Micro-volunteering involves giving up a very small amount of your time to do something to help your community or the environment.
We think that more micro-volunteering on paths could make a massive contribution towards improving the places where people walk. This is important because we know that better path networks are key to getting more people walking.
The key to micro-volunteering is keeping things simple, so that it's quick to do, and doesn’t require any specialist equipment or training. Here are some examples.
Clear branches
If you know of any small branches growing onto a path, you could give them a quick snip with some pruners the next time you are passing.
Feed wildlife
Overly soft fruit can be left out for badgers, foxes and birds. Cut the fruit in half and spike it on a tree branch. Find out more from Make Space for Nature by NatureScot.
Become a citizen scientist
Help scientists help nature, download an app and quickly gather some nature data.
Clean a sign
Signs become grubby and hard to read. Giving them a quick wipe with a damp soapy cloth or a multipurpose biodegradable wipe the next time you pass can make them look new again.
Pick litter
If you come across some litter that you feel you can safely dispose of why not put it in the closest bin or recycle it.
Go puddle busting
Pull on your wellies, find a stick and make a channel to drain the water away. Our Development Officer Tom Whalley shares how to go puddle busting in his blog.
These activities tie in with the 5 pathways to nature connectedness as you are having compassion for nature and the places where you walk. By doing them you can increase your levels of nature connectedness.
People with higher levels of nature connectedness are happier, care more about nature and the environment.
Considering that we’re facing a mental health crisis, biodiversity loss on an unimaginable scale and a climate crisis, nature connectedness is becoming crucial.
Share what you have been up to on our
Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages using the hashtag #WalkingwithNature.
Our #WalkingwithNature campaign was Highly Commended in the Nature of Scotland 2021 Awards Health and Wellbeing category.
Find out more about Walking with Nature.