Do more

Encourage others to do

Are you already doing a lot to reduce your impact on people and planet? When you look through our menu of Do Actions, are you thinking “yep, tick, done!” to them all? The first thing to say is: you’re awesome and - on behalf of the planet and everything on it - thank you. (Seriously!) The second thing to say is... I’m afraid there’s no time to rest on your laurels!

The biggest - and possibly most rewarding - impact you can have is through influencing others. As an inspiring example of action, you are really well placed to spread the ripple of change throughout your workplace, school, or community. And we’re here to help.

Make the pledge to raise pledges, inspiring those around you to take action. Do Nation can provide you with the tools to make it easy for both you and your friends to have a positive impact. Find out how.

Why

Here are a few reasons to take action.

Click for more info or scroll to read them all.

People & Planet

As you know, our current lifestyles aren’t sustainable. If everyone were to live like we do in the UK, we’d need three planets to support us1. And with our global population growing to over 11bn by the end of the century, the challenge is ever increasing2.

While technical solutions, government policy and business will play an important role in building a sustainable tomorrow (think renewable energy, circular economy, and smart cities), none of them area silver bullet.

To see the change we long for, we need to make changes ourselves.

Most people are keen and willing to make small changes - they just need a nudge and a bit of guidance. That’s where we come in: you give people the motivation to make a pledge, and we’ll help them turn it into action. And these actions really do add up to make a big difference.

42%

of UK’s carbon emissions are produced by individual’s actions3

Motivation

So you’re busy washing at 30 degrees, turning off the tap and vegging out, but what about your friends and colleagues? Because so many of these important actions happen behind closed doors, it can feel like we’re the only ones doing them. Which, given the scale of the challenge, is not particularly motivating!

Asking people to share their pledges on a Do Nation campaign is a great way to show people they’re not acting alone. Seeing those around you discover healthier, more environmentally friendly habits is always a good thing. But do you know what’s even better? Knowing you were the inspiration behind it.

Leadership skills

Running a campaign on Do Nation is a great way to develop and demonstrate leadership skills. It also happens to look fab on your CV.

To run a successful campaign you will need initiative, communications skills, the ability to influence people and a passion for the cause. All great traits to show any future employer. You can even back it up with data on your success - how many people you reached and how much carbon, water and waste they saved.

Influencing the big guys

What better way to demonstrate appetite for change than showing our decision makers that people are willing to make changes themselves?

This works at all scales. Get 36 people to pledge to eat less meat and show your employer they ought to offer better veggie option in the cafe. Help get 1,000’s to pledge to compost food waste, and persuade your local council they ought to introduce food waste collections.

Global Goals

In September 2017, an historic agreement was signed by UN member nations agreeing to work towards 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development by 2030, otherwise known as the SDGs.

Achieving these ambitious goals will require action from governments, businesses, NGOs, and individuals alike. We can - and must - all play our part.

By making the 'Do more' pledge, you are contributing to the following SDG targets:

12.8: By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature

13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

How

1. Create your own campaign and share it with your contacts, asking them to support it with a pledge or two.

While the general message of a Do Nation campaign is always “the planet needs your action more than it needs your cash, so please make a pledge to do something” - the hook you use to grab people’s attention and motivate them to pledge can be absolutely anything: taking part in The Great North Run, running an office Green Week, asking for pledges instead of gifts - see how others are using Do Nation.

If you create your own campaign, you’ll be able to customise it and see the impact clock up nicely. Get started here.

2. Support an existing campaign, whether it’s part of your workplace programme or a charity campaign, by asking your friends to make some pledges towards it. Simple.

3. Promote a specific Do Action such as Fantastic un-plastic or Well oiled, by sharing the link to the specific Do Action page. We are also creating a series of posters for each of the Do Actions - download our Do Action posters here.

Success Stories

1,090

Pledges
in total

1,090kg

CO2
pledged

Always happy doing more, talking, acting with others :)

I have really tried to spread the spirit of pledges and challenges among my family, friends and work colleagues. I really hope I have encouraged other people to follow the example and give me their ideas to improve as well.

Almost 100 pledges from friends and I find myself regularly encouraging others to choose more sustainably

I pledged to raise 100 - but make that 300!

I managed to encourage more than 10 people to make pledges.

SO much recycling, stepping up, eating up happening at work and home. Next to nail are water-wastage and getting more people cycling! I am telling everyone who will listen about the Do Nation.

References