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Climate Emergency

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One small step for you, one giant impact for humankind

If you could only do one thing to minimise your environmental footprint, what would it be? There are so many options, and whilst it is good to have choice, we can find ourselves paralysed by the sheer amount of choice. We elect to use glass bottles instead of plastic, before hearing that this generates more emissions in transport; we buy products accredited as containing sustainable palm oil before discovering we have been <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/big-business-has-a-new-scam-the-purpose-paradigm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deceived</a>; we recycle, before finding out that much of this is ending up in<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/recycling-waste-uk-overseas-landfill-pollution-nao-environment-defra-a8458991.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> landfill</a> on the other side of the world.
Whilst it is important to do our research and make the right decisions where we can, wouldn’t it be nice if there was a quick fix out there, where a one-off decision could outsource some of that eco-stress to the people with the time and expertise to see the bigger picture, ensuring maximum impact with minimum effort?
Well, it turns out there are, none more so than:

Since the Paris Climate accord in 2015, banks have invested <a href="https://www.ran.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Banking_on_Climate_Change__2020_vF.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$2.7 trillion</a> in fossil fuel companies (to say nothing of tobacco, arms, gambling and other dubious investments). And unless you are explicitly invested in an environmental scheme, this likely includes<a href="https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/barclays-banks-climate-change-fossil-fuels/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> your money</a>. Conversely, it is estimated that it would cost about<a href="https://ourworldindata.org/how-much-will-it-cost-to-mitigate-climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> $300 billion of investment</a> per year to prevent runaway climate change by the oft-cited cut off point of 2030 (so, about $1.5 trillion in total). At least this makes the solution fairly obvious: reinvest the money currently supporting climate-damaging activities into those that support our planet’s health.
Despite being the driver of so much destructive activity, finance often slips under the rug as a point of focus for those who care about the climate. Because we do not see what our finances are doing on a day to day basis, we do not associate them with the havoc they can cause. But just as factory farms were causing environmental (as well as animal) harm before the public had any idea, so too are your finances. In fact, because of the relative wealth of the average western citizen, the choice you make regarding how your money is put to use is likely the most powerful one you can make in terms of your relative impact as an individual.
A common argument is that green investments are riskier, constituting a new and unpredictable market built around unproven, fledgling companies and technology. But this is not born out on the level of data, or common sense. Traditionally, fossil fuels have been considered a safe investment because the industrial-era economy was based upon them. But this is beginning to change. As the connection between our economy and the broader ecology on which it is dependent becomes more and more stark, investors are waking up to the unsustainability and counterintuitiveness of deleterious investments, and beginning to divert finance in more positive ways. It is estimated for example that the $380 billion California state pension fund lost out on<a href="https://fossilfreeca.org/2019/11/11/study-ca-and-co-pension-funds-lost-billions-on-fossil-fuels/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> $12 billion dollars</a> because of its decision to uphold investments in fossil fuels over the last ten years. And there is growing evidence to suggest that ESG investments generally (those that look at environmental, social and governance  metrics of company performance, as opposed to merely financial) are <a href="http://www.apple.com/uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outperforming conventional investments</a>. 
Another common argument against shifting our finances is that it’s a lot of effort. But whilst the initial cognitive load of researching your options may seem large, the benefit is that, once we’ve made the switch, our finances do the work for us. For most of us, our interaction with our finances constitutes little more than an occasional balance check, so in terms of our day-to-day, investing our money for good requires very little from us. Moreover, with the migration to online (as opposed to high street) financial services, the process takes less time than ever before. No action for the climate comes without effort, but they don’t come much easier than this, especially considering how far that one action can go. 
Of course, the subject is vast and there is no substitute for doing your own research. Whilst this article makes no claim to offering any financial advice, here are a few places to get you started:

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The last year has seen a range of banks announcing new climate change related products, from Natwest offering the UK’s first <a href="https://personal.natwest.com/personal/mortgages/mortgage-types-and-rates/green-mortgages.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Green Mortgage’ </a>to the recently licensed <a href="https://www.forestcarbon.co.uk/our-partners/oxbury-bank" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oxbury Bank</a> offering the first ‘carbon offset savings account’. But the bank which has always had the climate and ethics at its heart is <a href="https://www.triodos.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Triodos</a>, an ethical bank which uses the UN’s sustainable development goals as a yardstick for which companies it invests in. Rather than just avoiding harmful investments (eg tobacco, arms) they actively invest in communities, renewable energy schemes, sustainable food production and social enterprises generally. Their Energy Transition fund alone removed 60,000 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere and powered 30,000 homes with renewable energy.
If none of those feel right, you can find other options <a href="https://www.curiouslyconscious.com/2020/02/best-ethical-banks-current-accounts-uk.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here.</a>

For many of us, our pensions are the largest investments we have. In the UK alone, pensions account for <a href="https://makemymoneymatter.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">£3 trillion</a>. But most of us are enrolled by our employers into a default fund, tending to invest in FTSE 100 companies without considering their carbon footprint. According to Good with Money’s Good Guide to Pensions, “nine times out of ten, pension savings are going into tobacco firms, oil and gas majors, mining, big pharma and big banks: social, climate and environmental breakdown, in other words.” This makes it essential that we take control of our pensions and redivert our investments to combat climate change. The easiest option is <a href="https://www.pensionbee.com/fossil-fuel-free-pension" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pension Bee</a>, who have a range of environmentally friendly pension funds and provide an automated service which allows you to pool all of your previous pensions under one green plan. One option is their Future World Fund seeks to engage with fossil fuel companies and pressure them into divestment, whilst another is their Fossil Fuel Free fund automatically screens such companies from the outset. <a href="https://www.aviva.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aviva</a> has also set a target of 2050 for its own auto-enrollment pensions to be carbon neutral. Whichever feels right to you, It really can take just a matter of minutes to make an impact that could last for generations. (To understand more about how our pensions are invested and what options you have, take a look at <a href="https://makemymoneymatter.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Make My Money Matter</a>).

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Whilst these low-effort, high impact solutions are addressed to individuals, they apply equally for businesses. Any climate-conscious business should seek to ensure their pension schemes are not harming the planet as indicated above. But simply by virtue of their size, finance isn’t the only easy win with significant consequences. Switching to renewable energy companies such as <a href="https://www.ecotricity.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ecotricity</a> can make a massive difference too. Similarly, businesses produce a huge amount of waste, so you might consider using sustainable waste management services such as <a href="https://thefirstmile.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">First Mile</a>, who recycle all possible waste and convert the remainder to be used for tarmac.

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Whether as individuals or businesses, every decision we make has an important part to play in the fight against climate change, from what we eat to how we shop and travel. But through our investments we can support all of these areas, from green infrastructure, to investment in the natural world and renewable energy. Through your finances you are not only the consumer but the investor, creating pressure from both sides. So take ten minutes out of your day today and see how your finances could start doing some of the heavy lifting for you. To learn more about how businesses can help, visit our <a href="https://ecologi.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">carbon offsetting for business</a> page.

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Dismantling the barriers to net-zero

<h2>How Ecologi Zero removes the main obstacles to carbon reduction for SMEs</h2>
SMEs <a href="https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/J0026_Net-Zero-Infographic-v6-title.pdf">contribute half of all business-driven carbon emissions</a> in the UK. So, with a <a href="https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/wmo-update-5050-chance-of-global-temperature-temporarily-reaching-15%C2%B0c-threshold">50:50 chance</a> of breaking through the 1.5°C warming threshold in the next five years, clearly there’s a pressing need for smaller businesses to act now to reduce their carbon footprint. But is it happening?
The SBTi (Science Based Targets Initiative), creators of the Net-Zero Standard, reported that just <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/reports/sbti-progress-report-2021">177 SMEs</a> submitted net-zero targets during 2021. To put that in context, there are <a href="https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN06152/SN06152.pdf">5.6 million SMEs</a> in the UK. So for those without a calculator to hand, that’s 0.003% making the commitment to net-zero.
Just <a href="https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/J0026_Net_Zero_Report_AW.pdf">6% of UK SMEs</a> have even measured their carbon footprint in the last five years, and of those only half set targets to reduce their emissions.
It’s not that SMEs are oblivious. <a href="https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/J0026_Net_Zero_Report_AW.pdf">Almost half</a> of smaller businesses place carbon reduction as a high priority. So what’s going wrong?

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Clearly something is getting in the way of turning need into action. A survey conducted last year by the <a href="https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/J0026_Net_Zero_Report_AW.pdf">British Business Bank</a> found that the largest barriers to measuring and reducing carbon for SMEs were cost (35%), feasibility/ lack of appropriate technology (32%) and lack of information (12%).
A smaller poll run by Ecologi found that over 37% of respondents just needed to know the first steps they should take on the journey to net-zero.

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We’re hoping we can make things easier with Ecologi Zero, our new carbon accounting tool. It’s designed to help SMEs calculate their carbon footprint in near real-time and get accurate insights about their emissions.
But when Ecologi CEO, Elliot Coad, returned from COP26, he came back with mixed feelings about our progress in tackling climate change and a heightened understanding of the desperation of those with the scientific data. So we looked again at the soon-to-be-launched Ecologi Zero and made some further tweaks to make double sure that it removed the main barriers to help more SMEs take the necessary action:
Cost
It’s free for all UK SMEs to get started with Ecologi Zero. We’re incredibly proud to be able to remove this key barrier for businesses in understanding their footprint, as existing solutions can cost upwards of thousands of pounds per year.
Feasibility/ lack of technology 
We’ve made Ecologi Zero as frictionless as possible. SMEs can seamlessly and securely connect Ecologi Zero with their accounting software (apart from businesses manufacturing or selling physical products, where a Life Cycle Analysis is more suitable). Xero will be supported at launch, with more software compatibility being added over the coming months. No specialist staff need to be hired, anyone with access to bookkeeping and supplier information can easily pick it up and run with it.
Lack of information
This is something we’re more than happy to help with. To coincide with the launch of Ecologi Zero, we’ll be running free online workshops to help guide SMEs on their net-zero journey. You’ll learn how to take the first steps toward net-zero with our in-house experts, get answers to your burning questions, and arm yourself with all the knowledge needed to get going ahead of the Ecologi Zero launch. Details on how to register are coming soon, stay tuned!

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The slow uptake of net-zero among smaller businesses is alarming, but understandable given the barriers that exist. Developing Ecologi Zero is our way of dismantling those barriers and making the low-carbon journey as smooth as possible for SMEs. You can find out more and join the waitlist for Ecologi Zero <a href="https://ecologi.com/business/zero">here</a>.

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Celebrating World Environment Day 

Today is World Environment Day! Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), this is the single biggest international day for the environment on the calendar, and one of the most impactful global platforms for climate progress. 
World Environment Day has been running since 1974 and takes place on 5 June every year. Millions of people from all over the world get involved, with governments, businesses, schools, celebrities, cities and communities from over 150 countries all coming together to raise awareness, promote environmental action and protect our planet. It truly is a day to celebrate.

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World Environment Day is hosted by a different country each year, and this year it’s the turn of Sweden.
Sweden is a fitting host, as 2022 marks 50 years since the 1972 Stockholm Conference. This historic conference is widely recognised as the first international meeting on the environment, and it led to many of the key environmental agencies, agreements and events we know today, including World Environment Day itself. It also paved the way for the Sustainable Development Goals by linking the challenges of poverty alleviation and environmental protection together for the first time.

To mark this milestone, the <a href="https://www.stockholm50.global/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stockholm+50</a> meeting was also held in Sweden from 2 to 3 June. This high-level international event commemorated the 1972 Stockholm Conference under the theme of “Stockholm+50: a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity”. 
The meeting followed months of consultations and saw world leaders and representatives from government, business, international organisations, civil society and youth come together for a diverse <a href="https://www.stockholm50.global/events/programme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">programme</a> of talks and events. The agenda covered a variety of topics including green finance, food systems, waste management and the Covid-19 recovery, all with the aim of accelerating the implementation of the UN Decade of Action and Sustainable Development Goals.

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World Environment Day 2022 is backed by the #OnlyOneEarth campaign, which calls for ”collective, transformative action on a global scale to celebrate, protect and restore our planet”. The campaign invites businesses, individuals and governments to create their own Earth Action Number — a specific goal or action and a way to accomplish it — then share it across social media and on an <a href="https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/get-involved/earth-action-numbers-impact">interactive global map</a>. The campaign is a fantastic way to see collective action taking place all around the world in real time, and it’s a great source of inspiration too!

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We know that it’s easy to become overwhelmed when thinking about climate change and environmental issues, but taking your first steps is easier than you might think. Why not celebrate World Environment Day by making a few small changes in your life to get you started on your own climate journey? Here’s ten quick actions you can take to make a positive impact on the environment: 
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Switch to a green bank account —  Ethical banks, such as <a href="https://www.triodos.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Triodos</a>, won’t invest in environmentally-damaging companies, so you can be sure your money isn’t fuelling climate change. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Make sure your pension is invested ethically — Many pension companies such as <a href="https://www.nestpensions.org.uk/schemeweb/nest/investing-your-pension/fund-choices/ethical-fund.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nest</a> let you change the settings online in just a few clicks. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Stop feeding fast fashion — Around <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/full-report.html#heading-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">300,000 tonnes</a> of used clothes are binned each year, so ditch seasonal cycles, invest in clothing you intend to keep and buy pre-loved.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Contact your local MP — MPs need votes, so if you and your neighbours <a href="http://assets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/how_to_write_to_your_mp.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">speak up</a> about sustainability issues, they’ll listen. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Arm yourself with knowledge — Knowledge is power and a good book, article or blog broadens the horizons and guides better decisions.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Start small — Ripples make waves, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/29/50-ways-to-green-up-your-life-save-the-planet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">little hacks</a> like reusing coffee cups really do add up. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Make your home more efficient — Sealing leaky gaps around doors and windows, adding a smart meter and switching to LED bulbs is good for the planet, and good for your pocket too. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Eat less meat — Cutting out, or even just reducing meat from your diet makes a huge dent in your carbon footprint.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Gift green — Buying local, making your own gifts and choosing presents with less packaging are just a few simple ideas.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Subscribe to Ecologi — Starting a <a href="https://ecologi.com/plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">monthly subscription</a> with Ecologi is an easy way to offset your carbon emissions by funding tree planting projects around the world. </li>
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If you’re hungry for more, the World Environment Day website also has an in-depth practical guide to living sustainably and in harmony with nature. It was developed specifically for the event and it’s full of useful advice for both individuals and larger entities such as governments, financial institutions and businesses. You can find it <a href="https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/get-involved/practical-guide" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. 
World Environment Day 2022 is being celebrated by millions of people across the world, both online and through in-person events. You can keep up with everything that’s going by checking out the <a href="https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/">official website</a> and the #OnlyOneEarth and #WorldEnvironmentDay hashtags.

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What could the future of environmental learning look like?

Everyone has the right to learn about the environment, to understand how they can think and live more sustainably for a healthy, prosperous future.
However, currently the environmental education system is significantly limited because it’s not inclusive or accessible to all, and there are unspoken truths of climate hypocrisy. Ultimately, this can restrict who, and how many of us, are engaged in the environment, and it could delay our ability to reach net-zero.  
It is important to note that environmental learning does not just apply to educational institutions or curriculums. Whether you are a sustainable business or environmental charity providing resources, a student actively studying these subjects, or a communicator sharing different environmental experiences through the power of storytelling, we can all play a part in taking action to make environmental learning more effective. 
So, in this post, through using the key example of field trips, we will be discussing both the current challenges embedded in the education system as well as the possible opportunities to reimagine the future of environmental learning.

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Firstly, the way in which we learn about the environment may not be as sustainable as you may expect. 
Across the education sector, field trips act as the cornerstone of many environmental subjects, such as Geography. The carbon emissions associated with these field trips have rarely been managed and have the potential to play a considerable role within the wider carbon footprints of educational institutions. One study found that, in higher education, one of the largest sources of travel emissions came from student fieldtrips (Hoolohan et al. 2021), with other significant sources from wider research and staff conference travel. A general trend has also shown that the number of exotic field trips abroad have increased as they can be seen as a competitive advantage or recruitment tool to attract more students to a course (LSE, 2019); indicating that this challenge may worsen, despite the fact that more and more Universities are declaring ‘climate emergencies’. 
However, since fieldtrips globally were cancelled or postponed over the recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has given rise to research opportunities to assess the role and application of digital learning. Specially, Earth Minutes partnered with Durham University to trial a Digital Fieldtrip Experience (DFE), <a href="https://www.earthminutes.co.uk/projectrenu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Project RENU’</a>, which can be defined as a web platform using a mixed-media approach (i.e. cinematography, 360-video and article resources) to explore an immersive digital environment. In summary, this project found that although DFEs should never be used to replace all fieldtrips, when they are provided as an optional opportunity or alongside local-based trips, they can provide enhanced experiences that you cannot get in-person and there are significant carbon footprint reductions.  
Within the same study (<a href="https://www.earthminutes.co.uk/projectrenureport" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Project RENU Report, 2022</a>), a collaborative survey with Students Organising for Sustainability (2022) found that out of the 7,761 UK students who took part, only 24% said they take into account the environmental impact of fieldtrips when deciding whether to participate. Crucially, this highlights the lack of conversation behind how, and why, we should learn about the environment in a fundamentally sustainable way. Without engaging people in this, there is the risk of having the indirect social impact of normalising negative environmental behaviours, such as normalising flying as a form of transport (Flight Free UK, 2019). So, redesigning the way in which we learn about the environment could ensure that we encourage more sustainable lifestyles in the long term, alongside driving climate action through carbon footprint reductions.

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Another challenge to address is the physical and financial accessibility of environmental learning, as well as its overall inclusivity. 
Over the last few years, studies have continued to expose how the common activities associated with environmentally-focussed subjects, from fieldtrips, fieldwork and forest school activities, do not accommodate those with physical disabilities (Stainfield et al., 2010; Çaliskan, 2011). Whilst globally, there are 1 billion people living with some form of disability making up 15% of the global population (The World Bank, 2021), so this inevitably prevents a significant proportion of society from participating in environmental learning. Moreover, people can also be excluded by the cost of these activities, such as the costs of equipment and travel (Stokes et al., 2012), which has unfortunately led to it being widely recognised that the subject of Geography tends to attract fewer young people from financially disadvantaged backgrounds (Dorling, 2020). 
Importantly, alongside the need to make environmental learning more accessible, we need to make it inclusive regardless of race or gender. A study by Black Geographers (2021) found that in 2018 only 1.7% of all enrolling Undergraduate Geography students in the UK identified as Black, and specifically across Oxbridge less than 3 Black students were admitted to study geography. This will inevitably have a detrimental societal and environmental impact because through restricting the accessibility and inclusivity of environmental learning, it will go on to decrease the overall diversity and overall participation in the sustainably sector as a whole. 
Fundamentally, we cannot make effective environmental decisions or drive impacting environmental change without a diverse range of people, bringing a board range of ideas and experiences. So, environmental learning must be re-designed with those marginalised at the forefront because environmental learning should be available to all.

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Lastly, the environment relates to anybody and everybody. As humans, we must sustain the planet to sustain ourselves. 
However, particularly within the education sector, the subject of the environment is often incidentally labelled as more of an ‘interest’. It could be argued that this is down to the way environmental topics have historically been restricted to Geography- and Science -based subjects only. This results in an element of exclusivity, causing people to feel that environmental topics may not be as relevant to them. This could go on to impact the way people interact or perceive the environment throughout the rest of their lives. 
This has been reinforced by a recent survey by Teach the Future (2022), who asked 4,690 secondary teachers across the UK about how climate change has been embedded within different subjects. As a result, only 7% of teachers found that this was happening within Maths, 17% for English, 19% for Art &amp; D&amp;T, 27% for languages, 28% for History and 45% for Religious Studies. With this, to fully embed climate change within the curriculum, we need all teachers to be trained to talk about the climate crisis in a way that&#8217;s relevant to their subject and their students&#8217; lives (Teach the Future, 2021). For example, through indirectly promoting and encouraging positive environmental behaviours and awareness, such as using climate change extracts in English. 
Ultimately, for environmental learning to have the greatest impact, we must make sure that environmental education exceeds the boundaries of Geography and Science because everyone has the right to be provided with the sufficient tools to live and think more sustainably.

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To make environmental learning more effective, field trips are definitely not the sole challenge or solution, but they can be an important place to start. Beyond field trips, whether you are an individual, school or university, business or charity, we can all take steps to drive the future of environmental learning: 
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Be a part of the discussion and learn more – here are a few helpful resources: 
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
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<li>Teach The Future <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_teachthefuture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(@teachthefuture)</a> &#8211; ‘Teaching The Future’ (2022): <a href="https://www.teachthefuture.uk/research" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a></li>
<li>SOS-UK <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sosuk_charity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(@sosuk_charity)</a> &#8211; ‘Sustainability Skills Survey’ (2022): <a href="https://www.sos-uk.org/research/sustainability-skills-survey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a></li>
<li>Black Geographers, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/blackgeographers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(@blackgeographers)</a> &#8211; ‘Participation of Black Students in Geography’ (2021): <a href="https://www.blackgeographers.com/pages/black-students-in-geography" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a></li>
<li>Wild Ability <a href="https://www.instagram.com/wildability_/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(@wildability_)</a></li>
<li>Earth Minutes <a href="https://www.instagram.com/earthminutesuk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(@earthminutesuk)</a> &#8211; ‘Project RENU: Field trips For Future’ (2022): <a href="https://www.earthminutes.co.uk/projectrenureport" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Volunteer or start a campaign – join <a href="https://www.sos-uk.org/act" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SOS-UK</a> and <a href="https://www.teachthefuture.uk/an/volunteer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Teach The Future</a>!</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Design more sustainable and inclusive learning tools, like Digital Field trip Experiences, with Earth Minutes. Get in touch to find out more: <a href="mailto:contact@earthminutes.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contact@earthminutes.co.uk</a></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Take control of the carbon footprint behind your environmental research, lesson or field trip. 
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<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Sustainable Travel &#8211; Search for the most sustainable route via RouteZero: <a href="https://routezero.world/#/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Digital Sustainability &#8211; Learn about digital carbon emissions and sustainable web design; <a href="https://sustainablewebdesign.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here.</a> Estimate the carbon footprint of your webpage: <a href="https://www.websitecarbon.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Carbon Offsetting &#8211; Minimise your carbon emissions from source and offset where carbon emissions cannot be avoided: <a href="https://ecologi.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ecologi</a>, of course!</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li aria-level="1">Let’s engage more people in the environment, to push beyond the boundaries of Geography &amp; Science!
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<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Take a Climate Course with AimHi: <a href="https://www.aimhi.earth/climate-course" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Need learning resources? Go to the Earth Minutes YouTube channel: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEBXns1TSLWmHTGujl5VRoQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
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Black Geographers (2020). Participation of Black Students in Geography. Found at: <a href="https://www.blackgeographers.com/pages/black-students-in-geography" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.blackgeographers.com/pages/black-students-in-geography</a>
Çaliskan, O. (2011) Virtual field trips in education of earth and environmental sciences. Procedia – Social and Behavioural Sciences, 15, 3239-3243.
Dorling, D. (2020) Geography and the Shifting Ratios of Inequality – University, A levels and GCSEs in 2020. Found at: https://www.dannydorling.org/?p=7945
Earth Minutes (2022) Project RENU – Fieldtrips For Future. Edited by Askew, E. Available online at: <a href="http://www.earthminutes.co.uk/projectrenureport" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.earthminutes.co.uk/projectrenureport</a>
Flight Free UK (2019) “I refused to fly for my university field trip&#8221;: MSc student Abi Whitefield refused to go on her University field trip, despite it being a compulsory part of her course. Found at: <a href="https://flightfree.co.uk/post/i-refused-to-fly-for-my-university-field-trip/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://flightfree.co.uk/post/i-refused-to-fly-for-my-university-field-trip/</a>
Hoolohan, C., C. McLachlan, C. Jones, A. Larkin, C. Birch, S. Mander, and J. Broderick. 2021. Responding to the climate emergency: How are UK universities establishing sustainable workplace routines for flying and food? Climate Policy 21 (7):853–67. doi: 10.1080/14693062.2021.1881426.
LSE (2019) Rethinking Field trips. Found at: <a href="https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/highereducation/2019/09/16/rethinking-field-trips/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/highereducation/2019/09/16/rethinking-field-trips/</a>
Stainfield, J. et al. (2010) International Virtual Field Trips: a new direction? Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 21 (2), 255-262.
Stokes A. et al. (2012). Enabling remote access to fieldwork: Gaining insight into the pedagogic effectiveness of ‘direct’ and ‘remote’ field activities. Journal of Geography in Higher Education. 36 (2). 197–222.
Teach the Future (2022) Teaching the Future: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DYNmcsQ5cM9iKdcjNL4riRGaK75Za2Ac/view" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DYNmcsQ5cM9iKdcjNL4riRGaK75Za2Ac/view</a>
Teach the Future (2021) Teaching the Future. Found at: <a href="https://www.teachthefuture.uk/teacher-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.teachthefuture.uk/teacher-research</a>
The World Bank (2021). Disability Inclusion. Found at: <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/disability#1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/disability#1 </a>

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