainment. It also presents an excellent opportunity for education on temperature change and sustainable development.

The growing popularity of video games has also led to shattering traditional perceptions associated with age and gender. Only 22% of all gamers worldwide are aged below 21 years old, while nearly 1/2 of the players are female. Women and therefore the youth are among the foremost vulnerable sectors to global climate change impacts, which justifies the requirement to attach to them climate-related issues and solutions through platforms within their interest.

Sustainability in gaming

Among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), video games represent goals 3 (good health and well-being), 4 (quality education), 13 (climate action), and 15 (life on land) the foremost often. Through raising awareness for related causes, enhancing learning opportunities, and influencing positive behavioral changes, among others, shows the industry’s enormous potential for further popularizing the sustainability agenda.

Many popular video games have prominently included themes associated with the SDGs. Last October, the developers of Minecraft, the best-selling game of all time, created a group of immersive worlds for college kids to explore the climate crisis. On how it affects ecosystems, economies, and communities, called “Climate Futures,” the teachings involve virtual farms and forests for education.

Pokemon, a well-liked gaming franchise with environmental undertones, has further enhanced its efforts to speak climate and environmental issues. In 2019, it introduced a personality, the Pokemon Corsola, that references coral bleaching.

During the week of Earth Day for the past four years through the mobile game Pokemon Go, the Pokemon franchise has also conducted sustainability-related campaigns, except for 2020. To receive in-game rewards, with donations made to nonprofit environmental initiatives, players are encouraged to participate in garbage clean-up drives, commuting, and volunteering.

While their full potential has yet to be realized, video games have started making a major impact on climate and environmental action. Their interactive, immersive nature allows for a wider range of engagements compared to other kinds of media. The video gaming industry must also speed up turning potential into positive real-world impact, with the growing urgency for scaling up global action.

 

ALSO READ: How Our Home Environment Affects Our Health

 

Building a green alliance

In September 2019, game companies launched the Playing for the earth Alliance at the UN Climate Summit. With a reach of over 1 billion gamers, the alliance currently consists of 40 game companies.

Sustainability-related targets and timelines integrating environmental themes in their games and greening their operations are what members of the alliance pledged to. This includes reducing carbon footprints, offsetting their greenhouse emission (GHG) emissions, and adopting circular economy practices in their business models.

For instance, Sony Interactive Entertainment, under the world’s biggest computer game company, pledged to boost the energy efficiency of its PlayStation consoles; this might help avoid 30 million lot of pollution by 2030. Committed to a 35% reduction in its GHG emissions by 2030 and to travel net-zero by 2050 is Bandai Namco, the developers of Pac-Man.

Prior to COP26, Playing for the earth held its annual Green Game Jam. Educated and empowered players for climate and environmental action are leaders from the console, mobile, and PC gaming sectors. To spotlight the themes of forest and marine conservation, this year’s event involved gaming studios adding maps, storylines, and messaging into their games.

Interventions are crucial not only to coach the general public about climate and environmental issues but also to make sure the industry’s sustainability amid recent trends. What would lead to changes to accounting for GHG emissions is the shift from physically packaged games to digital downloading.

Companies also have to address the rapid increase in electronic waste, like mobile phones and computers, considering only 20% of it’s recycled. The increase of virtual and augmented reality also opens more opportunities for creative and effective communication.

As world leaders struggle to succeed in agreements on the climate crisis at COP26 and beyond, new ways must be explored to rescale action. They need to not overlook the potential of the video gaming world.