What was YoGA?
A huge thank you to everyone for making last year's Year of Green Action (YoGA) such a great success. We are keeping the year's website live so we can continue to upload your stories and case studies, and collect more of your pledges for taking green action.
The Year of Green Action was about connecting people all around the country with nature, and showing how we can all take positive action to improve our environment. As we’ve seen from series like the Blue Planet, the choices we make in our day to day lives affect the world around us. The right ones can help us create a healthier environment for ourselves and the next generation.
Launched at London Zoo, YoGA was a year-long drive to help everyone get involved in projects that support nature – in our own gardens, schools or workplaces, and as consumers. Everyone can get involved in projects to improve the natural world and YoGA helped everyone to make a change, one choice at a time.
Junior botanist - Castor Hanglands NNR near Peterborough (Photo: Justin Tilley)
Why make 2019 a Year of Green Action?
The government made a commitment, through its 25 year environment plan, that we will be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we found it. Chapter 3 of the plan sets out the goal of connecting people with the environment to improve health and well-being and within this context identified 2019 as a Year of Green Action.
The Year of Green Action was an opportunity to engage with individuals, community groups, environmental stewardship stakeholders, business and industry to get people to connect with their in green spaces. The plan also recognises that the aspiration for the broad spectrum of environmental change is not achievable by policies and regulations alone but that through the Year of Green Action (YoGA) the momentum for positive change growing in society, as well as in government, could be harnessed to help achieve goals across the whole 25YEP.
What is a “Green Action”?
One that helps us to connect with, protect and enhance the environment.
Improving people’s understanding of the state of the environment, the benefits a healthy environment can bring, and the effect of their actions on the natural world. This could involve visiting local greenspaces, learning to identify non-native species or increasing the amount of greenery in your workplace.
Helping individuals, communities and businesses to reduce their impact on the environment through greener decision-making. Protect actions might include using re-usable shopping bags, making fewer journeys by car or installing water refill points for staff and colleagues.
Inspiring everyone to enrich the environment, encouraging individuals and organisations to actively improve their local environment. Creating wildlife ponds, running a litter pick or putting up a bird box would all be enhancing actions.
Minister’s Statement
Since the launch of the 25 Year Environment Plan in January 2018, momentum has been building around the role that people and businesses can play in improving the environment. We are all excited about the Year of Green Action 2019 and the opportunity it provides for everyone to play their part in delivering this ambition.
Thérèse Coffey MP
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Environment
Children and young people
The 25 year plan puts children and young people at the heart of the Year of Green Action and we want to see them playing an active part in decision making for their future. We are partnering with the charity Step Up To Serve, to help encourage environmental youth social action through their #iwill4nature campaign.
Step Up to Serve’s Youth Ambassadors and our own YoGA ambassadors will help to raise the profile and galvanise action behind the green action initiatives.
In collaboration with
