What you can do to save the forests
Elsewhere on this site you may have read about endangered animals and other species which are threatened by habitat destruction. The best way for you, personally, to help save these animals is to be aware of the consequences of your lifestyle.
Most people in developed countries take for granted the basic conveniences we all enjoy: electricity, plumbing, motor transport, shopping at the mall or picking something up at the supermarket, attractively furnished climate-controlled homes… We rarely question the origin of our possessions or the way that our actions might have a ‘ripple effect’ with an impact elsewhere. Everybody’s actions contribute in some way to environmental degradation and climate change, but it’s not too late to change! With some self-awareness and the adoption of a greener lifestyle, it’s not hard to reduce your personal environmental impact. Even if you can’t take big steps like installing solar panels, a rainwater tank, or buying a hybrid car, small, progressive steps do have a real effect on protecting our planet.
It’s easy when you know how
• Reduce your Carbon Footprint - which you can calculate BELOW or at http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx
• Turn OFF lights and appliances when not in use. (That’s a really easy one!)
• Sign up to a green energy supplier.
• Walk or take public transport instead of driving on short trips
• Try not to buy more of anything than you need. Reducing consumption helps reduce environmental degradation.
• Recycle, and try to cut down on garbage
• Try composting and gardening; enjoy growing some plants. Yard and kitchen waste make up 30% of trash - an amount you can easily reduce by composting.
• Say no to plastic bags and excessive or unnecessary packaging
• Don’t put stuff down the sink or the toilet that shouldn’t go in there
• Only run your dishwasher or washing machine when it’s full
• Don’t waste water in the shower, when brushing or when flushing
• Minimise airconditioning use… does it REALLY have to be on?
• Insulate your home properly and save a packet on heating / cooling
• Choose energy-efficient appliances
• Avoid using pesticides and chemicals (including bug spray) in your house and garden, and if you do, dispose of the waste products carefully
• Lead by example: encourage your friends, family and community to be Green, and lobby local decision-makers to be Green too.
• When you buy wooden items, ask where the timber came from. Was it sourced legally and sustainably, or is it from a threatened tropical forest?
• Be Green at work - avoid unnecessary printing and paper use, recycle, turn off lights and computers when you’re leaving
• Fly with environmentally aware airlines, and offset your air travel. Try ecotourism, and enjoy an unspoiled natural paradise on your holidays
• Consider your leisure activities… Spas, saunas, go-karting, the cinema, restaurants… Does any of your down time contribute to global warming?
Food products:
• Are the ingredients (eg palm oil, soy) sourced sustainably? If not, reject them! Better still, write to the manufacturer and ask why they use unsustainable ingredients.
• If the palm oil in your supermarket products is unsustainably sourced, you may wish to boycott the product to take a stand for the orangutans and other endangered species.
• Food production and energy use: certain types of food take a huge amount of energy to produce. Local and organic foods reduce the energy costs of transportation and the excessive use of pesticides. Don't buy fresh fruit and vegetables out of season - they may have been flown in.
• Try eating less meat (or NO meat) - feedlots concentrate an unnaturally large number of animals and are a major source of organic pollution. In tropical areas, rainforest is cleared for cattle pasture.
• Investigate the origins of your favourite types of seafood – was it harvested sustainably, or is it overfished?
• If your tap water is OK to drink, don’t buy bottled water - especially if it comes from somewhere far away.