Many charities work hard to address serious issues, such as education in developing countries and cystic fibrosis research. However, that does not mean that charity fundraising, advocacy, and events cannot be serious fun! We have compiled a list of five fun outdoors events that help support various UK charities. Here they are:
Europe's End of Life Vehicles Directive states that when cars and vans up to 3.5 tonnes are at the end of their lives, they have to be recycled in an environmentally responsible manner. Vehicle manufacturers provide this service to consumers for free, but a problem exists if a vehicle's brand is no longer trading or if a parent company does not exist. This leads to an increase in "orphan vehicles", or vehicles that are at the end of their lives with nowhere to go. The UK currently has over 700,000 orphan vehicles, but its automotive industry is committed to a new free service that takes these vehicles back and recycles them.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has partnered with recycling company Autogreen to create a programme called Rewarding Recycling, which disposes of orphan vehicles responsibly and cost-free to the consumer."
So you have decided you might like to volunteer. But where do you start? At Giva, we realise that standing at the deep end looking into the vast pool of volunteerism can be overwhelming and intimidating for many people. That is why we are delighted to announce our new UK Volunteer Resource Information Centre! We hope this useful tool will assist and inspire people in identifying and awakening their natural skills, gifts and desires in their quest to help others.
Are you hungry for social justice? Are you hungry for food? If you answered yes to either of the previous questions, you may be interested in joining the Fair Trade movement.
Many businesses are adopting environmentally sustainable work practises in an effort to become more socially responsible. IKEA has installed 700,000 solar panels to increase energy efficiency, RB has planted more than 7 million trees, and Olleco has dramatically reduced its carbon emissions by using food waste as fuel. These efforts sound impressive on paper, but can businesses actually have a lasting impact on the environment?
The Swedish town of Kiruna proves that businesses can greatly influence their surrounding environments."
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is rapidly gaining popularity among universities in the United Kingdom. Many schools, including the University of London and the University of Sunderland, have added CSR policies to their websites. In these policies, the universities state how and why they will contribute to a variety of social issues, such as environmental sustainability and volunteerism. Some universities have gone one step further and developed CSR courses and programmes. In 2003, The University of Nottingham became the first UK school to offer an MBA in CSR. Other universities, such as the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, have followed suit. Corporate social responsibility is becoming an important part of university identities in the UK.
