10 WAYS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

It’s up to every one of us to help preserve our planet for the future. Here are 10 simple but effective ways we can all do our bit. RELEASE THE SPIDER

“Thank you to all those who catch and release spiders found in your home,” says Attenborough. Even though it’s easy to squash uninvited guests, spiders help maintain balance in the environment. Killing a spider means interrupting the natural food chain, and potentially more pests in your home as spiders love to feast on pests such as flies, moths, fleas and cockroaches.

TAKE A WALK IN THE WILD

“There is no wi-fi in the forest but I promise you will find a better connection,” says Attenborough. “It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; and the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.”

SAY NO TO PLASTIC

“Globally we currently produce 20,000 plastic bottles per second. Over one million per minute or 60 million per hour,” says Attenborough. He describes plastic as “vile” and “horrid” but says “there’s a growing awareness of the kind of damage it can do.”

STOP WASTE

“Stop waste of any kind,” pleads Attenborough. “Stop wasting power, stop wasting food, stop wasting plastic. Don’t waste, this is a precious world.”

ON YOUR BIKE

“If I can bicycle, I bicycle,” says Attenborough. His favourite passion as a teen was cycling across Northern England in search of fossils. He doesn’t own a car and has never passed his driving test.

REDUCE MEAT CONSUMPTION

Attenborough is not a vegetarian but he limits his consumption of red meat and seafood for the health of the planet, saying, “Above all, we have to bear one thing in mind – every single mouthful of food and every breath of air we take is dependent on a healthy planet.”

DO SOMETHING

“If my grandchildren were to look at me and say, ‘You were aware species were disappearing and you did nothing, you said nothing’, that I think is culpable,” says Attenborough. While not an activist, Attenborough has certainly educated his viewers on the wonders of nature, and also made millions aware of problems from the extinction of species to plastic pollution.

WORK FROM HOME

Sir David hopes working from home becomes permanent after the coronavirus pandemic, which could mitigate climate change. “You can work very, very well from home, and there is no need to have to endure that terrible journey [to work] packed like sardines in tins going into the middle of the city.” he says.

RECONSIDER TRAVEL

“Dealing with global warming doesn’t mean we have all got to suddenly stop breathing,” says Attenborough. “Dealing with global warming means that we have to stop waste, and if you travel for no reason whatsoever, that is a waste.”

PLANT A TREE

“Trees provide a home, shelter and food for wildlife, they also benefit us all because they have the ability to capture carbon better than any current man-made technology and of course they produce oxygen!” says Attenborough, “Planting a tree is one of the most positive actions we can all do.”