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Climate Emergency

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The Future Forest Company: Innovative solutions to tackle the climate crisis

Up in Dalry, Scotland, lies 430 acres of land that before May 2020 were covered top to toe with degraded soil. But over the past five months, we’ve worked with <a href="https://thefutureforestcompany.com/">The Future Forest Company</a> (FFC) to bring the land back to life. We sat down with Jim Mann, co-founder of FFC to learn about the variety of natural climate solutions they’re utilising at the site, along with how the forest is getting on.
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You can also catch more of the interview on our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/Ecologi_hq/featured">Youtube channel</a>.

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First things first, let’s introduce you to The Future Forest Company. In 2019, Jim and his co-founder Jade Read started FFC so they could fully dedicate their time to the ultimate goal of reversing climate change through mass reforestation. What makes FFC so unique is that alongside their reforestation, they create and run a forest-friendly sustainable business that balances both purpose and profit. You can learn more about their mission and business <a href="https://thefutureforestcompany.com/what-we-do/">here on their website. </a>
But to us, FFC are our beloved tree planting partners in the UK and are responsible for the trees we have <a href="https://ecologi.com/projects/reforesting-dalry-scotland">planted up in Scotland</a>. They were founded with the aim of tackling climate change through reforestation projects and other means of maximising the amount of carbon dioxide taken out from the atmosphere. They buy degraded land and plant it up with forests using a native species mix, and then do all they can to protect the land so that the forests can survive for hundreds to thousands of years.

When we sat down with Jim we were keen to hear an explanation of the history of the land we’re reforesting together. “Our site in Scotland was formerly an upland pasture farm. The sheep and cows on this farm over-grazed the land, leaving it with poor soil quality and a significant lack of biodiversity.”  The team has been busy planting your trees to change this land for the better. As these trees grow they help to improve the soil biology. Through leaves dropping on the ground over time, fertility is added back into the soil and other life starts to move back in, first bacteria, then insects and then further up the food chain. According to Jim, the site is now overrun with voles that have brought birds of prey back to the area. “You now see hen harriers, an endangered species, regularly on site, when before the sighting of a bird of prey was rare. This is yet another sign that the land is already starting to recover”. 
Another way that FFC are improving the biodiversity of our forest is the wild grazing of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CA2W_vgHY3Z/">woolly pigs.</a> This is not only extremely cute but they also encourage rapid recovery of the local biodiversity. Having livestock such as pigs living and grazing on the same land where trees are planted is a technique called <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/agroforestry">agroforestry</a>. These pigs churn up the soil, which allows the seed bank to come up to the surface, improving the species diversity of the forests. One problem that can be common in forests in the UK is that bracken can take over the area. This forms a thick mat of dead bracken, which suffocates the other plants. Over a number of years, bracken can completely take over the area, leading to a poor mix of species. That’s where the pigs come in. They trample and clear the bracken, giving space for new life to push through it. The manure that the pigs produce also helps to add nutrition to the soils, working as a natural fertiliser for the trees.

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Innovative solutions to tackle climate change

One of the really interesting things that we found out whilst talking to Jim was that the team are also investigating other methods of capturing carbon dioxide, to use alongside planting forests. For example, they have been experimenting with <a href="https://biochar.co.uk/">biochar</a> which is another way of storing carbon. Biochar is a charcoal-like product that is produced from taking biomass and burning it in the absence of oxygen (a process called <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/pyrolysis">pyrolysis</a>). This biomass can be any carbon product, including forest waste, straw or even cardboard or paper. Typically, the organic matter used is agricultural residue, forestry waste and animal manure. The biochar that is produced has an enormous amount of carbon locked up inside of it – it is between 75-90% pure carbon. After being produced, the biochar is crushed up and spread amongst the forest floor, distributing the captured carbon. This is where the magic comes in, normally biomass would rot down, which would then release CO2 and methane into the atmosphere. But through the process of creating biochar, the gases are stored within the soil. <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/refilling_the_carbon_sink_biochars_potential_and_pitfalls">Research</a> suggests that this carbon can remain stored in the soil for many centuries. 
What’s more, the application of biochar can help the soils to recover even if it’s extremely degraded. This means that once a sapling is planted and the biochar is spread the sapling will have an extra boost, helping it to grow big and strong.
Another interesting fact about biochar is that it acts as a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/soil-amendment">soil amendment</a>, creating a platform for bacteria to colonise and thrive. This helps with the process of attracting new life to the area and improving biodiversity. Biochar also improves the drainage of soils and helps with water retention in times of drought. So, biochar application has the potential to take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and provide benefits to the soil &#8211; this is a win-win situation for the land, the trees and the local life!
Research within scientific literature suggests that biochar application has the potential to remove up to <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aabf9f/pdf">11.9 GTCO2</a> from the atmosphere each year if it becomes a widely adopted practice. The Future Forest Company are in the process of appointing a Biochar Project Manager who will be managing the set-up of their Biochar Project on the Glanaros Estate on Mull.

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Another technique for drawing in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere that the team is experimenting with is <a href="https://earth.org/enhanced-weathering-for-carbon-capture/#:~:text=Enhanced%20weathering%20is%20a%20carbon,are%20weighed%20against%20the%20benefits.">enhanced weathering</a>. Now this is not to be mistaken with your everyday ‘weathering’ which is the process whereby rocks are broken down physically into smaller rocks, then sand, mud and clay. Due to a large amount of  carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, our rain is acidic. This acidic rain reacts with the rocks and soils it lands on, gradually breaking them down into minute grains and forming bicarbonate. This is then transported to the ocean by rivers and eventually forms carbonate rocks with the carbon locked up inside of them. Natural rock weathering is one of the most important ways that carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere are kept stable over geological time.
Enhanced weathering involves increasing the scale and the rate of natural weathering in order to take in more CO2. This involves grinding up large amounts of rocks and spreading them over regions where <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/weathering/">chemical weathering</a> occurs naturally. These rocks will react with rainwater and absorb the carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, permanently locking it away. <a href="https://ecosystemsunited.com/2017/01/21/geoengineering-explained-the-benefits-and-challenges-of-enhanced-weathering/">Research</a> suggests that applying this rock to the soils can also improve soil health, boosting nutrient levels and helping to restore degraded agricultural soils.  
This process of enhanced weathering is less advanced than the use of biochar in reforestation. Although the science is relatively well established, how it works in the field is less well understood. However, it is well acknowledged that this technique has a <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/environment-and-conservation/2021/12/could-crushed-rocks-absorb-enough-carbon-to-curb-global-warming">huge potential for carbon capture and storage</a>. Carbon dioxide taken in is stored permanently, and studies have shown that there are 430 billion tonnes worth of carbon removal under the UK. Of course, not all of this is extractable (we can’t start digging up mountains), but it represents a big potential for mitigating climate change. One point of contention with enhanced weathering is that it requires a huge amount of energy for extracting, grinding up and transporting the rock. If this technique became more widely established, it would be really important to try and ensure this energy comes from renewable sources.

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There's lots of exciting possibilities ahead

From this conversation with Jim we’ve now found a greater appreciation for their work and renewed knowledge of the diverse ways in which we can utilise to store carbon. What’s more, is that these natural solutions not only work wonderfully by themselves but when paired with reforestation they can multiply the environmental benefits. In the interview, Jim highlighted that he and his team place a big emphasis on getting things done quickly, as we need to draw carbon dioxide out of the air as fast as possible to stop the climate crisis. 
We want to thank Jim for his time, and to thank the entire team at The Future Forests Company for their tireless innovative work. And thank you to everyone from our community who has supported our UK forests!

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<a href="https://ecologi.com/plan">Sign up</a> to Ecologi today to support our climate projects!

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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: 
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<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: 
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<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Be a part of the discussion and learn more – here are a few helpful resources: 
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<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>
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<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!
<ul>
<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>
</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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