“You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.”
-Winston Churchill
Nothing gets done by one person alone. Change, more often than not is a cumulative of small actions that ripple around the world and turning into a huge wave.
Every year, April 15th is observed as International Microvolunteering Day! What’s micro-volunteering, you may ask? Well, as the name suggests, microvolunteering is a concept to promote a bite-sized action of an individual towards a better planet.
Dig into the latest edition of Nature Nuggets as we explore the world of volunteering for nature, for our planet. After all, time is one of the greatest commodities and someone wisely said ‘Every moment counts’.
The term Microvolunteering grew in its stature globally in the year 2008, for organizations and individuals who wanted to put spare a few moments from their leisure time to more impactful use.
Imagine it like this, if you had 10 minutes to spare what would you do? Browsing through social media, chatting with a friend or have a cup of coffee?
How about you decide to do something good and volunteer! How will you volunteer for 10 minutes you may ask?
Simple, step out of your home and pick up litter on the road in those 10 minutes! Or maybe leave water in a bowl for stray animals and birds during peak summertime or just segregate waste at home.
You can choose to micro-volunteer at home, at work or even at school. Be a part of the global movement to do something positive for nature in 10 minutes.
Common Name: House sparrow
Scientific Name: Passer domesticus
Sparrows have been listed as endangered species in the recent IUCN red list. The species has been a victim of climate change for over a decade and has disappeared from major cities of the country under various pressures like habitat loss, radiation from mobile phones and towers, scarcity of food etc. However, there is still time for these birds to fly back to us if we take the right steps.
This Microvolunteering day, let’s put nature at the heart of our every decision and give out 10 minutes to help in bringing back these beautiful little birdies. How can you do that? Spare your time to interact to with your friends and family, share your stories about sparrows and spread awareness. Avoid excessive use of insecticides and pesticides in your gardens. Learn about their habitat and plant native trees outside your home. Your small actions can help these birdies fly back to us!
Time to check your Nature Quotient!
Active volunteering work has been proven to decrease:
- Cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Dementia
- Blood Pressure
Answer to be revealed in our next edition!
Previous edition Answer: African Penguin. Iis the species of penguin which is also known as ‘jackass penguin’ because it makes donkey-like braying sounds! How interesting is that. Watch this fun video to witness these mischievous birds in action and listen to their donkey-like sounds!
Congratulations to everyone who guessed it right!
Talking about microvolunteering and taking small actions to make our Earth a better planet to live, let’s learn to love other species and live in harmony with them. In this edition of Nature Nuggets let’s take a green turn by building an easy and quick bird box for our beloved sparrows.
Click here to watch the video.
Do not forget to share your sparrow nesting stations/breeder/bird box photos on social media and use hashtags #microday #mysparrowbirdhouse #microvolunteering #wwfindia
WWF India is back with a new avatar of Wild Wisdom, the Wild Wisdom Global Challenge!
What’s new? This year, it’s not just a quiz but an expedition that introduces children to the wonders of nature and take positive actions for a sustainable planet.
This global challenge is up and running. Click here to know more.
