Celebrate volunteer's week by helping Earthwatch change the world!
Earthwatch is calling for members of the public to mark the 20th year of Volunteers' Week by singing up for a life changing experience on one its exciting field research projects.
Volunteers' Week is a national celebration of volunteers and volunteering which takes place from 1 - 7 June each year. The Week aims to promote innovative ways to thank, recruit, and involve volunteers while raising the profiles of the UK's 22 million volunteers.
Every year around 4000 people from around the world roll-up their sleeves and take part in Earthwatch field research projects in 50 countries. Volunteers work alongside dedicated scientists on established projects and play a role in collecting the research needed to conserve the planet for the future.
From gathering data on leatherback turtles in Costa Rica to conserving butterflies and orchids in Spain or monitoring river otters in Chile, there is really is something for everyone.
Cynthia Dawson will be embarking on her fourth Earthwatch project this summer and explains, 'Earthwatch offers volunteers a travel experience of genuine authenticity plus the satisfaction of making a contribution to a valuable research project. I am heading to Pico this summer on the Butterflies and Orchids of Spain project and hope that the data I collect in the field will aid conservation policies for hay meadows in this region, and in the rest of Europe. Anyone looking to make a real and lasting contribution to the environment should seriously consider spending time on an Earthwatch project - you might even get as hooked as me!'
Claudia Eckardt, Volunteer Programme Manager at Earthwatch, explains, 'The Earthwatch experience has had a positive impact, not only on the environment, but also on the lives of many of the participating volunteers. Without Earthwatch volunteers and their man-hours, it is very doubtful that projects like Cameroon's Rainforests would have been so effective in implementing diverse plant conservation in this "hotspot" of diversity.
'Volunteers' Week is the ideal opportunity to encourage people to think about ways in which they can give something back by volunteering. What better way than taking a look at Expedition Guide to see what we doing around the world and how you can get involved?'
For press information, images and interview please contact
Zoe Gamble, Press Officer, Earthwatch, on + 44 (0) 1865 318813 / zgamble@earthwatch.org.uk
Photo credit: ©Jen Alger/EWE