We might not know what our individual ecological or carbon footprints are, but we can all keep track of our positive contributions to help heal the environment.

Actions that cause positive change are our ‘handprints’ (what we give – a helping hand, a healing touch). For example these could include collecting litter, reducing the amount of waste we throw away, planting flowers for pollinators, using renewable energy, creating homes for wildlife etc.

Gabrielle Back, Rotary Club Heart of England Environment Officer and District Assistant Governor, will be organising a project in 2025 in which people will draw a handprint and send it to her. The handprints will be assembled into a garden collage for display at Holy Trinity Church, Coventry, and other venues in 2025.

More information later but if you wish to take part you can contact her at gabrielle@back.f9.co.uk.

Guidelines for entries

• Purpose: To engage people in thinking about the environment and how their families interact with it.
• Objective :To encourage young people to explore what positive actions they and their families are already doing, or could do, to look after our planet.
• Task: Draw around your hand, write on it a positive action you are already doing – or one you would like your family to do to protect the environment where you live. Decorate your handprint in bright colours for flower petals or in different shades of green for leaves.
• Presentation: The handprints will be assembled into a garden collage for display at Holy Trinity Church, Coventry, and other venues in 2025.

All decorated handprints will be stuck onto a painted garden background.