This week’s blog comes from Maya Comely, Social Media Lead at The Commitment.
The Commitment is an organisation collecting pledges from individuals to vote with the environment and sustainability in mind.
Here, Maya shines a spotlight on The Commitment, highlighting how we have the power to make small changes that can influence government action, for a healthier planet.
Speeding up government action for a healthy planet
There are endless ways to reduce our individual impact on the environment, from cycling to work to avoiding single-use plastics. But if, for whatever reason, we are unable to live a zero-waste lifestyle or hit the streets in protest then we certainly shouldn’t be to blame.
So, how else can we make a difference?
Using your vote
We often think of big corporations, or those working in the City, as having huge amounts of power and influence. A lot of power (and responsibility) also lies with our Government and political leaders. Not only do they run the country, but they provide the parameters, policies and legislation for our everyday behaviour, both as individuals and organisations.
We don’t often think that we are powerful as individuals, but by living in a democratic country – we are! We can vote every five years in general elections and every four years in councilelections. In some areas of England, we can also vote for a mayor, and then there are the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments as well as the Northern Ireland Assembly. Yet, we frequently fail to make the most of this power; turnout in local elections has been low for years (only one third of the UK population voted in 2019).
Just imagine the potential for change if more people took part to influence policy and decision making about the environment.
Voting for a healthy planet
At The Commitment, we aim to speed up government action for a healthy planet. Our initial research found that UK citizens want the Government to act on climate change. But that they don’t trust them to do so. A report by Green Alliance on building the political mandate for climate action also found that politicians don’t always act on climate change because they feel under very little pressure from their constituents.
We are collecting Commitments from individuals who promise to vote with a healthy planet at the heart of their decision and explain why they are doing so in personal messages. This will show politicians that they have a clear mandate to act more boldly on the climate and the natural world.
This doesn’t necessarily mean changing who you vote for; instead, it’s sending a message to the people that you do vote for that this is what you care about.
The Commitment and Jump
Making The Commitment is such an easy, but powerful thing we can all do – and it has made its first appearance in a Jump programme! As of last month, students and staff at the University of Strathclyde can earn 200 Green Points for making The Commitment through their Jump programme. We are seeing Commitments come in from Glasgow, and we’re very excited.
If you would like to make The Commitment yourself, head to thecommitment.uk/makeyourcommitment and if you would like to find out more about our approach, email me at [email protected].
Find out more about Jump and how we are helping your people to accelerate climate action.
