What in the World is WWF?

At first glance at WWF, some might mistake it for the word “woof”, linking it to a dog lover’s club. In reality, WWF is the opposite of a pet club; it’s a club committed to conserving the freedom and quality of life for all of Earth’s species. Short for the World Wildlife Foundation, WWF is a public charity that protects endangered spaces and addresses global threats such as climate change. Zooming into SFS, the WWF club is a community of dozens of students who come together to share their passion for environmental advocacy and animal rights. By raising awareness about endangered animal campaigns and hosting events like Earth Hour, WWF leaves a sustainable imprint on SFS. Now, let's look into what steps WWF took this year.

Earth Hour 2024 was one of their major events. Participants dedicated an hour to the environment by turning off all lights around them. Imagine spending an hour after sunset with only the moon to light your surroundings. You may think this is an hour wasted in blind darkness. But there is a meaningful global tradition behind this celebrated Earth Hour. Major monuments and buildings, including the Sydney Opera House and Eiffel Tower, turn off their lights to honor nature. While conserving bits of energy seems unremarkable, the accumulation of people all over the world raises tremendous environmental awareness. By turning off our electricity, we can cast our eyes toward the beauty and light provided by nature—the nature that humans are rapidly destroying. 

Despite not being a pet club, the annual visit to the My Love Baduki dog shelter (내 사랑 바둑이) marked another exciting event for WWF. In collaboration with members of the Care Club, almost thirty members worked tirelessly to assist the sheltered dogs. This spanned across cleaning mounds of dog hair, brushing the tangled fur, to walking dozens of slobbering dogs. This might not sound like your ideal Saturday, but the connection and love SFS volunteers provided to the shelter dogs were invaluable. By assisting this non-profit dog shelter, WWF helped improve the livelihoods of abandoned dogs.  

You may have been unluckily hit by a couple of beanbags thrown by toddlers during the International Fair this May. Hoards of ambitious corn tossers catapulted bean bags into the air in pursuit of stamps and prizes—colorfully designed endangered animal cards. With a wooden corn toss game engraved with endangered animals, the WWF game station was a fun and zero-waste solution. By inspiring more sustainable changes in our daily lives, WWF aims to ensure that SFS students can help shape a future that protects rich biodiversity, the earth’s treasure.