Rotarian Karen Kendrick-Hands answers five questions about Environmental projects with Rotary! She is the communications director for Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG)

1. How does the environment fit into Rotary’s areas of focus?
Any project in any area of focus will benefit from having environmental sustainability as one of its watchwords. It’s a lot harder to supply clean water to people if your watershed is compromised— if your river is full of industrial, human, and animal waste.

2. Why did ESRAG publish a handbook with environmental project ideas?
A lot of people say they’d like to do an environmental project, but they don’t know where to start.

3. Can you describe some of the project suggestions?
We looked to address topics that we thought were important, topics that fit well with existing areas of focus, and topics that expanded Rotary clubs’ reach into the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

4. What inspired ESRAG’s collaboration with UNEP?
Rotary and UNEP decided to work together to create a handbook for Rotary clubs that want to participate in World Environment Day, which is 5 June.

5. Are Rotarians getting more involved in environmental projects?
People interested in environmental solutions could go out and work with other groups, and many Rotarians do. But what we’re seeing is a real desire to do their environmental work within the Rotary framework.

This story originally appeared in the July 2020 issue of The Rotarian magazine.