Promise for nature

Join in with thousands who are making a promise for nature this year. From building a bug hotel in your garden to reducing your carbon footprint around the home, we're inviting you to make simple promises to help nature and wildlife thrive.

While our houses, gardens and parks are closed, we can still work together to take care of our environment and the animals that depend on it. Whether it's a small change like switching to energy-efficient lightbulbs, or making your very own bird box, there are lots of ways to get involved. 

And you won't be doing it alone. Many of our staff and volunteers up and down the country will be joining from their homes too and making their own promises for nature. 

  Make your promise for nature

Even though we can’t visit our favourite places right now, we all live under the same sky as the trees, plants, animals and birds. Sharing our world with nature means if you look close enough, you can find it anywhere. From that spot next to the kitchen window where you get to eavesdrop on the birds’ morning natter, to the jungles waiting to be discovered between the deep caverns of paving slabs.

Making connections with the natural world is good for us too. Taking a moment to notice the shapes of the clouds, listen to the birds or watch butterflies and bees can encourage mindfulness and improve our wellbeing.

There’s never been a more important time to look after the places we love. Through taking time to appreciate and care for the world around us, we can all play our part in ensuring nature will always be there to welcome us back.

Make a promise

Bug hotel at Lydford Gorge, DevonTorpid dormouse in hand at Broomfield Hill, Fyne Court, Somerset

Create homes and healthy habitats for wildlife 

There are lots of things you can do to help wildlife to thrive. Let the grass grow, make seed balls for the birds, build a bug hotel or even a hedgehog highway.

Pumpkins in a kitchen garden

Reduce food miles, waste and packaging 

We can reduce the environmental impact of what we eat by growing our own fruit and veg. If you don’t have your own back garden, you can still grow a huge variety just on your window sill. Or see how adventurous you can get with food scraps, saving them from the bin or compost pile.

Help the bees and butterflies in your garden

Help bees and butterflies to thrive 

Why not try planting pollinator-friendly flowers? You could build a bee B&B or take part in the Big Butterfly Count.

Taking down the chandeliers in the Saloon at Dunham Massey, Cheshire, in preparation for the First World War centenary displays.

Reduce your energy use 

While a sophisticated hydropower system and solar panels might be out of reach for many of us, there are plenty of other ways to save energy. These range from using a draught excluder, swapping to energy-efficient light bulbs to remembering to switch off plugs when they’re not being used.

The high beech canopy in summer

Find new ways to help tackle climate change 

We’re tackling the causes of climate change by reducing our own emissions, caring for the land that captures and stores carbon and planting millions of trees. There are lots of things you can do too, whether that’s planting or sponsoring a tree, or washing clothes on a colder cycle.

Aberglaslyn Pass in Beddgelert, Snowdonia

Clean up seas and rivers for wildlife and people 

The coastal places we love are being damaged by raging storms, shifting shores and plastic pollution. There are lots of ways you can help from home, such as using a guppy in your clothes wash to grab microfibres or trying all-natural cleaning products.

Codger's Fort on the estate at Wallington, Northumberland

Podcast: Making a promise for nature

Listen to our promise for nature special podcast episode. Hear some of the promises that people are making this year to do their bit for nature.

Listen to more podcasts

Start with small steps

When it comes to helping the environment, sometimes small steps go a long way. Looking for ways to be kinder to the environment can feel like a big task but we can all make small changes for more sustainable lifestyle. 

We have lots of stories to share about what we’re up to. You’ll hear from our rangers and tree experts, as well as read about the current state of nature and what we’re doing about it. And to help you find ways to achieve your promise we’ve gathered up lots of ideas. Take a look at some of our top tips for this season. 

Top tips this season

Visitors getting hands-on in the Kitchen Garden at Osterley Park and House, London

50 things activities to do in your back garden 

Even bold adventurers don't need to go too far from home to tick off challenges from the '50 things' activity list. Here are our top ten ideas for activities that you can do in your own back garden.

Freshly picked produce, the Kitchen Garden at Felbrigg Hall, Norfolk.

Grow your own  

Growing your own food is great for the environment and for you. We’ve got some top tips from what's in season, to helping your produce flourish and great advice on how to get the best from your freshly grown ingredients.

A bug hotel

Build a wildlife friendly garden 

The way we look after our gardens really matters. There are an estimated 16 million gardens in the UK, according to The Wildlife Trusts. Find out how you can create refuge for species that are declining in the wild.

Make nature part of your daily routine

What's our connection to nature? 

Research we've conducted in partnership with the University of Derby has found that people in the UK have a growing concern about the decline of nature. The study also showed that people who make small, every day connections with nature are much more likely to take action to protect it.

Read the full story