With submissions opening for the Planet in Peril competition opening on January 28, I wanted to introduce one of the charities which the anthology will fundraise for.
This blog post will look at the work of WWF, and two of their projects which I feel very strongly about. I will also look at some excellent poetry which explores these projects creatively and connects it to our everyday lives.
As WWF says on their website, 'The trouble is we think we have time,' and the reality is that we have 12 years in order to slow climate change down.
WWF have so many different projects it was difficult to me to decide which ones to tell you about! However, the ocean project for effective marine management is pivotal.
70% of planet Earth is covered by ocean but only a tiny fraction of that, around 4%, is designated as protected – if we want to save our wildlife and our coral reef it is evidently clear that WWF's work in conjunction with partners around the world, to properly manage our oceans is so important.
How can we write about our oceans through poetry? Here are some great examples read by celebrities (but don't let that put you off…) from The Guardian.
WWF is also focusing on how we can make of the sustainable. They say, 'Farming animals for meat and dairy require space and huge inputs of water and feed. Today, one of the biggest causes of forest loss is the expansion of agricultural land for animal feed production, such as soy.'
How can we talk about food and sustainability in a way which isn't boring? Which is connected passionately to our beliefs (even if we are not all vegan)?
Let's look at this poem by Joy Harjo, from the Poetry Foundation's website about survival.
I will be posting more writing prompts and introducing my partners for the Planet in Peril project as the weeks go by!