Get ready to become an expert in your area – conducting a environmental survey of your local area to see what the sights, sounds and smells around you are, and to test how well you know the place you live.
Plan your Environmental Survey
Make a list of things you might see or hear in your local area. It may be helpful to break these up into categories, such as Creature Features (trees, animals etc), Noisy Nuisance (things you hear such as cars, trains, music), Land and Buildings (An old building, a new building, derelict land, a play park) and Activities (cycling, dog walking, ball games). Include the item, ‘Anything unusual’ somewhere on the list.
Get Surveying
Go on a walk around your area and see if you can tick off everything on your list – and don’t forget to look out for things to add to your ‘anything unusual’ category. Take some time to stand or sit with your eyes shut at various points on your walk to listen out for things you might not spot with your eyes.
When you get home
Did you see anything unusual? Was there anything you expected to see or hear but you didn’t find? Were you surprised by the noises you heard? Did you see or hear any wildlife? Might you find different things to tick off of your list at different times of day?
Take it further
Try doing the same walk very early in the morning or just before bedtime to see what is different. How about on different days of the week? Are the sounds, sights and even smells in your area different on the weekend than during the week?
Get to know your area even better by going on a Penny Hike and discovering new routes and places you haven’t explored before, or consider how you might want to change your area – or even the wider world – as we re-build post Covid-19 by trying out our Build Back Better activity.
