Calling environment enthusiasts of all ages:
Would you like to have your writing published on our blog?
We’re looking for interesting posts linked to nature, the environment or climate change to get people engaged with just how much there is going on out there and to spread around the fantastic, fascinating things you know about the environment- whether locally or across the globe.
Posts can be about anything, but some suggestions are:
A plant or animal you are interested in–
You could write about either a specific example, like “the awesome tree down the road”, or a whole species or family of species- “why grasshoppers are great”.
You might want to include where the plant or animal lives, what its natural habitat is, how big it is, how old it can live to be, what it eats, how it reproduces, any species it relies on (and how it relies on them) how many of them there are, and… not to be forgotten… why you think it’s worth writing about!
A person who has done work to do with nature and the environment–
You will need to include their name and what work they have done that you admire.
You might want to include where they are from, their age (if they are alive) or when they lived, what sort of education they had, any jobs they did, any interests or hobbies they had.
You can write about anyone, but we recognise that people from less privileged groups get less recognition for their work, so will prioritise publishing posts about people belonging to a less privileged group over more. This includes but is not limited to women, people from ethnic groups other than white, people who identify as disabled, LGBTQ+ people, economically disadvantaged people.
A review of a book, programme or event about nature and or the environment
You will need to include the key details such as title, author (or presenter, producer, screenwriter, director, organiser as relevant), dates of publication, release or event, and why you have chosen to write this review.
You might want to think about the information or presentation you liked. It’s a great idea to share any facts or viewpoints which really interested you, or why you feel that the book, programme or review is important.
(there is the same caveat regarding privilege of the author/presenter/organiser as for writing about people)
Posts need to be no more than about 500 words long. It’s fine to write paragraphs, bullet points, poetry, draw a cartoon strip- whatever style you feel suits you and your topic best.
Include an image if you think it will improve your post- or not, if you think the words stand up better on their own.
If relevant, include your references (where you found your information) and any links or books you would recommend for further reading. Once they’ve read your post, your readers will want to find out more!
If you are under 16, you will need to confirm that you have your parent/guardian’s permission to have your name published with the piece- so please either get your parent/guardian to email the piece to us with confirmation that you are under 16 and your name can appear- or give us an obvious pseudonym to use instead eg Glowworm or Quercus, not a name which could easily be your real one.
If you are over 16, please confirm this in your submission.
Please send your entry to Treesforderby@gmail.com, with the header starting “Blog post” followed by the topic of your post. Submissions should be in Word/OpenWriter format- please not PDF as we may need to edit your post.
We’re looking forwards to reading your entries- keep reading the blog to spot your entry and for a stream of fascinating pieces related to all things environmental!