Blog

Climate Emergency

permaculture_blog

Permaculture Ecologi

Permaculture. The clue is in the name.

What is it that links biodiversity loss, ecological degradation, growing depression and a nagging sense of purposelessness pervading the lives of so many? According to a growing movement connecting the ecological crisis to the underlying values at the heart of society, it is our disconnection from nature, and by extension, ourselves.

artboard-1-copy-9

Artboard 1 copy 9

For the first few hundred thousand years of human life, we understood ourselves as intimately intertwined with nature, roaming the land in search of hospitable terrain and climate, relying on simple technology to take our fair share of its bounty. With the advent of agriculture, we began to insulate ourselves from predators and inclement climate, able to remain in one place permanently thanks to the creation of settlements and preserving crops in storehouses in case of rainy days. 
Whilst this brought increased security, it also planted the seed of a mentality that nature is something separate from us, to be conquered or guarded against, rather than something of which we are a constituent part. Something we are causally connected to, not merely affected by, and affecting ourselves through our actions. Fast forward 10,000 years or so and this mentality has been carried to its logical conclusion. In search of ever more comfortable and pleasure-filled existences, we have transformed our view of nature from one of respect and awe at that which sustains us into seeing it as a mere resource to be exploited at any cost.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in modern agriculture. As production must rise to meet ever increasing global demand, we gradually deplete our soil through intensive practices which focus on short term yields at the expense of long term health. We <a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/blog/industries-and-sectors-driving-deforestation-what-you-need-to-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eviscerate rainforests and replace them with meat and dairy farms</a>, thereby substituting invaluable carbon sinks with a highly resource-intensive industry; or we replace these forests with monocultures (of palm trees for palm oil or soy as animal feed for example) thereby replacing the invaluable biodiversity of the rainforest with what amount to ecological deserts.
When doubts are raised about conventional agricultural practices, the response is that this is the only choice we have in order to be able to feed a global population estimated to be<a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/world-population-prospects-2017.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> 9.8 billion by 2050</a>. But this is a fallacy. Not only will we begin to run out of soil with the capacity to produce nutritional crops as land becomes more scarce and we cannot simply move onto the next field when we have worn out whatever patch we are on. By continuing to treat nature as a resource to be exploited, we will overtip our planetary scales in numerous areas essential to life on earth, from biodiversity loss to greenhouse gas emissions to water depletion. By focusing merely on short term production without looking at the root cause of what has created the emergency we find ourselves in &#8211; namely our positioning ourselves as antithetical to nature &#8211; we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes.

Thankfully, there are ways of protecting our planet’s natural biodiversity whilst supporting the global populace. They simply often go ignored because they are far less profitable for multinational agrochemical corporations (since they rely less on expensive artificial fertilisers and expensive patented seeds for example) and because they advocate a lifestyle which is not endorsed by our current economic and political reality, moving away from rampant consumerism to a slower-paced reconnection with nature. (They are also, admittedly, more complicated and labour-intensive by and large, but this can certainly be viewed as a positive as a means to provide employment for a growing population and reestablishing our connection to nature in the process.)
The umbrella term for this type of agriculture is known as Permaculture. The name denotes an emphasis on sustainable (ie ‘permanent’) methods of cultivating the land. This can take many forms, from agroforestry to rewilding to regenerative agriculture, all united by understanding nature as a self-regenerating system of which we are a part. As a system which has been sustaining itself for 6 billion years in ever-increasing complexity and sophistication, nature already bears within it all of the intelligence needed to propagate its flourishing. Permaculture asserts that we do not need to add to or take anything away from nature, but rather to interact with it based on the principles that it outlines to us if we pay close enough attention.

A particularly interesting example of permaculture is<a href="https://agendagotsch.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Syntropic Agriculture</a>, because it aims to reduce invasive intervention in nature to a minimum. Far from requiring chemical additives to increase soil productivity for example, natural cycles are catalysed in order that soil becomes richer and richer with every passing harvest. As the fastest growing plants grow too tall and begin to deprive the others of sunlight, they are cut down or pruned, their dead leaves and branches acting as biomass which not only enriches the soil but can<a href="https://agendagotsch.com/en/water-can-be-planted-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> pass on genetic information</a> to the other plants which helps them to grow faster in turn.
The soil is not tilled where possible (a key principle of regenerative agriculture more broadly), which would release valuable nutrients (as well as locked in carbon) into the atmosphere. Rather the soil is left alone to become richer and richer as layers upon layers of biomass build up. Additionally, rather than introducing pesticides or farm animals to kill pests, Syntropic Agriculture aims to allow natural cycles to take place and find balance. This may mean letting a field of lettuce be destroyed by slugs for one harvest in order to allow natural predators to emerge by the next cycle who will manage the problem for you, thereby avoiding any unpredictable disruption to the natural biological hierarchies in place.
Protecting the harvest is thought of systemically, through having a diverse crop which is not vulnerable to any one pest. This contrasts with conventional farming which focuses on monocultures &#8211; innately devoid of the diversity which brings resilience &#8211; which must be protected at all costs with chemicals which are toxic not only to pests but humans as well.

artboard-1-copy-12

Artboard 1 copy 12

These more natural techniques (not to be confused as technological simple: often they make use of advanced but ecological-friendly machinery and tools) are often thought of as idealistic throwbacks which are too inefficient to meet glowing global demand. It is true that sustainable farming does often prove slightly less efficient than conventional farming in the short term. Firstly however, this is not always the case. For example, organic crops have been known to do better in drought conditions because<a href="https://you.stonybrook.edu/environment/sustainable-vs-conventional-agriculture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> they retain more water,</a> which is highly relevant considering<a href="https://www.wri.org/blog/2017/08/7-reasons-were-facing-global-water-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> growing global water shortages</a>. 
But much more significantly, the concept of short-term efficiency at the expense of long-term sustainability is fundamentally flawed. A system which depletes water and energy reserves, biodiversity and soil health at a rate faster than the planet can replenish those resources is inherently unsustainable. Only a system which regenerates nature alongside and by means of producing the resources it needs can meet the competing restrictions of global food demand and planetary limitations.
 The real issue is not one of productive capacity, but what we choose to consume. One hectare of beef pasture land can feed one person for a year, whereas<a href="https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/consumption/foods-and-beverages/world-consumption-of-meat/story" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> one hectare of rice cropland can feed 20.</a> Permaculture will therefore tend to focus on crop production as opposed to animal rearing (though there are many examples of meat-farming in permaculture, such as mob grazing, whereby animals are introduced cyclically onto different segments of land to kill pests and provide natural fertiliser) and naturally advocates a predominantly vegetarian diet, the adoption of which by the global populace would allow us to<a href="https://www.downtoearth.org/blogs/2012-05/world-hunger-can-be-solved-vegetarian-diet" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> feed everyone easily.</a> 
There are growing signs that the status quo is changing, with DEFRA announcing the<a href="https://business.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0300b5532c917bd63846a4fa2&amp;id=bcc73a8117&amp;e=a0a03d19f1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Path to Sustainable Farming</a>, a seven year roadmap to bring agriculture in the UK in line with the UK’s target to achieve net-zero by 2050, and will involve ideas such as rewarding farmers for managing their land in such way that promotes carbon storage and improvement of soil health. It has been criticised for a lack of concrete proposals and commitment to genuine sustainability, but it is unquestionably a step in the right direction.
Regardless of the technical arguments however, the main argument for permaculture centres around the values we hold. What kind of world do we want to inhabit: one in which we respect nature and work the land in a manner consistent with and complementary to ancient intelligence? Or one where we push it to the brink of what it can produce in search of increasingly disconnected and cosseted lifestyles? The choice we make will define whether humans flourish or perish over the coming decades.

artboard-1-copy-10

Artboard 1 copy 10

You can find out more about permaculture and ways you can get involved <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk">here</a>. And if agriculture isn’t your bag, there are several other ways to make a difference, from<a href="https://ecologi.com"> planting trees</a> to pushing for<a href="https://extinctionrebellion.uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> political change</a> to<a href="https://www.triodos.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> greening your finances</a>. Because sustainability isn’t just about what we eat; it’s a mindset we all must adopt in every area of our lives.

christmas2021_blog_header_2150x1000_03

Christmas2021_Blog_Header_2150x1000_03

<h2>Can I be an ethical Christmas shopper? </h2>
&#8216;Tis the season to be jolly… and spend hours scouring the internet for the perfect Christmas present. But what does your gift say about you, and what it does to the planet? 
We know how difficult Christmas shopping can be. We also know the importance of buying less for the sake of the environment. A simple click on ‘buy it now’ from Amazon is easy and convenient. But have you stopped to consider the impact your shopping habits have on the environment or whether you’re supporting local businesses? 
&nbsp;
<h2>How to lower your impact on the planet this Christmas</h2>
More often than not, big businesses dominate our search engines at the best of times. Did you know that you didn’t have to look very hard to find Christmas gifts with a positive environmental impact? There are many ethical Christmas gifts available through small local businesses, which can be easily found using websites like <a href="https://www.etsy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Etsy</a>, <a href="https://www.notonthehighstreet.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NotontheHighStreet</a>, <a href="https://www.trouva.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trouva</a>, <a href="https://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Social Enterprise UK</a>. 
Websites like <a href="https://madeinfolkestone.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Made in Folkestone</a> are also a great way to find and support independent brands from your local area. A lot of small businesses sell on Instagram too; hashtags such as #ShopSmall #ShopLocal and #SmallBusinesses will be super helpful during your shopping. 
Many of us have friends who own their own business or work for awesome brands that do great things. It seems obvious, but buy from them or tell all of your friends to share the message! You can also find ethical brands, and get ethical ratings of your favourite brands, on the Good On You ethical fashion App. 
&nbsp;
<h2>Christmas traditions or bad festive shopping habits?</h2>
The festive season is often tied up with consumerism. It doesn’t help that we’re taught that Christmas is about over-indulging and exchanging huge amounts of presents with everyone you know… otherwise you don’t care about them. Fortunately, we’re quickly learning that this isn’t sustainable or necessary. 
&nbsp;
<h2>Think outside the (gift-wrapped) box</h2>
This year, we’re giving presents that not only say how much we love our nearest-and-dearest, but we’re also giving gifts that tell them how much we love the planet!
There are so many alternatives to buying presents: you can give your time, give an experience, or even give preloved items. When you do buy presents, it’s important to consider whether the person will really value it, and to make sure that it will have a positive impact somehow, like whether it’s climate-smart or you’re supporting local businesses. 
For those who want to buy less, and well, but have no idea where to start, we’ve compiled a list of our top 20 eco gift suggestions.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

1. Plastic-Free hair and body products from Ethique

Ethique makes cosmetic products that are 100% free of plastic and palm oil. Even better &#8211; their products are also carbon-neutral AND vegan! We especially love this Festive Trio containing a shampoo bar, conditioner bar, and solid deodorant bar, making this the ideal gift for someone going plastic-free. Oh, and most importantly, the products smell incredible too!
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4326 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119105931/1_Ethical_festive_trio-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119105931/1_Ethical_festive_trio-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119105931/1_Ethical_festive_trio-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119105931/1_Ethical_festive_trio.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://ethique.co.uk/products/the-ethique-festive-trio" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy Ethique’s Festive Trio</a> £12

2. A 3-month baking club subscription with Bakedin

Bakedin baking subscription boxes make the perfect gift for the baking lover. Treat them to a 3-month Baking Club subscription and they’ll receive a unique baking kit each month. Bakedin exists to tackle food waste, they aim for their packaging to be as sustainable as possible, and they support local charities too.
Fancy trying something new or introducing a junior baker? There are Bread Baking and Junior Baking options too. 
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4327 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119105956/2_Baking_club_subscription-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119105956/2_Baking_club_subscription-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119105956/2_Baking_club_subscription-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119105956/2_Baking_club_subscription.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://bakedin.co.uk/products/baking-club-gift-subscription-3-month?variant=39524582555742" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy a Baking Subscription</a> £33

This vegan spices recipe gift box contains five main-meal spice kits with printed recipe cards. The spices are wrapped in recyclable tissue that’s paper-printed with eco-friendly inks.
The Teaspoon Club sources all its spices from Soil Association Organic Certified producers and are working towards their own certification too. With every order placed, they also plant a tree in a country where the spices come from.
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4328 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110019/3_Vegan_gift_box-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110019/3_Vegan_gift_box-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110019/3_Vegan_gift_box-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110019/3_Vegan_gift_box.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://www.wearthlondon.com/vegan-spices" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy a vegan gift box</a> £13

Give the gift of long-lasting climate action. Ecologi Gifting lets you buy your loved ones Christmas Trees that come in forests of 100, 250, or 500 trees. Alternatively, make someone Climate Positive for Christmas and off-set their carbon footprint. All gifts include tree planting and carbon-offsets through our highly certified Gold Standard or Verified Carbon Standard projects.
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4329 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110050/4_Ecologi-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110050/4_Ecologi-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110050/4_Ecologi-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110050/4_Ecologi.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://ecologi.com/gifting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy an Ecologi Tree-Planting gift</a> From £12.40

5. The Shrew with the Flu Book & Seedbom set

The Shrew with the Flu is an endearing story by author Will Hamilton-Davies, created in partnership with illustrator Jennifer Davison. It follows the story of Shrew and his quest to restore the forest he loves. This book comes with a set of Seedboms that contain a native woodland-inspired nectar-rich wildflower mix. This gift, and the environmentally-themed story, make the perfect read-aloud for every family.
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4330 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110115/5_Book_Seedbomb-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110115/5_Book_Seedbomb-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110115/5_Book_Seedbomb-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110115/5_Book_Seedbomb.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://kabloom.co.uk/product/the-shrew-with-the-flu-gift-set/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy the book and Seedbom set</a> £16

Inspire the art-lover in your life with Artfinder. This great brand sells artwork from local artists while aiming to provide a platform where artists can make a living doing what they love. The best bit? Anyone can easily find and buy original artworks – no matter their taste or budget. Every piece is unique, and signed by the artist, carrying its own story.
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4331 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110135/6_Artfinder-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110135/6_Artfinder-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110135/6_Artfinder-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110135/6_Artfinder.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://www.artfinder.com/#/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy awesome Artwork</a> From £20

7. Raw Organic Chocolate Making Kit from Cocoa Love

Naissance Raw Organic Chocolate Making Kits are the perfect gift for chocolate lovers. This kit is vegan, cruelty free and organic. It also comes packaged using sustainable paper and cardboard. 
Go ahead and treat the chocoholic in your life… even if that chocoholic is you. 
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4332 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110201/7_Chocolate_making-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110201/7_Chocolate_making-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110201/7_Chocolate_making-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110201/7_Chocolate_making.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://naissance.com/products/cocoa-love-diy-raw-organic-chocolate-making-kit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy chocolate making kits</a> £22.99

This thoughtful gift not only pays to plant an olive tree in Palestine, which comes with a Zaytoun-stamped certificate of proof. This cracker of a Christmas present comes with a 500ml bottle of Fairtrade organic extra virgin olive oil for your beloved. 
Zaytoun Fairtrade olive oil has been made from hand-picked and rain-fed olives. The gift packaging also comes in an attractive and recyclable cardboard presentation box.
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4333 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110221/8_Zaytoun_Olive_Oil-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110221/8_Zaytoun_Olive_Oil-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110221/8_Zaytoun_Olive_Oil-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110221/8_Zaytoun_Olive_Oil.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://www.traidcraftshop.co.uk/tree-planting-olive-oil-tube-gift" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy Zouytan olive oil</a> £25

9. Tiny Tony’s Chocolonely Christmas Mix Pouch

The ethos behind this dutch chocolate company is to fully eradicate slavery in chocolate production. They also actively train the farmers they work with to implement more environmentally-friendly production methods, such as minimising the use of pesticides, offsetting their emissions, and deforestation within their supply chain is strictly prohibited. 
And who doesn’t love Chocolate for Christmas?
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4334 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110244/9_Tonys_chocolate-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110244/9_Tonys_chocolate-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110244/9_Tonys_chocolate-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110244/9_Tonys_chocolate.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://tonyschocolonely.com/uk/en/our-chocolate/product/tiny-tonys-christmas-mix-pouch-180g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy more chocolate</a> £5.99

10. Gift vouchers for fun experiences together

Tinggly gift boxes for two let you choose the perfect experience from hundreds of fun and exciting new experiences &#8211; and it’s a great gift for your loved ones that are a little more tricky to buy for. 
For every gift experience, Tinggly offsets CO2 carbon emissions by 200%. Plus, all the gift boxes are produced from fully recycled materials and are printed using eco-friendly inks.
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4335 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110317/10_Fun_together-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110317/10_Fun_together-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110317/10_Fun_together-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110317/10_Fun_together.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://www.tinggly.com/collections/fun-together" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy an experience gift</a> £99

Pela phone cases are the world&#8217;s first compostable phone cases, meaning that they gracefully return back to the earth when you&#8217;re done with it. All you have to do is throw it into compost! Pela is also certified Climate Neutral and a member of 1% for the Planet.
What’s not to love about these awesome Christmas gifts?
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4336 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110339/11_Pela_phone_case-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110339/11_Pela_phone_case-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110339/11_Pela_phone_case-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110339/11_Pela_phone_case.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://uk.pelacase.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy a phone case</a> From £27.95

Calm’s on a mission to make the world happier and healthier. The Calm app is perfect for helping you mediate, relax and sleep better. Giving the gift of a Calm subscription is a great way to show love to your friends and family this year, without giving a physical object. 
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4337 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110359/12_Calm_gift-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110359/12_Calm_gift-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110359/12_Calm_gift-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110359/12_Calm_gift.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://www.calm.com/gift" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy a Calm gift subscription</a> £55

Teapsy is a cute, funky, eco-friendly and vegan-oriented tea company that’s reshaping the tea industry into something much more interesting. All their packaging is recyclable or home compostable &#8211; even the teabags, which are made of Soilon &#8211; a type of bioplastic derived from corn starch. This Taste of Magic gift set is fun, tasty and sustainable, with the added joy of their funky packaging.
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4338 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110419/13_Tea-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110419/13_Tea-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110419/13_Tea-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110419/13_Tea.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://teapsy.co.uk/collections/bundles/products/a-taste-of-magic-bundle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy tea gifts</a> £15.99

14. Vegan chocolate gift box from Love Raw

The Love Raw gift box is perfect for your chocolate loving, vegan friends. This vegan chocolate contains no artificial nonsense, no palm oil and no compromise! The favourites pack includes two Vegan Butter Cups, two Vegan M:lk Choc Bars and 3 Cre&amp;m Wafer Bars. 
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4339 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110438/14_Love_Raw-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110438/14_Love_Raw-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110438/14_Love_Raw-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110438/14_Love_Raw.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://eatloveraw.com/collections/vegan-gift-box/products/loveraw-favourites-pack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy even more chocolate</a> £11.99

Around 100 Amur Leopards remain in the wild, and their habitat is under threat from logging, deforestation and industrial development. By adopting an Amur Leopard, you are helping to fund WWF’s work with local organisations to protect Amur Leopard habitats. 
Lucky recipients receive a welcome pack, regular updates and a personalised adoption certificate.
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4340 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110501/15_Adopt_a_leapord-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110501/15_Adopt_a_leapord-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110501/15_Adopt_a_leapord-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110501/15_Adopt_a_leapord.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://support.wwf.org.uk/adopt-a-leopard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adopt a Leopard</a> From £3 a month

This Fairtrade apricot facial soap is ideal for those with sensitive skin as it has gentle cleansing, moisturising and calming properties. It contains Fairtrade apricot, olive and shea butter with added chamomile for an extra calming effect. Fair Squared soap is suitable for vegans, does no animal testing, is free from plastic, palm oil, perfume, parabens, phthalates, triclosan and SLS, and it’s hand-made with Fairtrade ingredients. 
Did we mention that the packaging is plastic-free too!
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4341 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110520/16_Fairsquared_soap-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110520/16_Fairsquared_soap-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110520/16_Fairsquared_soap-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110520/16_Fairsquared_soap.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://www.naturalcollection.com/shop/fair-squared-apricot-facial-soap-with-cotton-soap-bag---sensitive-skin---2-x-80g-by-fair-squared/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy facial soap</a> £11.45

17. Fairtrade Christmas bath bomb by Honeystreet Handmade

Bath bombs make a perfect stocking filler, and this Fairtrade Christmas bath bomb from Honeystreet Handmade is packed with essential oils to rejuvenate and restore your skin.
Give someone the gift of a relaxing bath this Christmas!
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4342 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110538/17_Bath_bomb-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110538/17_Bath_bomb-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110538/17_Bath_bomb-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110538/17_Bath_bomb.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://www.honeystreethandmade.com/shop/22187-christmas-wish-bath-bomb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy a bath bomb</a> £4.50

This rose and sandalwood soy candle from Moksa is handmade in the UK with all natural ingredients. It’s a 100% vegan candle with sustainable soy wax and an eco-waxed hemp wick. 
The best bit is that it smells gorgeous and looks stylish wherever you put it. 
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4343 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110556/18_Soy_candle-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110556/18_Soy_candle-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110556/18_Soy_candle-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110556/18_Soy_candle.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://www.wearthlondon.com/hemp-soy-candle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy a luxury candle</a> £14

The ideal starter kit for anyone wanting to make simple life swaps. Zero waste kits from Battle Green contain organic, handmade &amp; reusable products. It comes complete with an  organic cotton strong shopping bag, an organic cotton produce bag, a bamboo cutlery set in a handmade organic cotton pouch and a bamboo straw! 
Battle Green is also a member of the Surfers Against Sewage 250 club, and makes monthly donations to help the charity clean up beaches and waterways.
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4344 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110617/19_Zero_waste-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110617/19_Zero_waste-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110617/19_Zero_waste-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110617/19_Zero_waste.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://www.wearthlondon.com/small-zero-waste-kit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy a zero waste kit</a> £19.96

Making your own face masks using only all natural, organically sourced, vegan ingredients with moisturising coconut oil, antioxidant rich cacao powder and deeply cleansing bentonite clay, is a great way to show someone you care. This Fruits of the Nut Tree gift is ideal for your friends that you’d like to pamper, comes with easy-to-follow steps, and plastic-free and compostable packaging.
<img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-4345 aligncenter" src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110636/20_Facemask-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110636/20_Facemask-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110636/20_Facemask-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20211119110636/20_Facemask.jpg 605w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<a href="https://www.wearthlondon.com/make-your-own-face-mask-kit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy a make-your-own face mask kit</a> £21

artboard-1-copy-11

Artboard 1 copy 11

<h2>A note on packaging&#8230;</h2>
Christmas is definitely one of the most wonderful times of the year, however it is also one of the most wasteful. In the UK, an<a href="https://www.biffa.co.uk/media-centre/news/new-research-shows-brits-are-dreaming-of-a-green-christmas" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> extra 30% of rubbish</a> is produced and discarded throughout the festive period when compared with the rest of the year. That’s something like a whopping 3 million tonnes, and one of the biggest culprits: Christmas wrapping paper. An estimated <a href="https://www.biffa.co.uk/media-centre/news/new-research-shows-brits-are-dreaming-of-a-green-christmas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">227,000 miles</a> of wrapping paper is thrown away in the UK each Christmas. That means the average household will go through four rolls of wrapping paper, and about 40 million rolls of sticky tape. 
Switching to plain brown paper or newspaper fastened with string or ribbon instead of tape is one way to reduce your waste. You don’t want to go through all the trouble of buying super eco-friendly gifts, just to wrap them in wasteful, non-recyclable paper do you? 
Wrapping presents in lengths of fabric, following the Japanese art of fabric wrapping: furoshiki, is another option that is becoming more and more popular. These lengths of cloth are both beautiful and reusable, and can be passed from person to person. 
If you do use wrapping paper, make sure you do the scrunch test to determine if it can be recycled. Simply scrunch the paper in your hand, and if it keeps its shape, it is recyclable. 
Another option involves unwrapping your presents very carefully and saving the wrapping paper year after year!
Are you sending presents to loved ones? <a href="https://heapsgoodpackaging.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HeapsGood packaging</a> has some brilliant compostable packaging options, including 100% biodegradable Eco Mailers that will break down in 3-6 months!

<h2>A summary of your eco-Christmas </h2>
There are many ways that you can adapt your wrapping habits so that you’re more sustainable. In our eyes, this is more in line with the true spirit of Christmas. There has never been a better time to try something different and step back from the excessive consumerism that so often dominates this time of year.
If you want to do more, and help plant trees and fund climate solutions, <a href="https://ecologi.com/plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sign up</a><a href="https://ecologi.com/plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> to Ecologi today</a>.

blog_whatwasagreedatcop26_header_01

Blog_WhatWasAgreedAtCOP26_Header_01

What was agreed at COP26?

<h3>After several frantic hours of diplomatic negotiations between delegates, the final text (called the ‘cover decision’) of the <a href="https://unfccc.int/documents/310475" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Glasgow Climate Pact</a> was published on the evening of Saturday 13th November 2021.</h3>
In the days preceding this, several previous drafts had been published iteratively and were picked meticulously by industry experts and the media. Working through Friday night and most of Saturday, negotiators moved between huddles of representatives for each country to ensure their preferred wording made its way from the draft texts to the final version.
Pushback from various countries <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59280241" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resulted in softening of language</a> in some places compared to what had been in previous drafts. Just an hour or so before the final text was due to be announced, crucial passages, such as the paragraph concerning the need to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, were still being amended, with last-minute changes being made in order to persuade some reluctant countries to sign the agreement. Although there were noticeable omissions of key phrases found in some of these drafts from the final text, there were also some welcome and surprising inclusions. 
In this post, which is the penultimate post of our COP26 series, we’re taking a look at what was agreed to in the final wording of the Glasgow Climate Pact.

blog_whatwasagreedatcop26_banner_01

Blog_WhatWasAgreedAtCOP26_Banner_01

The paragraph that drew the most attention was one containing the first ever mention of fossil fuels in the text of a COP agreement. It seems extraordinary that fossil fuels had never been mentioned in any previous COP agreement given <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the clear scientific consensus</a> that we need to phase them out as quickly as possible.
An early draft of the cover decision had called upon countries to “accelerate the phasing-out of coal and subsidies for fossil fuels” (emphasis ours). The final version phrased this less strongly, calling instead for parties to accelerate towards “the phasedown of unabated coal power and phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies”. Many doubted that some countries which rely on fossil fuels would agree to sign an agreement that mentioned fossil fuels at all, so the fact that this softer phrasing was agreed to <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/cop26-key-outcomes-agreed-at-the-un-climate-talks-in-glasgow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is a step, however small, in the right direction</a>.

blog_whatwasagreedatcop26_banner_02

Blog_WhatWasAgreedAtCOP26_Banner_02

China’s acceptance of the final text, especially passages about fossil fuels and limiting warming to 1.5°C, may have been influenced by their long and detailed discussions with the USA that had unexpectedly resulted in <a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/blog/what-happened-at-cop26" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a rare joint statement</a> reaffirming their commitments to combating climate change and implementing the Paris Agreement.
The strengthened diplomatic relationship shown in the final days of COP26 came as a surprise to many, especially given <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-59125188" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the strong words of US President Joe Biden</a> condemning Chinese President Xi Jinping’s absence from the conference, which came only days before the two countries issued their joint statement. The joint statement showed their intent, as <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/contributed-most-global-co2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two of the world’s biggest emitters</a>, to put aside their many political differences and use their considerable resources to not only cooperate on climate action but also work to limit warming to 1.5ºC.

blog_whatwasagreedatcop26_banner_03

Blog_WhatWasAgreedAtCOP26_Banner_03

The paragraphs that follow the text about pursuing efforts to limit temperature increase to 1.5°C also include some notable wording. Paragraph 16 of the cover decision explains the change in language in the previous paragraph, describing the recognition by the Parties that the “impacts of climate change will be much lower at the temperature increase of 1.5°C compared to 2°C”. This point was emphasised by some smaller nations throughout COP26, with the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, telling delegates that 2°C of warming will be a death sentence for island nations. 
<iframe title="Speech: Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados at the Opening of the #COP26 World Leaders Summit" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PN6THYZ4ngM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Paragraph 17 states that Parties recognise that “rapid, deep and sustained reductions in global greenhouse emissions” are required to keep 1.5°C in reach. This statement follows the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> (IPCC) which calculated that global carbon dioxide emissions must be reduced “by 45 per cent by 2030 relative to the 2010 level and to net zero around mid-century” in order to keep global average temperature rise below 1.5°C. This inclusion, encouragingly, suggests Parties are now thinking about measurable mitigation measures, rather than just vague targets. Only time will tell whether this change in words is followed by the actions necessary to achieve these reductions. 
The pressure to act with greater ambition and speed was highlighted in the final few days of COP26 by Climate Action Tracker, which published their findings that countries’ current pledges <a href="https://climateactiontracker.org/global/cat-thermometer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">would only limit temperature rise to 2.4°C</a>. While the ratchet mechanism of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) will push countries to take increasingly impactful actions to limit global temperature change, it is clear that more needs to be done in the very short-term to keep 1.5°C within reach, <a href="https://ukcop26.org/cop26-goals/">which was the overarching aim of COP26</a>.

blog_whatwasagreedatcop26_banner_04

Blog_WhatWasAgreedAtCOP26_Banner_04

Completing the ‘Paris Rulebook’ was another of the key goals of COP26. Having signed up to the Paris Agreement in 2015, and following years of discussions on the topic subsequently, countries still had no clear framework for how some of the provisions in that agreement would be achieved when their delegates arrived in Glasgow &#8211; particularly with regard to the <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/in-depth-q-and-a-how-article-6-carbon-markets-could-make-or-break-the-paris-agreement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">operation and rules surrounding international carbon markets</a>. Without universally agreed-upon guidelines, it would have been very difficult to reach targets on reducing carbon emissions globally.
Fortunately, in the final days of the conference, <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/cop26-key-outcomes-agreed-at-the-un-climate-talks-in-glasgow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the ‘Rulebook’ was completed</a>, and we now know how countries will be held to account as they deliver on their commitments. A key part of this negotiation was the infamous Article 6 provision within the Paris Agreement. This is a framework that allows countries to trade carbon credits through the UNFCCC under a “cap-and-trade” system. It allows countries that find it more difficult or expensive to set up projects that reduce global carbon emissions to pay other countries to do these emissions reductions on their behalf. With this mechanism formalised, a number of issues surrounding this process, including the threat of double-counting of emissions reductions and issues surrounding transparency, have now been resolved.

blog_whatwasagreedatcop26_banner_05

Blog_WhatWasAgreedAtCOP26_Banner_05

The final text also makes a subtle reference to the need to reduce emissions of all greenhouse gases &#8211; not just carbon dioxide. In the first few days of COP26, 110 countries signed up to the <a href="https://www.globalmethanepledge.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Global Methane Pledge</a>, committing to reducing methane emissions <a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/blog/what-happened-at-cop26" target="_blank" rel="noopener">by 30% by 2030 compared with 2020 levels</a>. However, there were a few notable omissions from the list of countries making this commitment, including big emitters China, India and Russia. Many would argue that the text in the final agreement does not adequately stress the importance of reducing emissions of all greenhouse gases. Instead, it “Invites Parties to consider further actions to reduce by 2030 non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions, including methane”. Considering the immediate action required to meet this relatively short-term goal, this language is very passive and is unlikely to inspire action from countries already reluctant to address this issue.

blog_whatwasagreedatcop26_banner_06

Blog_WhatWasAgreedAtCOP26_Banner_06

A welcome announcement in the first couple of days of the Glasgow conference was the announcement of a <a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/blog/what-happened-at-cop26" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pledge to halt deforestation by 2030</a>, which now has over 140 signatories. Some are pessimistic that this commitment will be met, however, especially following <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/05/indonesia-says-cop26-zero-deforestation-pledge-it-signed-unfair" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remarks from an Indonesian government official</a> about their country’s intentions to follow through with this pledge. This is also not the first time that countries have pledged to end deforestation &#8211; nor even the first time that 2030 has been set as the target year for doing so.
Protection, conservation and restoration of nature and ecosystems are the focus of the final paragraph of the section on mitigation, but there seems to be a bigger emphasis placed on protecting these ecosystems because of their value as carbon sinks rather than their intrinsic value to life on Earth. The only reference to the importance of maintaining these places for the sake of the life they support, human and otherwise, is <a href="https://unfccc.int/documents/310475" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in a paragraph in the first page of the Pact</a>, which appears to be an attempt to show that leaders have taken on board the impassioned pleas of civil society, especially those of Indigenous peoples whose lives are most directly affected by the destruction of these ecosystems. Whether “Noting the importance of ensuring the integrity of all ecosystems” has any effect on countries’ actions towards the natural world remains to be seen, but this Pact does not commit any of them to protecting the most threatened areas of the planet.

blog_whatwasagreedatcop26_banner_07

Blog_WhatWasAgreedAtCOP26_Banner_07

Over the two weeks of COP26, several days were dominated by discussions surrounding finance owed by richer countries in the Global North to poorer countries in the Global South, and that <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/57975275" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which was promised but is yet to materialise</a>. While the text refers to the “deep regret” about the $100 billion USD promised annually between 2015 and 2020 having not been delivered, further conversations between countries in the Global North and the Global South appear to have encouraged further financial commitments from countries in the Global North. Representatives from countries in the Global South &#8211; which are most affected by the impact of climate change, least responsible for it and least equipped to adapt to it &#8211; explained clearly that, in many cases, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/tuvalu-minister-stands-sea-film-cop26-speech-show-climate-change-2021-11-08/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">they are already suffering the effects of climate change</a>, and that without this additional financial support, their countries would continue to suffer further as temperatures continue to rise.
Despite acknowledging that “climate change has already caused and will increasingly cause loss and damage”, the text falls short of committing to a higher amount of financial support than the $100 billion USD already promised. Instead, it references pledges made during COP26 by some countries in the Global North to meet, and in some cases exceed, existing financial commitments, by saying it “welcomes the increased pledges made by many developed country Parties and the Climate Finance Delivery Plan: Meeting the US$100 Billion Goal”. Inevitably this text will have disappointed the countries that need more financial support and is indeed a disappointing outcome for the world as a whole, which will undoubtedly be poorer for the losses yet to come,<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate2481" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> which providing more money now would help to prevent</a>.

blog_whatwasagreedatcop26_banner_08

Blog_WhatWasAgreedAtCOP26_Banner_08

Following the publishing of the Glasgow Climate Pact, many media outlets published their analysis of the text within it. If you’d like to read more about what the Pact contains, and what it noticeably doesn’t, we’d recommend checking out these comprehensive articles from <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/cop26-key-outcomes-agreed-at-the-un-climate-talks-in-glasgow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Carbon Brief</a> and <a href="https://enb.iisd.org/Glasgow-Climate-Change-Conference-COP26-summary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Earth Negotiations Bulletin</a>.
You can read more on <a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/blog/what-happened-at-cop26" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What happened at COP26</a> here.
<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://ecologi.com/plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://ecologi.com/plan" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">Sign up today to take real climate action with Ecologi</a>.

gamification_blog_header_01

Gamification_Blog_Header_01

Gamification: the key to sustainability engagement?

Gamification uses gaming elements to influence real-world behaviour. This makes gamification both a powerful tool to engage with activists, and the newest weapon in the fight against excessive carbon emissions.
Global concentrations of CO2 are now 50% higher than before the industrial revolution. The result: increasing temperatures, melting glaciers, frequent extreme weather events and climate refugees being forced from their homes. These are sobering consequences and we need a solution that encourages people to take greater positive action.
It’s fair to say that the majority of people living in western society do care about the planet but the reality for them is that climate change is somewhat abstract. When you’re living in the leafy suburbs and your only notion of climate change concerns starving polar bears and diminishing rainforests, visualising how it affects you individually is hard to imagine. You can see why it can be hard to motivate people to change their behaviour. But how can we reach these casual climate activists?

<h2>Changing behaviours</h2>
You need to first accept that an inconvenient combination of factors surrounding climate change makes it hard to motivate people. 
Fortunately, there are proven strategies, accompanied by support and engagement to tackle this problem. Academic research asserts psychological techniques and theories to design campaigns and programmes that increase sustainable behaviour. This includes value-based communication, which is a way of communicating information that’s tailored to the audience&#8217;s specific values. Other techniques range from evoking empathy, to normative modelling; the method of demonstrating something to other people within similar social circles who are already performing the behaviour. 
There are also other techniques based on emerging theoretical models. Gamification is one such technique gaining increased attention in the world of climate change and sustainability.

<h2>What is gamification?</h2>
Gamification is the use of gaming elements within non-gaming contexts to influence real-world behaviour. Gamified programmes take the features of games that keep players&#8217; attention, like points, badges, leaderboards and challenges, and apply them to real-world situations that otherwise might seem mundane or boring to increase engagement. These gaming building blocks are used to engage users, solve problems and drive specific behaviours. 
Gamification is increasingly popular and can be used in lots of different contexts, such as education, health or business settings. Many companies have introduced gamified schemes to increase customer or employee engagement with great success. 
&nbsp;
<h2>The science behind gamification</h2>
Both individuals and businesses often think that acting positively for climate change presents a trade-off between short-term and long-term benefits. Decades of <a href="https://academic.oup.com/qje/article/107/2/573/1838331?login=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">work by psychologists</a> indicates that we tend to overvalue benefits in the short term compared to those of the long term; so-called temporal discounting. Benefits in the future can lose their value or meaning if they are perceived as being too far away. Put simply – people are often unwilling to make changes or sacrifices in the short term because they don’t get an immediate reward.
The result often presents an attitude-behaviour gap. People are concerned about the environment but often fail to consistently integrate this concern into their daily behaviour. This same gap is the reason why a person may often be aware – and willing to do something – about the plastic crisis but then at the same time, without thinking about it, find themselves thirsty and run to the vending machine to grab a bottle of Coke.
This gap between our choices and our values makes it hard to tackle big-picture issues like climate change, which rely on sweeping behaviour change across society. Fortunately, gamification helps enforce those positive behaviours with small and regular rewards.

<h2>How does gamification influence sustainability engagement?</h2>
In recent years, gamification has gained increasing attention from the climate change and sustainability movement after recognising the advantages of engaging people around environmental issues. These advantages include:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Reaching a broader audience – Ambitious carbon reduction goals require high participation rates. Gamification can make subjects attractive to some people who otherwise may not be inclined to care about climate change, motivating a diverse group of users to get involved.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Driving competition – Introducing an element of competition means that people are more likely to enact behavioural change. For example, a US company called Opower is using the element of social competition by equipping homes with sensors enabling residents to compare their household energy consumption with their neighbours, and broadcasting their achievements on Facebook. They now work with over 100 energy companies and are so effective that in 2016, they were able to achieve the equivalent of 2 tera-watt hours of electricity savings. That’s enough energy to power every home in Miami for more than a year.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Demonstrating social norms – Research shows how people are more likely to perform a behaviour if they think that lots of other people are also doing it. Sustainability gamification often features leaderboards, allowing you to see others taking action and subsequently normalising it. In fact, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15534510701755614" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one study</a> found that normative messaging increased the re-use of towels in hotel rooms – the most effective message for driving behavioural change was: 75% of guests who stayed in this room used their towels more than once.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Rewards drive engagement – Being rewarded for certain achievements motivates people to work towards goals and complete them. For example, achieving badges when reaching a certain number of points or carrying out a certain behaviour is a great way to incentivise good deeds. </li>
</ul>
Dedicated scientific journals, particularly those looking at energy savings, state that gamified applications can help users change their behaviour to be more conscious of environmental issues. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629619305183" target="_blank" rel="noopener">One study looking at techniques to promote eco-driving with battery electric vehicles</a> found that the use of game design elements significantly reduced energy consumption compared to normal. Similar findings show encouraging behavioural change for <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/2/712" target="_blank" rel="noopener">water conservation</a> and <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/7/8/11160" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sustainable tourism practice</a>.

<h2>The Ecologi gamification approach</h2>
Ecologi attracts and engages people. And when it comes to taking climate action, we strive to make sustainability fun and easy for our community. Our product uses these successful gaming techniques that engage our audience and achieve as much climate impact as possible! 
Creating a dynamic profile –  Every Ecologi user gets their own dynamic profile. They can watch their virtual forest grow and see the climate impact they are making, giving users the motivation to keep coming back. Users see their impact grow over time and increase their climate action contribution.

gamification_blog_subbanner_01_treesplanted

Gamification_Blog_SubBanner_01_TreesPlanted

A dedicated goals section – This part of your profile lets you set climate lifestyle goals. These include not supporting fast fashion, eating a vegan diet or even line-drying your clothes. By making these visible on your profile, and being able to tick them off when you’ve achieved them, we hope to motivate users to make more climate-friendly choices.

gamification_blog_subbanner_02_goals

Gamification_Blog_SubBanner_02_Goals

Leaderboards – Individual users, businesses and Sparkly Tree referrals all get their own leaderboards. Healthy competition between peers is good. Plus – it motivates people to achieve as much climate action as possible in their quest to beat others. For example, you strive to plant more trees and reach the top of the leaderboard. Just ask the Ecologi team about healthy competition…

gamification_blog_subbanner_03_leaderboard

Gamification_Blog_SubBanner_03_Leaderboard

Planting Sparkly Trees – 18% of our Ecologi account subscribers have been referred by another user. Refer a new subscriber and Ecologi Sparkly Trees appear on your profile as a tile with flashing sparkles. This small gesture is mighty effective and encourages users to get their friends and family to sign up, and ultimately increase a positive climate impact.

gamification_blog_subbanner_04_sparklytrees

Gamification_Blog_SubBanner_04_SparklyTrees

Badges to show off your progress – Earn badges for the amount of time you’re Climate Positive. We award badges for the number of trees funded, the number of sparkly trees you acquire, the tonnes of carbon you offset and for reaching top positions on the leaderboard. These motivate our users to engage in even more positive climate impacting activities to achieve these awards. Who doesn’t love a badge and well-earned recognition?

gamification_blog_subbanner_05_badges

Gamification_Blog_SubBanner_05_Badges

<h2>Gamification normalises and incentivises helping the planet</h2>
We need everyone to care about our cause and take meaningful action. It’s the only way we’ll have a proper impact on the climate crisis. Gamification is just one of the innovative strategies we’re using to get people interested and involved – thanks to the use of gaming elements in non-game contexts to influence real-world behaviour. 
Our goal is to encourage sustainability and offset carbon emissions – but we want to have fun along the way.
<a href="https://ecologi.com/plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up today and join the movement</a>.

<h2>How our partners also used gamification</h2>
Some of our partners have gone even further with gamification and are using real games to engage people and motivate them into action. Otherwise dubbed as serious games, this technique does not require real-world activities to complete. Serious games are intended to inspire behaviour changes through education and provoking thoughts and emotions.

<h3>Alba: A Wildlife Adventure</h3>
Our partners UsTwo had major success with their game, Alba: A Wildlife Adventure. It follows Alba as she visits her grandparents on a Mediterranean island. She is ready for a peaceful holiday but when she sees an animal in danger, she takes action. Players join Alba as she sets up an organisation to help save the island. This game inspires action through play by integrating themes of environmental conservation and sustainability. 
The serious games theory suggests that by taking environmental action in the game, users are more likely to translate this into their own lives. For Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, just playing the game results in climate impact in the real world as well; for every copy of the game that is downloaded or sold, UsTwo plants one tree with Ecologi. They aim to plant 1 million trees in total. <a href="https://ecologi.com/albasforest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out their forest here</a>.

<h3>Terragenesis &#8211; transforming worlds </h3>
Ecologi recently partnered with Tilting Point to plant real trees based on players’ actions in the game TerraGenesis. This is a mobile terraforming simulator that asks players to take barren worlds and transform them into new homes for humanity. 
TerraGenesis now plants trees based on actions that players take in the game, including daily logins, ad views, completion of missions and more. Players can monitor their personal impact as well as that of the TerraGenesis community via an in-game hub. Players also unlock rewards as they reach tree-planting milestones.This is an innovative gamification approach that involves actions that players take within the game to transform virtual worlds. In doing so, their gaming actions actually help to reforest and rewild our very own planet. You can <a href="https://ecologi.com/tiltingpoint" target="_blank" rel="noopener">view the TerraGenesis forest here</a>.

Permaculture. The clue is in the name.

Our relationship with nature

What is Permaculture?

An example:

For the long term ...

More posts

Ecologi’s top 20 Eco Gift ideas for the festive season 2021

What was agreed at COP26?

Gamification: the key to sustainability engagement and behaviour change?

We send good things