Spring is definitely in full swing and it has been putting us in a distinctly festival and creative mood. But much of our best loved wildlife, including Spring migrants, could be affected by climate change.
For the last year, we’ve been working with our friends at The Climate Coalition to speak up about climate change. On Valentine’s Day we helped to Show the love for the things we wanted to protect from climate change.
Now the countdown begins and there are just two months to go until Speak Up For The Love Of. This will be the largest ever climate lobby of Parliament.
On 17 June ten thousand people will head to Westminster to tell the new Government loud and clear that we all care about something that will be affected by climate change. As they start out on a new parliament and prepare for crucial UN climate talks in Paris in December this is a great opportunity to get our message across.
We need MPs to act on their promises and take the necessary steps to help us reach a low carbon future that will be better for wildlife and people.
For more information and to sign up, head here.
There’s not long to go, so we’re getting ready and putting our creative energy to good use by making bunting that will help to give the day a festival feel.
If you’d like some help making your bunting, we’ve put together a handy set of instructions that you can follow:
1. Get hold of some old material: unwanted clothes, fairtrade cotton or anything you can get your hands on.
2. Cut out triangles using the template shape below, or if you’re feeling adventurous make your own bigger triangles. But it works best if the triangles are all of the same size and if they’re isosceles.
3. Write a message about what you want to protect from climate change – be creative and decorate as many flags as you can.
4. Join together with others in your family, school or community to create your string of bunting. Sew or attach the flags onto a long piece of material or ribbon, leaving gaps half as wide as the flags (For super neat bunting you can use bias binding instead of ribbon and fold it over the top of the flags).
Why not try:
- knitting or crocheting your bunting?
- having a bunting party?
- making your bunting out of something that represents your area (like a sports strip or tartan)?
- getting your workplace, community or sports team together to decorate a flag?
Whether you’re coming or not, you can get involved by making some bunting and sending us a photo of your preparations. You could tweet us your photo (@Natures_Voice) using #bunting and #speakup.
Like us, you will be able to use your bunting to engage with your MP on the day and speak about the things you love.
And if you can’t make it along on the day, use the power of the internet to find someone near you who’ll be coming on 17 June, and give it to them to bring along. It will go to good use decorating the lobby venue and the stage for the rally, and showing MPs that thousands of people care about climate change and its effects on wildlife and people.
Matt Williams, Assistant Warden, RSPB Snape.