Russ Curry, Ministry of New Media
A new partnership between The Wildlife Trusts and Clear Channel is set to bring green-roofed bus stops buzzing with life to even more locations across the UK. The pioneering five-year partnership announced today will help save wildlife in towns and cities and bring people closer to nature, through living bus stops and other urban greening campaigns which will engage the public.
The Wildlife Trusts’ director of development, Thirzah McSherry, said “We’re really excited to be involved in these brilliant bee bus stops. We’re living through a nature and climate crisis and we need to use every tool we’ve got to tackle it – which means thinking creatively. These green-roofed bus stops do just that by taking advantage of urban opportunities to help increase the amount of space for nature throughout our towns and cities, contributing to a wider nature recovery network and hopefully getting people to stop and think about the steps we can all take too to bring nature back. We’re thrilled to work with Clear Channel because they’ve shown that they take the nature crisis seriously and are committed to taking action to combat it.”
Clear Channel’s bus stops and other street furniture have been shaping towns and cities for decades. As urban biodiversity becomes increasingly critical, the partnership with The Wildlife Trusts will support Clear Channel in its mission to make the UK’s urban areas more welcoming to animals and insects – as well as humans – and encourage local councils to make more environmentally conscious choices.
Clear Channel’s Living Roofs have already been carefully assessed for their wildlife credentials by The Wildlife Trusts and classified as having “High Strategic Significance.” Local Authorities will now additionally benefit from the expert guidance of their local Wildlife Trusts to place the Living Roofs in locations that will have the biggest positive impact for wildlife and the local community, and play an active part in tackling the decline of insects.
The Wildlife Trusts’ report, Insect Declines and Why They Matter, outlined how we have lost more than 50% of insects since 1970, and showed that 41% of the Earth’s remaining five million insect species are now threatened with extinction.
Clear Channel’s Co-Managing Director Will Ramage told us “We’re overjoyed to be working with The Wildlife Trusts, a vital, respected national movement working for the good of our environment. When we first developed the Living Roofs, we knew we were onto something important. To now have The Wildlife Trusts verifying their credentials and helping us to locate them in the best possible places helps us to have even more of a positive impact on the environment and local communities. Our advertising estate was made for the likes of The Wildlife Trusts – ready and raring to broadcast important messages up and down the UK and encouraging the public to take action.””
Clear Channel aims to have installed 150 of the bee bus stops across the country by the end of 2022, with over 40 already in situ from as far north as Glasgow, and down to Brighton on the south coast.
The bus stops will also help wildlife by promoting The Wildlife Trusts’ campaigns such as 30 Days Wild (pictured*). Every year thousands of people enjoy taking part in the UK’s biggest nature challenge by pledging to do something wild each day in June. Everyone who signs up to do the 30 Days Wild challenge receives a free pack full of inspiration guiding supporters through the month. Favourite activities during 2021 included al-fresco dining, planting wildflowers seeds and listening to birdsong.
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