5 Things You Can Learn From Being An Eco-volunteer

There’s a saying that goes “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.” And yet, in such a materialistic world, you’ll be amazed to find out that the things that make you grow the most are anything but money. They are the experiences you build, the new opportunities you try out, the memories you make, the life you live, the change you make in the world. One of such life-changing experiences is eco-volunteering. Here are 5 awesome things you can learn from being an eco-volunteer:

being an eco volunteer

1. How to Boost Your Skills

Any volunteering job in general can help you get to know yourself better, and hugely boost your personal, interpersonal, and even professional skills. When you sign up for a volunteering program, you’re also signing up for a boost in the following skills:

a. Leadership

Volunteering offers you the opportunity to be put in situations that you have to face, and find a solution for, on your own. It instills in you a sense of responsibility, of ownership, and brings out the leader in you. There are countless of leaders who, before their volunteering experience, had used to say “but I just can’t lead people, I wasn’t born a leader!”. Little did they know, and volunteering helped them see how leadership can be gained when faced with the needed stimulus.

b. Confidence

When you take on various tasks and realize you’re able to carry on projects you never thought you would, and deal with situations you’ve never faced before, you realize that there’s much more to your potential than you thought possible. You walk around with more confidence, and you know that there’s nothing you can’t do if you put your mind into it.

c. Interpersonal Skills

If you’re thinking that you’re an introvert and you don’t do well with people, that is going to change once you volunteer for something you’re passionate about. Volunteering helps you spread your network, and get to know others who share your passion. We’re talking about a lifetime of precious real connections you’re going to make.

d. Gain Professional Experience

Volunteering in a field you want to pursue a further career in is a great way to start that career. You’ll get insight into the work environment and build a good understanding of the work’s nature all before diving right into it.

e. Time and Self Management

Especially if you’re travelling abroad to volunteer, you’ll be miles away from your comfort zone. You’ll start to learn how to take care of yourself, by yourself. You’ll learn how to manage your time better to fit in your volunteering with everything else you’re doing in your life. That is because you believe in the cause, you’ve chosen to do that without any external obligations, and you’ll find a way to do it no matter what.

2. Learn Stories

Everyone has a story… and it isn’t narrowed to humans only. Eco-volunteering takes you into a world beyond humans, you start to realize that everything in nature has their own story. You’ll build a better understanding of the planet we live on, and realize how much we owe it. There’s no bigger experience you can learn from, for there are secrets of nature that will only reveal themselves to those who seek.

earth-day-climate-literacy

Environmental education is the foundation for progress.

3. Help Those Trying To Do Good For The Planet

There are way too many options you can try when you’re seeking an eco-volunteering program. You can sign up for a local river cleanup, work with an environmental advocacy organization, or workout environmentally-friendly solutions for waste management and underground drainage. You can also volunteer to help out in an urban farm, helping out the farm owners at the same time.

4. Paying It Forward

Volunteering isn’t limited to those who want to learn something new, it’s also a great way for those who want to pay forward their knowledge and expertise to those seeking it. You can volunteer to become a trekking guide, or teach others more about the secrets of the environment and how to preserve it better. Empowering others with the knowledge and expertise you’ve built throughout the years is one of the noblest things you can do.

5. How to Make a Difference

What is your legacy? Many people are afraid to leave this world, scared of leaving nothing good enough behind to be remembered by. Some seek fame, others seek success and money. The wiser ones though, they search for ways to leave this world a better place. What other way to do that, than to literally leave the planet a better place?

Life-Changing Experience of Eco-Volunteering

One of the amazing traits that almost all volunteers have is their passion. Their passion to learn something new, their passion to grow, their passion to make a difference, and their passion to take on the whole world.

Whether you want to learn a new skill, give back to your community, arrange a sustainable beach picnic or learn more about the planet you’re living on and how to preserve it, you’ll find it all and more on your eco-volunteering experience. It’s a life-changing experience that will just have you coming back for more!

Tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

About Salman Zafar

Salman Zafar is the Founder of EcoMENA, and an international consultant, advisor, ecopreneur and journalist with expertise in waste management, waste-to-energy, renewable energy, environment protection and sustainable development. His geographical areas of focus include Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe. Salman has successfully accomplished a wide range of projects in the areas of biomass energy, biogas, waste-to-energy, recycling and waste management. He has participated in numerous conferences and workshops as chairman, session chair, keynote speaker and panelist. Salman is the Editor-in-Chief of EcoMENA, and is a professional environmental writer with more than 300 popular articles to his credit. He is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management and environmental sustainability in different parts of the world. Salman Zafar can be reached at salman@ecomena.org or salman@bioenergyconsult.com

One Response to 5 Things You Can Learn From Being An Eco-volunteer

  1. Pingback: Top 15 High School Study Tips | EcoMENA

Share your Thoughts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.