Women’s Environmental Network

The Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) is a UK-based organization set up to “educate, empower, and inform” those to whom the environment is important.  One of its main activities in this realm is campaigning on environmental and health issues, but from a woman’s point of view.  Formed in 1988, the WEN seeks to connect women, health and the environment.

Environmental Issues

According to its website, the WEN has worked out that with today’s huge amount of consumption, three planets would be necessary to adequately sustain our needs.  Given that this is due only to increase, soon five planets would be needed as figures shown the population will exceed nine billion by 2040.

Women and the Environment

So the question that is to be asked, is why is this so much more of an issue for women than men?  Apparently, this is because women comprise 66 percent of those impacted by “climate-related disasters in developing economies.”

What’s also sad is that fewer and fewer individuals are connecting these days to “simple pleasures like communal outside spaces and growing their own food.” So there needs to be a change in the way in which we are living.

Women Green Pride

On the flip side of all of this, there is actually a lot being done in this realm, especially by women in the UK.  For example, there is a bunch of groups led by women who “every day, take conscious actions to consume less, to use resources more effectively, to raise awareness at grass roots levels about climate change and to engage women and men in community-based projects such as allotments and orchards.”  So there is much being done.  But there is obviously also, still much more that can be done too.

How Turn2us Works

Turn2us is a great organization for charities that don’t know where to begin when it comes to fundraising. It sets out to facilitate and assist the charities’ access the financial resources that are available to them.  Turn2us offers a free website that was designed to help in exactly this realm: to “find appropriate sources of financial support, quickly and easily, based on your particular needs and circumstances.”

Green Fingers

Currently, one of the charities’ Turn2us is working to assist is the Gardening for Disabled Trust which is “an entirely voluntary organization offering grants to people with physical or mental disabilities living anywhere in the UK to help them to continue to garden.”  One individual – known here as Barry – wrote a thank you letter to the charitable organization, detailing his experiences, supplementing his words with photos of his garden.  He wrote, “Thank you, for providing the means to create a garden which is available to the wheelchair.  We have had so much joy from planning the plants to grow, gardening and watching everything happening in the new beds.  It has overwhelmed us and we are really thrilled.”  For most of his life, Barry has been dealing with the “side effects of n inoperable brain tumor.”

The fact that Turn2us is able to make things easier for such worthy organizations, means that these charities are able to focus more on the work at hand – helping these needy individuals get a better life, as in the case of Barry and many others.

Barnardo’s Gains Government Assistance

The children’s charity organization, Barnardo’s, has just received a pledge from the British government for nationwide monetary support for its care leavers.  Barnardo’s is committed to children and it “believes in children, no matter who they are.”  Further, Barnardo’s states that it believes in “the potential of every child and young person, no matter who they are, what they have done or what they have been through.”

Million Pound Saving Scheme

According to George Osborne – MP for Tatton and Chancellor of the Exchequer – the British government  has promised care leavers substantial backing, in the realm of £5 million, that will go towards a savings account scheme.

Barnardo’s has worked hard to get this support.  Indeed, it developed a campaign with Action for Children in an attempt to “urge the Government to review provisions for children in care.”  Osborne committed to this, saying that it was due to the announcement made in October 2010, of a tax-free children’s savings account.  This will be available in the autumn.

Children Getting Care

According to Osborne, the Action for Children organization along with Barnardo’s suggested these accounts be put towards children in care and their savings.  Osborne also added, “I know these children face particular challenges and I can tell the House the Department for Education will work with others to make the necessary funding available to ensure we can provide the support they deserve.  We will work with the charities and interested parties to develop detailed proposals, funded by the government, so that Junior ISAs can best support these children.”