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Nurturing Nature is Good for Business

“We are bound by and ultimately dependent on the natural world around us.” Sir David Attenborough

As Sir David Attenborough, president emeritus of The Wildlife Trusts, says we are part of and dependant on the natural world, and this includes businesses and organisations. In fact, our entire economy is reliant on nature for the resources it provides, including food, water, fibre, minerals, building materials, the carbon cycle and the air that we breathe. By asset stripping nature we are also removing our protection from climatic extremes, not to mention the damage being done to our own health and wellbeing.

Phew, that feels pretty overwhelming, and ‘green anxiety’ is certainly something that more and more of us are experiencing. There are very few individuals who can change the world but we can all live and work more sustainability as well as advocating for change.

As a Corporate Member of The Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs and Northants (WTBCN) you have already made a commitment to helping local wildlife, to giving your staff the opportunity to get closer to nature at our 100+ nature reserves across the three counties, and supporting these endeavours and projects to mitigate climate change.

Light purple flower in front of orange protective fencing

As a Corporate Members network, we have a fantastic opportunity to share information and tips including sustainable swaps for individuals and businesses, along with working together to advocate for the changes to fight against this environmental crisis, biodiversity loss and to future-proof our organisations and businesses.

When I was interviewed for this role with WTBCN I was asked why I was interested in working with the corporate team. My answer was that speaking to one person about the climate and biodiversity crises is great but connecting with companies is the opportunity to inform and inspire their staff and families, plus their suppliers, customers and partners.

If we show you ours, will you show us yours?

Going green, being environmentally friendly, living sustainably etc. means different things to different people – are you heading off into the wilderness to live off the land, be off grid and have a compost toilet, or do you have a reusable water bottle?

3 water bottles, a green water bottle, next to a red one wrapped in a galaxy image, and then a blue water bottle on the right.

You can find out more about the WTBCN’s commitment to sustainability and our own Sustainability Manager, Sue Barnard suggests that a good starting point is to undertake a sustainability audit of your company to understand where you are now and plan where you would like to be.

We have Corporate Members whose businesses are founded on sustainable principles and those with inspirational sustainable policies and ideas which we look forward to hearing more about and sharing.

One of the benefits of being a WTBCN Corporate Member is being able to access our expertise to help you make your work place outdoor spaces more wildlife friendly, whatever the size. If you would like to find out more about this then please do get in touch.

 

Nature is good for business – the numbers

Nature [is] worth at least £51bn to UK economy. 

Source: Office for National Statistics, 25/1/2023

The total asset value of natural capital in England we can currently value was an estimated £1.4 trillion in 2020, 78% of the total UK asset value. 

Source: Office for National Statistics, 25/1/2023

The total annual value of ecosystem services we can value in England was estimated to be £35.7 billion in 2020, 70% of the total UK annual value.

Source: Office for National Statistics, 25/1/2023

The Global cost of environmental damage is $17tr each year which could double by 2031. 

A report by vivideconomics to HM Treasury, February 2021

 

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