About Us

Background & History

Over the last 18 years the Action Earth campaign has supported thousands of projects and people in making a positive difference to their local environment. We challenge local communities to identify ways in which they can protect and enhance their built and natural environment to improve their quality of life and safeguard the environment for future generations.

Campaign Objectives

  • To empower people at local level to make improvements that will improve the quality of their life.
  • To involve people as volunteers on locally based environmental projects.
  • To increase the number of volunteers taking part in environmental work.
  • To help groups and organisations attract new volunteers.
  • To provide volunteers with practical skills and a range of volunteer opportunities that will be fun and educational.

What do we do?

  • Provide small grants to local voluntary and community groups to help them purchase the tools, equipment and materials needed.
  • Provide local people with information and the opportunity they need to take part (often for the first time) in a local volunteering activity.
  • Offer local groups help to develop and publicise new projects and volunteer opportunities.
  • Support and encourage local projects that provide opportunities for volunteers to learn new skills.
  • Provide people with information about environmental issues, sustainability and encourage them to develop more sustainable lifestyles.

What we achieved in 2007

  • 1063 projects registered in total
  • 718 Projects registered in England
  • 158 Projects registered in Scotland
  • 187 Projects registered in Wales
  • Over 15,000 volunteers took part

We asked all of the projects to complete a survey form with details of their projects. The results were as follows:

Land improved (acres) 2,067
Bird/bat boxes constructed 1,189
Trees planted 5,481
Metres of pathway cleared 58,529
Bulbs/flowers/shrubs/seeds planted 87,014
Metres of canal/river bed cleared 8,741
Tonnes of cans or paper recycled 104
Sacks of litter collected 7,612
Metres fencing/walling constructed or hedgerows planted 2,451