The Wilderness Foundation forms part of a global network. Our aim is to protect wilderness areas wherever they are by:
- Educating people about the benefits of wilderness
- Providing opportunities for direct experience of wild places
- Taking action for their preservation when threatened with development
"On October 15th - Blog Action Day, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone's mind."
We first heard about the Blog Action day through the blog written by Alexander Kjerulf, also known as 'The Chief Happiness Officer'. He writes about the challenges of the modern workplace and says:
"And what, I hear you ask, does the environment have to do with happiness at work? Lots, I tell you. Many companies are finding, that when they change their business to be more environmentally sustainable, their employees experience a growing sense of pride in the company - leading to more happiness at work."
You can find more of his musings and insights on Happiness at Work here: http://positivesharing.com/ - Also, don't forget - as a blogger there's plenty you can do to help raise wilderness awareness:
"This issue features the keynote speech given by WILD Founder Dr. Ian Player at the 8th World Wilderness Congress titled “Soul of the Wilderness” and Bittu Sahgal’s piece “It’s a Wonderful World.” Bittu was recently recognized with the WILD Writing Award for his life-long commitment to the spirit of wild nature and human rights."
"The Ride Earth Fellowship was broken yesterday as Andy and I said our goodbyes to Mark, who now returns home to the UK.
It seems odd that the journey that took him two months to make by bicycle will be undone in less than 24 hours. The adventures and experiences that we have had within those two months give a real insight into the value of taking the idea of travelling a little slower, and experiencing the journey itself rather than the destination." Read the rest »http://www.ride-earth.org.uk/blog/
"A Norwich school pupil will be swapping textbooks for trekking in the African wilderness and playing football with Zulus.
Army cadet Lauren McKenna is off to South Africa in the autumn to learn about other cultures and raise money for a charity in the process."
The article continues:
"The teenager, who has been in the Army Cadet Force since she was 14, has raised £1,700 towards the trip, through sponsored walks, bag packing at supermarkets and washing cars.
Of that amount, £500 will go towards flights and the remaining £1,200 will go to the Wilderness Foundation charity in South Africa, which aims to preserve the country's natural wilderness.
Lauren said: “The money it makes from these trips goes to help young children who have lost parents to HIV/Aids and allows them to go to school and it also helps farmers get a fair income from their efforts.”
Here at the Wilderness Foundation we understand that simply lecturing people about conservation doesn't really work in its own right - that's why our core work is focused around bringing young people out into Wilderness - because understanding of the wild leads to the passion to protect it.
Still, most of us have to return to the city from time to time, and that means facing a world where 'leave no trace' is somewhat more difficult to practice at both a micro and macro level, even with the leadership skills gained on trail.
It can seem overwhelming for even the most determined.
That's where a sort of 'Green Economics' is coming into focus from previously unexpected quarters: Green is slowly reaching the markets we all rely on and not only that - Passion comes to play too.
Here are two takes on it we hope will inspire our trail-alumni and others to take the message to political and economic leaders otherwise thought unapproachable:
If you watch this TED Talk below - you might have issues with some of the conclusions drawn, but the bottom line is that the speaker, John Doerr, puts his money where his mouth is. Here's a man with Class A old-school capitalist credentials saying:
"I'm really scared. I don't think we're going to make it".
Now that's just the opening line... If you want to see passion, wait for what he closes off with.
"...environmentalists were also thought of as being kind of weird and strange and fanatics and the kind of serious tree-huggers, as you know. Environmentalists were no fun."
[...] "But who are the fanatics now? They are actually the ones that live in denial -- in economic denial, political denial and environmental denial."
This is Green reaching the markets we all rely on, bringing change.
It is people who you wouldn't otherwise expect to say something 'green' in turn reaching people who would not otherwise give the environment another thought... We expect you can use a few of the facts from the videos above to create new constructive conversations for change with the people around you.
Now, if you want to put your money where your mouth is - why not sponsor Ride Earth who are bravely working their way around the world using just pedal power whilst raising awareness of the importance of Wilderness conservation?
Any contribution helps us continue our work of developing young leaders with a strong environmental conscience.
You can of course also make a difference right now - share this article on Facebook, Digg, Newsvine or whatever Social Networking tool you use. (Links immediately below).
...and don't forget to get out into nature - whether local park, nearby Wildland or further away Wilderness. It is good for passion and it is passionate people who make a difference.
If you haven't already checked out Episode 1 of their podcast then now's the time to do it. It can be watched 'in-page' here: http://www.ride-earth.org.uk/podcast/ but we recommend subscribing via iTunes or the excellent and somewhat lighter Miro player. That way you'll get the latest automatically and you'll be able to watch it in full screen.
If you already have iTunes, click here to subscribe or simply launch iTunes and select Subscribe to Podcast from the Advanced menu and copy-paste this into the box that appears: http://podcast.ride-earth.org.uk/podcast.xml - That's it. Every time you launch iTunes it'll check for updates.
If you use Miro - Just highlight the URL above, switch to Miro and then use the shortcut Ctrl+N to add a new channel and the dialogue box should have the URL ready to go. Click OK and it'll pick up the most recent podcast. Ctrl+F for full screen during playback.
Whilst we're on the subject of moving images with sound... Here are a couple of recommended green channels:
Life on Terra "is a collaborative filmspace and laboratory exploring the questions and ideas on the cutting-edge of science and at the farthest horizons of the natural world. TERRA films have been downloaded over one million times." - TERRA on iTunes • TERRA on Miro
Films4Conservation "is a collaborative non-profit initiative bringing together activists from social and environmental groups, and helping them get their message heard at a national and international level." - Blog • Films4Conservation on Miro
Wilderness Foundation TV - That's right, you can get our occasional videos directly into Miro. Add channel to the player by clicking here.
The Wilderness Foundation forms part of a global network. Our aim is to protect wilderness areas wherever they are by:
- Educating people about the benefits of wilderness
- Providing opportunities for direct experience of wild places
- Campaigning for their preservation when threatened with development.
Registered Charity No. 1118493
Across the world, people with vision share a growing understanding of the urgent need to preserve wild habitats. The Foundation recognises wilderness as being irreplaceable, and a source of inspiration to us all.Discover how we are working to preserve the world's wilderness places and how you can help.
The Foundation is dedicated to preserving and promoting the value of the world's last remaining wild areas.We do this through lobbying, education and, wherever possible, by offering direct experience of wilderness itself. We support projects that conserve wilderness and those seeking to re-establish it in Great Britain and overseas.
The Wilderness Foundation was established in 1974 by Sir Laurens van der Post, writer, explorer and philosopher, and Dr Ian Player DMS, international conservationist renowned for saving the white rhino and founder of the World Wilderness Congress movement.
Together we share a common belief in the irreplaceable value of wilderness, which contains the wonders of pristine nature, and enables us to return to our origins and draw a deep sense of belonging and inspiration.
Explorers and writers, such as the Foundation’s founder Sir Laurens van der Post and its patron, Sir Wilfrid Thesiger, often wrote of the ancient link between humanity and nature, and how within our fast moving cultures of today, much of this link has been forgotten.
We believe that by visiting the unspoiled places where nature has been allowed to exist since time began, this connection is rekindled.
Films4Conservation
Wilderness Foundation TV
