The Power of Nature

Essex Wildlife Trust, the country’s leading conservation charity

The evidence in support of access to nature is just never ending, with more and more research pointing to the benefits of engagement with the natural world. One study has even shown that viewing green space from your office window – for as little as 40 seconds at a time in regular breaks – can improve people’s overall attention. They know from their own forest school programmes, that those children who engage with nature have enhanced performance. Also other independent research has recently shown that children recover much more quickly from stressful life events when they have access to nature.

At Essex Wildlife Trust, the ecological argument for protecting nature is blindingly obvious, but at the end of the day, health and wellbeing might be that vital final piece of the jigsaw for the defence of our natural heritage.

The argument to protect our natural world and reverse the effects of climate change is becoming higher on the political agenda. As recent scientific evidence suggests, if we’re to reverse the decline of recent decades, 30% of our land and seas need to be managed for nature by 2030. We are at our most important time in history for nature conservation.

How can businesses get involved?

Founded in 1959 by volunteers, the Wildlife Trust protects over 8,400 acres of land across 87 sites and is supported by 39,000 members. At Essex Wildlife Trust, companies both large and small have helped us grow to become one of the most successful within the 45 Wildlife Trusts. And with the new approach to becoming greener, there is no limit to what we can achieve across the business community in Essex going forward.

Our Investor in Wildlife programme provides a new vision to becoming greener and more sustainable – and it’s right on time. We recently undertook a review of the scheme, and as a result it has a new updated look and feel, to demonstrate a greener and more sustainable approach to protecting wildlife and inspiring a lifelong love of nature.

To further our strategic aims and meet our goals on sustainability, the new Investor in Wildlife programme comprises of three levels of membership: silver, gold and platinum, plus a bespoke partnership offering. Membership includes a suite of benefits that range from the use of the Investor in Wildlife logo and receiving Wild magazine four times a year, to unique opportunities to attend corporate events and much more.

We are hoping to inspire businesses on a journey of collective action with a process to becoming greener and more connected to the natural world. By working together real change can happen.