Connecting Emerging Sustainability Leaders to Nature Experiences

By Coralys Negretti, Director of Communications, Earthwatch | 12 March 2024

This year Emerging World turns 20!

We’re celebrating all the ways our immersive experiences have had an impact on the participants, partner organisations and clients we’ve supported over the last 20 years.

How can people without a science background support vital environmental science? Since 1971, Earthwatch has been using an innovative participatory science and community engagement model to answer this question.

Earthwatch’s model centers on field research expeditions, which offer participants a unique opportunity to work alongside scientists for one to two weeks, collecting data on critical environmental threats and their solutions.

During an Earthwatch expedition, participants join researchers worldwide to address climate change, ocean health, and biodiversity loss. These experiences empower participants with an understanding of the natural world and the challenges it is facing.

For the third year in a row, Earthwatch is partnering with Emerging World to send a team of Unit4 employees on an Earthwatch expedition to participate in “Wildlife in the Changing Andorran Pyrenees.” The expedition forms part of Unit4’s Act4Good Anniversary Experience, which allows Unit4 employees to celebrate milestone work anniversaries by volunteering with leading social and environmental partner organizations.

In the mountains, they’ll contribute to critical conservation work, investigating the impact of climate change on biodiversity in the Andorran Pyrenees’ incredible biodiversity. Unit4 team members will have the unique opportunity to gain knowledge and experience related to sustainability, which they can apply in their personal and professional lives.

“After my Earthwatch experience, I realized that changing your perspective, even for a little while, can really have a profound impact on the work you produce. If you feel disconnected from your purpose and growth mindset, try changing your actual view, beyond the computer screen. Walk in the grass barefoot, look at the sky, touch a tree. You might experience a little magic.”

– Earthwatch Corporate Partner Participant

Earthwatch engages with emerging sustainability leaders across all sectors. Earthwatch works with the private sector through corporate partnerships to give employees the skills, knowledge, and exposure necessary to take on pressing environmental issues.

Earthwatch also engages the next generation of environmental leaders through fellowships, whether engaging young women through their Girls in Science program or allowing educators to engage directly in research through Project Kindle. Through these initiatives, Earthwatch pushes for environmental education and action beyond academic circles.

“An extra thank you to Unit4 for raising awareness and for showing gratitude to your loyal employees! Thank you all for making this one of the best experiences in my life!”

Sustainability starts with people. By partnering with Earthwatch, Unit4 has taken an opportunity to develop its employees’ leadership skills while supporting efforts to tackle the most prominent environmental challenges. We look forward to welcoming the 2024 team to Andorra to continue this vital work!