Natural Connections – Good health goes green

A few weeks ago we realised an article on the benefits of volunteering and how we were turning desk jockeys into Nature Ninja’s, it was picked up by a popular Sunday newspaper and you may have seen our brilliant intern Louise, modelling the Fitbit as she carried out conservation tasks. 

Each time we have a volunteer day one of our volunteers wares this hi-tech band on their wrist to count the distance and steps travelled during a four hour period.  I also wear one every day and every six months we look at the differences between the two. 

It turns out that during one of our 4 hour conservation days a volunteer will used roughly double the amount of calories used in a normal 8 hour day at the office.  Pretty incredible really to think that a volunteer covers 6 miles and burns 1500 calories while helping us improve our greenspaces. They are always stunned to hear how far they have actually travelled in such a short time.

As I am typing this column I have also had a chat with a local resident on our Facebook page and she delighted in telling me that she is using her Fitbit to make sure she walks 12,000 steps every day around the beautiful Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Cumbernauld Glen Wildlife Reserve – I wonder if we helped inspire her?

If you are inspired why not come along to one of our volunteer days or even go for a walk and see where life takes you, don’t forget to share your adventure with us.