We can achieve this with your help by focusing on:

• Reducing energy consumption
• Preserving water supplies
• Reducing waste
• Reducing our carbon footprint

Energy use.

Here’s what you can do to reduce your energy consumption:

1. Turn off computers, printers and copiers when you are not using them. They will continue to draw a small amount of power even if they are in sleep mode.
2. Make sure power saving mode is activated on the computers. As screens use most of a computer’s energy they should be set to go into sleep mode after a determined amount of time.
3. Turn off lights when not in use or when daylight is sufficient.
4. Draw blinds on sunny days in the summer to reduce cooling requirements.
5. Please don’t waste heat by having your windows open with the heating on, and switch controls to a low setting on leaving.
6. Check how heating controls work in your accommodation and ask residences staff if help required.

Water.

If we can reduce the water that we use for drinking, cooking & washing, we can also reduce the discharge to the sewerage system.
Here’s what you can do to help reduce water use:

1. Report any problems with dripping taps or leaks to Residences staff, as quickly as possible. A leak of only one drop per second wastes about 10,000 litres of water per year!
2. Keep a jug of water in the fridge to avoid running the tap unnecessarily.
3. If you have a dishwasher in your kitchen, only run it when it is full.
4. When cooking or making a drink, only fill your kettle/pan with enough water for your needs.
5. When washing up, use the sink or washing up bowl, and don’t wash your plates & cutlery under a running tap.
6. Showering: Shorten your shower. Every minute less you spend in the shower saves up to two gallons of water.
7. Utilise the dual flush function when available on the toilets to reduce water usage.
8. Turn off the faucet while you are brushing your teeth and doing dishes—people have probably been telling you this since you were five, but this is just a friendly reminder.

Waste.

Here are some things that you can do to reduce waste:

1. Make sure that you use the recycling bins provided.
2. Plan your purchases and try to buy products that have the minimum packaging where possible.
3. Place each type of recycling in an appropriate bin, and please do not mix them up, or contaminate with food waste.
4. When you leave at the end of the year, please donate any unwanted clothing, bedding, crockery, pans, etc to Charities.
5. Purchase a water filter or jugs to avoid the use of bottled water. Millions of water bottles find themselves in landfills every year.
6. Purchase remanufactured ink and toner cartridges and recycle them rather than throwing them away. Millions of cartridges find themselves in landfills every year.
7. Never dispose of pharmaceuticals using the toilet, sink or garbage. Most pharmacies have drug recycling programs.
8. Tonnes of pharmaceuticals find themselves into our waterways every year, with adverse effects on aquatic life.

Transport.

Here are measures that you can reduce the footprint associated with transportation:

1. Take public transportation as often as possible. A full bus is equivalent to taking 40 to 60 cars off the road.
2. Walk or cycle to work if you are able. Doing so will benefit both the environment and your health.
3. Try setting up a carpool for your commute. Carpooling has the added advantage of reducing emissions while reducing your transportation costs.
4. When choosing a car, make fuel efficiency one of the deciding factors in your selection process.
5. Please avoid bringing a car to university, as there are plenty of alternative modes of travel, and parking on Campus is limited.
6. Look at your University Travel Guide for advice; ask residence staff; or go on-line at the websites below for further information.
7. Secure cycle storage spaces are provided in the residences, but we would also advise that you invest in a strong reliable D-lock to keep your bike secure when out & about.

Learn more.

For more tips on how to save energy, check out www.energysavingtrust.org.uk.

Follow us on Facebook, and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

The post Host sustainable living guide appeared first on Host students.

What are folding bikes?

A folding bike is a bicycle that is designed to be able to fold up so you can carry it around with great ease. Folding bikes have become increasingly popular around the world, and especially in cities.

Here are the advantages of buying a folding bike over a standard bike:

• Can take anywhere. Most trains and buses allow folded bikes on board as they fold up compactedly. They are also really easy to fit in cars and taxis.
• No need for bike locks. As you can fold and carry with you, you won’t have to worry about buying a lock or having your property stolen.
• Emission free. Usually get the tube to work or university? With a folding bike you can skip the queues and the fees of tubes and enjoy the London scenery as you travel.

What are folding bikes used for?

Folding bikes have many uses. They are increasingly popular for those who commute or are regularly catching tubes or busses in the cities. Users are able to fold the bikes when they arrive to their destination and put away under a desk or a storage cupboard.

Folding bikes are also great to have if you enjoy a cycle outside to get some fresh air and exercise.

Are folding bikes good for beginners?

Folding bikes are perfect for beginners as they are easy to move and store. You can fold it up and take it wherever you need to go. Foldable bikes are also usually light to carry than traditional bikes. As the foldable bike models are smaller they are less intimidating to ride.

List of reasons why folding bikes are good for beginners:

• Easy to fold
• Easy to unfold
• Ease of maneuvering when folded
• Ease of maneuvering when unfolded
• Wheels don’t lock when braking
• Easy maintenance
• Low cost
• Easy to carry

See, so many great reasons!

What are the health benefits of using a folding bike?

There are many health benefits to riding a folding bike, many similar to those of traditional bikes.

The health benefits of folding bikes.

Easy exercise.

Did you know you can burn up to 100 calories cycling f0r 15 mins at 8 MPH? If the speed is increased to 14 MPH the calories burned increases to 180 calories. If you use your folding bike daily or use to commute, it will help your overall fitness and you will reap the health benefits. As the folding bikes aren’t too heavy, you won’t hurt your back if you need to carry it somewhere.

Mental health.

Cycling allows you to get out in the open. Going outside for a cycle can leave you feeling energetic and revitalised. The aerobic exercise can also help with reducing feelings of anxiety disorders.

When it comes to riding a bike, you tend to either go by yourself or with a friend. Cycling can be a social exercise which is also great for improving mental health.

Cycle routes in London.

London loves to cycle. Transport for London said that roadside counts in inner London between March and mid-June 2022 were an average of 24 per cent higher than the same period in 2019.

As we nearer summer and the weather is warming up, it is the perfect time to cycle to a green park and sit down and bask in the sun.

There are hundreds of cycle routes in London, to find out where your nearest route is, take a look at Transport for London’s cycling routes.

Folding bikes at View Studios.

Did you know that our new London student accommodation in Bermondsey has folding bikes that you can hire for free to travel around London as you wish. Hire the bike for 24 hours from reception and go exploring for the day. Perfect for clearing your head after a heavy day of studying! See what Bermondsey has to offer so you can plan your day on your folding bike.

View Studios is our brand-new London Student Accommodation. Located in the heart of up-and-coming Bermondsey area in Southwark. Really close to the River Thames, Tower Bridge and London Bridge.

Our Bermondsey student accommodation has great transport links with the tube station a 10 minute walk away. The Jubilee Line allows you to explore London to your hearts content. While the embankment of the Thames and the regenerated Potters Fields Park, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and the famous HMS Belfast just 15 minutes’ walk away.

Bermondsey Spa Gardens is a popular park right outside the front door of this latest London student accommodation, with everything within easy reach including a Sainsbury’s supermarket two doors away from View Studios – Perfect for grabbing your evening meal on your way back from the Tube station.

Find out more about View Studios or view more of our London student accommodation.

The post Reasons why folding bikes are great for London appeared first on Host students.

Whether your aim is to completely cut plastic usage, or you simply want to have a better impact on the planet than you did yesterday, then Plastic-Free July is for you.

The challenge

Reducing your plastic waste as much as possible is the challenge. Although this sounds simple, it is quite tough considering the usage of plastic in the world we live in.

If you’re ready for the challenge, consider signing up for further information through their official website. You can start small or really challenge yourself. Plastic pollution is such a serious problem, that even small steps could lead to a massive change.

Tips and tricks

2.5 billion coffee cups are discarded in the UK every year. Seven million a day.  With less than 1% being recyclable, most of these cups will spend 50 years in a landfill. 50 years just to carry your coffee for a few minutes. Get yourself an eco-friendly cup and help prevent this from happening.

Shock-horror, plastic bottles are also a major contributor to plastic pollution. But what’s worse is that the lids often end up in seabirds’ stomachs while the bottles get found on shore. Get yourself a reusable bottle like the Host ones provided at the start of your tenancy. You might even be in luck and your property will have some spares!

Reducing plastic at work

If you’re working alongside studying, you can still do your part and potentially even more. Conduct a garbage bin audit to see what ‘waste’ can be avoided through recycling or compost. For detailed information about setting up, check out the dedicated page from Plastic Free July.

Workplace kitchens are often full of temporary items such as single-use plastics. You might even be surprised at how they all add up. Changing these items to reusable alternatives is quick, easy, and still so impactful. Check out the Plastic Free July guide to find out the next steps.

By simply talking to your colleagues about plastic free July, you can broaden your impact. Your plastic free journey doesn’t have to be a solo adventure, get the people you work with involved.

Go that one step further and find out what policies your company have in preventing plastic waste.

Reducing plastic in student homes

You can get creative at home and swap out a lot of unnecessary plastic. Plastic free dental products are widely available, including everything from floss to toothbrushes and even toothpaste. Swap liquid soap with bars of soap to avoid single-use plastic.

When going for your weekly shop, be picky with what you choose. If you have the option, refuse groceries that have single-use plastics. The sheer volume of plastic in grocery stores will become apparent to you, and this is part of the plastic free journey. Bulk or loose items are a great way to get past this, as they help avoid any unnecessary plastic.

Keep an eye on our News page for more tips and advice on university living and student life. If you’ve got a question or would like to find out more about our student accommodation, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

The post Plastic Free July – resources and ideas to reduce plastic appeared first on Host students.

• Please check your bathroom for any drips or trickles of water coming from your taps, showers, or the toilet, if there is please report to your reception team so that we can get it fixed while you’re away. It’s really important for water conservation as in a single week a dripping shower or tap can waste up to 25 litres and a running toilet more than 2500 litres of wasted water.
• Check that all your electronic devices are turned off and unplugged (if possible) before you leave, even a TV on standby will consume electricity.
• Please switch off your heating system (or turn down to a minimum setting) and all lights and keep your windows closed.

And most importantly, if you are going to be away from your Host location for longer than 7 days, please mark yourself as being away on the ‘Away from Host’ section on your Host Portal.

Energy saving over the Christmas period

But, if you’re staying with us over the Christmas period, there’s a few things you can also do to reduce your energy consumption and help the environment by following these top tips.
When out of your room please:

• Switch off your heating system or as a minimum please switch to the lowest possible setting.
• Wherever possible switch off your electronic devices and ensure that lights are turned off.
• Close your bedroom window, not just for safety, but to also to keep the heat in your room.
• Report any drips or trickles of water from your taps, showers, or toilet to your reception team.

Help us be more environmentally aware:

Did you know across all Host properties we use more energy in the four hours between 5:30pm and 9:30pm than the rest of the entire day! So, we’re asking you, during these hours, to please be more environmentally aware of your consumption. Follow the above top tips and consider little changes such as putting on your favourite hoodie and turning your heater down by just a few degrees. In making such small changes to the way in which you consume energy, you will be making a massive change to your own carbon footprint!

By working together and being more aware of our consumption and following the above measures you’ll be helping to reduce our individual energy consumption and impact on the environment.

From everyone at Host, we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Keep up with all the latest news from Host. You can follow us and tag us in all things Christmas on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The post Heading home for Christmas? Top energy saving tips appeared first on Host students.

The theme for this year is Step it Up – and the climate crisis still in effect. So it’s best to know the dos/don’ts when getting ready to take out the trash in your student home.

Recycling at Host

We’re passionate about the environment and we want to help protect it. That’s why we’re committed to doing our bit. And helping to improve environmental performance and sustainability.

Over the coming year, we want to continue to reduce the amount of waste and increase the amount of recycling at all our accommodations. But for this to happen, we need you to get involved and help us.

How can you help us recycle more?

To make getting involved easy for you, you’ll find recycling and refuse bins throughout your accommodation to discard of your rubbish.

One of the most important things if you’re recycling, is to ensure that the item being discarded is put in the correct bin. And that it can be recycled. If you put something non-recyclable into the recycling bin, it can contaminate the recycle bin and lead to the whole lot being rejected for recycling.

Before throwing packages in the bin to be recycled, you should also make sure that they are empty and have been rinsed out.

What can go in the recycling bins?

Below are examples of what you can recycle. However, this may vary across our accommodations. For a full list of items, and the bins they must go in speak with your Host team at reception or pop down to the on-site bin store where more information will be displayed.

Recycling Guide

• Wash out any food containers that have food remains in them. It makes the process at the recycle centres so much easier and less time consuming.
• Rinse containers and bottles.
• Crush cans and squeeze bottles flat with the lids removed.
• Paper and Cardboard products that can be recycled include Newspapers and Magazines, envelopes and lose sheets of paper, cardboard food containers or sleeves and food cartons.
• Glass food jars and bottles can be recycled but please don’t put broken glass or lightbulbs in the recycle bins.
• Plastic bottles, lids, tubs and trays such as takeaway cartons.

There are different types of plastic that you may not be aware of:

• PET – which stands for polyethylene terephthalate, is found in soft drink bottles and cooking oil.
• HDPE – this popular plastic is used for shampoo, conditioner, other household cleaning products.
• PVC – one that you have probably heard of – used for window frames, pipes, seat coverings and footwear.

Not sure about if a certain item can be recycled or not? Just check the packaging or online for more information.

Can an item be donated?

On a slightly different note – but all in the name of being less wasteful. Donate items that you don’t need anymore but are in good condition using our charity donation bags. All Host accommodations have British Heart Foundation (BHF) or Cancer Research donation points and bags for our students to donate their unwanted items to these two fantastic charities.

It’s also time to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Follow us for the latest news on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The post Step It Up this Recycle Week with Host 2021 appeared first on Host students.

Lavender.

Calms you when you’re stressed and can also be used to add a new flavour to desserts. However, it’s not a traditional houseplant so it needs a little love and care. But when it does succeed, and your room is full of that lavender scent it’ll be worth the effort. Top tips for growing Lavender:

1. Give the plant as much sunlight as you can.
2. Pot in quick-draining soil.
3. Give it time to acclimate to your room.
4. Crush up eggshells and mix them in with a small amount of lime once a month.
5. Use a Terracotta pot.
6. Rotate the pot every time you water it.

Prayer-plants.

These are really cool as at dusk, the leaves fold together, as if in prayer, then in the morning light with a little rustling noise they open. Like Lavender, the Prayer-plant or Maranta plants need a little love and attention. Top Tips for looking after a Prayer plant:

1. Don’t overwater the soil just needs to be a little damp to the touch.
2. Place the pot on a dish filled with pebbles and water to add a bit of humidity.
3. The soil should be a well-draining shallow pot with good drainage holes.
4. Repot every spring to keep the soil loose.
5. They do best in bright, indirect light but not too bright as it can bleach the leaves. If the leaves don’t open in the mornings, consider moving to a brighter spot of your student room.

Snake Plant.

An excellent air purifier that’s really easy to look after, you can almost forget about them and looks awesome in your bedroom. Top tips to look after this houseplant:

1. When buying a snake plant select one that has dark green leaves.
2. Allow the soil to dry before watering’s and avoid overwatering in winter.
3. Place in indirect light.
4. Use a terracotta pot.
5. Feed with all-purpose plant food during the spring.

Rubber Plant.

If you’re living in one of our studio rooms and have an empty corner these medium-sized houseplants make a stunning focal point. However, using a small plant pot can help keep them more manageable in size for all student rooms. Top Tips:

1. They hate sitting in water, so a well-draining soil is really important.
2. Find a sunny spot but not in direct sunlight.
3. Keep the soil moist in the summer – you should even think about using a spray bottle to ‘mist’ the leaves (You may need to do this if your student room is warm with dry air in the winter). For the rest of the year, you only need to water around twice a month.
4. You only need to remove dead or dying leaves, rubber plants don’t need much pruning.
5. Flatmates jealous of your rubber plant? hack a piece from it, stick in soil and they can grow.

Bamboo Palm.

These houseplants add a lot of oxygen to the air within your student room and a bright and cheery focus to your room. Top Tips for looking after a Bamboo Palm:

1. They don’t need soil but if you do plant them in soil, make sure its well-draining and kept moist.
2. A clear glass container filled with pebbles and 1-3 inches of water to cover the roots is a great way to provide a humid environment for your palm to thrive in.
3. Bamboo palms are very sensitive to the chemicals and salts in tap water, so leave the water out overnight before watering or misting your bamboo as it lets the chlorine evaporate.
4. Change the water every month or so.
5. Place in bright indirect light – don’t worry if your room is a little dark, these plants will tolerate low light conditions but will grow more slowly.

Peace Lily.

Anyone else automatically think Hot Fuzz when you read the words, Peace Lily?
No just us?! Anyway, a Peace Lily will add a vibrant bit of greenery to your student room, it’s also on NASA’s list of top air-cleaning houseplants. It’ll also keep your room humid which helps if you suffer from dry skin. Top Tips:

1. They love indirect light and shade so are perfect for student rooms – Yellow leaves indicate too much light.
2. Keep it moist by watering when the soil feels dry to the touch. Peace lily leaves also enjoy a good misting, which you can do when you water throughout the summer.
3. Use a pot that has good drainage.
4. One the roots begin to show above the soil, its time to re-pot your Peace Lily.

Have you added a bit of greenery to your student room? Share a pic with us on our socials – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

Monday 26th April to Sunday 2nd May is National Gardening week – the UK’s biggest annual celebration of gardening. And while we always try to add a little green space to our student homes, its not always possible, so to avoid missing out on the benefits of gardening why not add a bit of the outdoors into your personal sanctuary.

The post Best houseplants to add to your student room. appeared first on Host students.

We aren’t all blessed with Gordan Ramsey’s skills in the kitchen, but that doesn’t mean we have to suffer each time we open the fridge.

We’ve found some great food apps so you can cut back on food wastage and save money – time to say goodbye to sad and forgotten-at-the-bottom-of-the-fridge veggies and hello to quick, cheap, and healthy meal planning.

SuperCook.

One tomato + two eggs + one mushroom + grated cheese + sliced ham = hopefully a tasty lunchtime snack.

SuperCook is a food app that helps you decide what to cook with the basic ingredients you have in your fridge. You simply select from the list of ingredients split into categories and the app will share what you can create with them.

You can even use the app to plan your shopping list before you hit the supermarket – saving you time.

SuperCook finds you popular recipe websites. You can have fun discovering new meals to try that you maybe didn’t think you had the ingredients (or the time) for.

Lovecannedfood.com.

Not a food app but a food website. People often dismiss canned food or don’t realise that they can be used to create a full and balanced meal. Simple meals from canned food we have lying in our cupboards are easy to make. Canned food is often cheaper than fresh food and lasts longer.

There is also no real evidence to show that canned food is not as nutritious as fresh food. The canning process helps to maintain many essential vitamins – so they are canned at the right time to ensure the right level of nutrition.

Lovecannedfood.com have quick and easy recipes for you to try out – give it a go!

Cookpad.com.

Truly the Pinterest of recipe sites, Cookpad is a global recipe sharing platform. They have over 5 million recipes shared and available in almost 70 countries around the world in 23 languages. So much variety.

If you have a dish you’ve invented (or pinched from a family member) you can upload it and share instructions on how to make it with other users. It’s a handy way to see what other people are cooking day-to-day in your city or around the world. You’ll discover how easy it is to plan and experience new food without spending too much money with this food app.

Around 33% of all food produced in the world every year is wasted, it’s a number that has seriously negative effects on the planet. So we should all try our best to reduce the amount of food waste we produce – while also keeping our meals healthy.

Have food you’d like to donate? Check out the food bank collections we support here.

Wednesday April 28^th is international Stop Food Waste Day. Visit the Stop Food Waste Day website and take the pledge to stop unnecessary food wastage.

The post Ways out of wastefulness – Stop Food Waste Day appeared first on Host students.

“For the past 12 months everything seems like it has been placed in suspended animation. For students, our mental health has taken a drastic blow and the rhetoric of thriving through these “uncertain times” has been replaced by affirmations of “survival” and “coping”. It is no wonder that certain things had to take the back bench to prevent burn-out; we can’t do it all right? Big picture recycling projects and zero waste shopping all of a sudden became very overwhelming.

Turning to crafts to cope

At the start of the first national lockdown with all of its doom- scrolling and gloom, I noticed that the extra time people now had was being filled with creative projects. As well as knocking up a couple of batches of banana breads, people were starting to make; and it was amazing to see.

Art supplies were flying from the virtual shelves. Hobbycraft announced a 200% increase in sales since the pandemic hit and some stores boasted that wool was back in popular demand after a revival in knitting, especially from the younger generations.

What was so refreshing was to see how this was positively affecting my peers. Instead of the constant dread of seeing perpetual pandemic propaganda on my social media, I now got to witness the projects that gave my friends so much joy. And it didn’t stop. So many of my friends are still creating and, due to lack of funds among so many other joys COVID-19 has inflicted, they are doing so on a budget or using supplies they already had.

Giving Macrame a go

My friend Amy, a student from North Yorks, introduced me to Macrame; a crafting technique that uses knots to create various textiles. She had some cord left over from a previous project and wasn’t sure how to put it to good use. However, she had seen that Macrame plant hangers were popular to make and wanted to give it a go. After seeing her success, I wanted to try it out too. So, she sent me a YouTube video so I could get started with the basics.

What you will need:

If like me, you want to give Macrame a go, watch the video above for a beginner’s guide on How to Macrame. You’ll need the below items to begin.

• Cord, string or old strips of material (I used an old t-shirt)
• Scissors
• A stick of wood or plastic rod (I used a bamboo pole that was hanging about outside but can literally be a stick)

*Top Tip*

If you are using a t-shirt or strips of fabric, make sure they are cut really thin. This is so you don’t lose definition and are able to see your knots. I also had to tie my strips together to make them longer. So, if your material is small, do this first!

The images above show my attempts at different knots as well as Amy’s plant holder and her next project; making necklaces out of upcycled t-shirts.

Amy already had an Etsy shop before the pandemic but was glad to add another Macrame knot to her string of talents and another product to her shelf. So, if you get a bit tangled with the basics, you can always support local student businesses and head to her Etsy shop instead.”

Global Recycling Day takes place on 18th March every year to raise awareness about the global issue of recycling. Let us know your top recycling tips and tricks via our social media pages (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter).

The post Creative crafts: recycle old items to make Macrame pieces appeared first on Host students.

With this in mind, it got us thinking about the amazing work that one of our nominated charities of the year, World Land Trust, do.

About World Land Trust

World Land Trust (WLT) is an international conservation charity that protects the most biologically significant and threatened habitats acre by acre.

Through a network of partner organisations around the world, WLT funds the creation of reserves; providing permanent protection for habitats and wildlife. Partnerships are developed with established and highly respected local organisations who engage support and commitment among the local community.

And the theme of this year’s World Wildlife Day really echoes what WLT have seen over decades of conservation action. After all, saving forests is saving the home of wildlife. So, we thought we’d share with you some videos of the places and species that WLT and its supporters are helping to make a difference for.

1. Cameroon: WLT appeal supporters unlock corridor for endangered gorillas

Sometimes 20 seconds is all it takes to understand the difference you can make for nature. And as brief as it may be, this video encapsulates better than most the impact that WLT supporters made in 2020. Filmed by WLT’s partner ERuDeF late last year, the silverback Western Lowland Gorilla you see here is one of 300 Critically Endangered individuals in Cameroon’s Deng Deng area; all safer from logging and poaching, thanks to the hundreds of people who donated last year to WLT’s ‘A Future for Gorillas’ campaign. Deforestation threatened to trap the gorillas and chimpanzees of this section of eastern Cameroon into a genetic island, but you intervened – and now ERuDeF can create a forest corridor.

2. Armenia: Double leopard sighting fuels conservation hopes

Looking for examples of exactly how impactful conservation action can be for endangered species? On World Wildlife Day, you needn’t look further than Armenia’s Caucasian Leopards. Fewer than 15 of these elusive cats are thought to be left in the country and yet as WLT recently wrote, two – including a possible female – were filmed in the space of a month at the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge managed by WLT’s Armenian partner FPWC. Rangers regard this double sighting as a “real hope” that leopard populations might recover in Armenia, and this was all thanks to WLT’s Action Fund supporters: it was their donations that made this success story possible, by funding expansions to the Refuge over the years.

3. Guatemala: Action Fund supporters team up to expand home of Jaguar

This wonderful video from WLT’s partner FUNDAECO comes with a story, and the story needs telling. For the Jaguar like the one you see here (filmed in Petén, Guatemala), impacts from human activities are nothing new. Farming, poaching, climate-driven droughts and wildfires – for long they have threatened the forest home of America’s largest cat, and last year they combined with COVID-19’s disruption to the local economy to bring more pressure to Jaguars. This is where WLT’s Action Fund comes in: supporters of the programme will be funding an expansion of FUNDAECO’s Laguna Grande Sarstún Reserve – and this video will tell you, better than words ever could, how much that will mean for Guatemala’s Jaguars.

4. Ecuador: Condor Iguiñaro’s recovery journey to soaring release

On a day that celebrates iconic wildlife, it’s hard not to think back to Iguiñaro. Last year, footage of this male Andean Condor flying free once more in Ecuador captured WLT’s imagination. Initially taken in with a gunshot wound to the chest, Iguiñaro’s journey to recovery in the hands of WLT’s partner Fundacion Jocotoco (FJ) and others culminated with a soaring moment: his release at the Chakana Reserve. The Andean Condor has the longest wingspan of any raptor in the world, and FJ rangers told WLT of the “hope and unity” they felt as they saw Iguiñaro stretch his wings, taking to the skies once more; a new chance for Ecuador’s national bird, a symbol of the impact conservation makes for individual species.

Support World Land Trust

The above are a small snapshot of some of the species World Land Trust and its supporters have been making a difference for. If you’d like to see more videos, check out WLT’s YouTube channel and learn more about the wonderful work they do and how to get involved via their website worldlandtrust.org.

Join in the conversation and follow the latest updates via social media using the #WorldWildlifeDay.

For the latest updates from Host, visit our news page or follow us on social media – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The post Celebrating World Wildlife Day and the work of World Land Trust appeared first on Host students.

Well, besides from making your pledge and choosing to support Planet Patrol in the #HostEnvironmentalPledge, if you feel passionate about protecting the environment, below are some great ways you can get involved with, and support Planet Patrol.

1. Track any litter you find

To become closer to solving the litter pollution problem, we must first understand it. That’s why by downloading the Planet Patrol app you can log any litter you find in your local area and upload to the ‘Litter Map’.

The data logged helps Planet Patrol uncover insights into the trends and patterns of litter to inform evidence-based solutions to stop the problem at the source.

2. Join a clean-up

Planet Patrol clean ups combine a variety of fun activities with an opportunity to help keep your local community clean and contribute towards the litter tracking research. There really is something for everyone, from paddle-boarding to parkour, and yoga to beach cleans. The activities are completely free to join; if you’ve got great enthusiasm and a desire to make a difference while enjoying a great day out as well, then this is for you!

Learn more about the clean-ups and how to get involved here. Note that due to coronavirus, some activities may be temporarily postponed.

3. Become a Planet Patrol Community Guardian

If you feel passionate about the work that Planet Patrol does, you can take your involvement one step further and become a Planet Patrol Community Guardian.

Community Guardians are the voice of Planet Patrol in local communities. Planet Patrol will support you to organise and lead local litter picks, engage your community, share their messages, and encourage local businesses and governments.

Applications for the next group of Guardians will open soon. If you’re interested in the programme, you can find out more here.

4. Take the #5piecechallenge

To those who say, ‘I’m just one person, I can’t stop big polluters or get governments to change’. WRONG! You can, and you can inspire and encourage more people to help too by taking the #5piecechallange. Here’s how:

1. Get outside and pick up 5 pieces of litter.
2. Download the Planet Patrol free litter tracking app and record the brands to help us identify the biggest polluters.
3. Nominate 5 people on your Instagram Stories to do the same
4. Share a screenshot of your app upload to show that you’ve uploaded 5 pieces of litter and recorded your evidence.
5. Tag Planet Patrol on social media with @onplanetpatrol and use the hashtag #5piecechallenge to raise awareness and so they can share your hard work.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by #PlanetPatrol (@onplanetpatrol) on Jun 9, 2020 at 9:58am PDT

5. #MoveWithPurpose

Take some time out to watch, as well as do, a series of home workouts through the #MoveWithPurpose series; available via the Planet Patrol Instagram TV channel. You can enjoy a range of activities from yoga to HIIT, Pilates and breathwork, all run by some of the team’s favourite fitness and wellbeing instructors. You can also sustainability chat with fitness professionals through the channel.

 

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A post shared by #PlanetPatrol (@onplanetpatrol) on Jun 18, 2020 at 1:01am PDT

Stay up to date with the latest information and activities from all three of our nominated charities of the year via our news page and our social media pages (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter).

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