WHAT CAN BE DONE

 Animals are going extinct—but it’s not too late

Around the world, animals are facing extinction. For some, there may be time for us to change their fate.

Research shows that animal agriculture is a major threat to many species facing extinction, from habitat loss to deforestation and more. Climate change, putting countless animals and ecosystems at risk, is also driven in part by animal agriculture, which causes an estimated 14.5 to 51 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN reports that around 44 percent of livestock emissions are in the form of methane gas, and 27 percent in the form of carbon dioxide. So, with animal agriculture taking such a heavy toll in the climate crisis, is taking steps to reduce its carbon footprint enough?

Many experts and environmental advocates say that dietary change is also needed, and individuals who are able to can take action by reducing or eliminating our consumption of meat. This is especially needed in the U.S., where meat consumption is growing at an alarming rate and around 99 percent of farmed animals are raised on industrial factory farms.  

One step you can take today is to calculate your carbon footprint using this tool from the Nature Conservancy, then work to reduce it. 

Dr. Jane Goodall has said, “With language, we can ask, as can no other living being, those questions about who we are, and why we are here. And this highly developed intellect means, surely, that we have a responsibility toward the other life forms of our planet whose continued existence is threatened by the thoughtless behavior of our own human species.” 

Just as we have the power to threaten other species, we have the power—and the responsibility—to save them.

Here are some other ways which we can help:

•  Be sure that fish and other food you buy don’t come from overharvested areas.
• Before you buy wood, make sure it comes from a “sustainable forest,” a forest where trees are replanted.
• Don’t let your pets hunt wild animals.
• Don’t use many plastic bags when they’re not necessary.
• Help reduce traffic and exhaust: Support bike-friendly cities and roads. Use public transportation when you can.
•  Don’t buy wood or wood products from threatened native forests like Pacific maple, California redwood, mahogany, ebony, or teak.
• Don’t release pets—including aquarium fish, turtles, and birds—into the wild.
• Always make sure you throw away your garbage in a trash can and avoid releasing balloons into the air.
• Save energy: Use energy efficient light bulbs and appliances. Turn off power when it’s not in use.
• Buy recycled or salvaged wood whenever possible.
• Don’t travel with wild plants and animals.
• Buy Eco-friendly products
• Follow the 3 Rule - Reuse, Reduce, Recycle
• Don't buy souvenirs made from endangered (or any wildlife) species 
• Eat less meat
• Spread Awareness : Get involved 

We have the power to stop animal extinction, and we must act now. Everyone can make a change, small may it be, to protect not only the animals, but the whole environment (including ourselves).

“The sixth mass extinction we are going through could be the most serious environmental threat to the survival of our civilization since it is irreversible”

By killing them, we are actually killing ourselves.

POLLUTION CONTROL

The presence of environmental pollution raises the issue of pollution control. Pollution control is the process of reducing or eliminating the release of pollutants into the environment . It is regulated by various environmental agencies which establish pollutant discharge limits for air, water, and land.

Pollution prevention (P2) is any practice that reduces, eliminates, or prevents pollution at its source. P2, also known as "source reduction," is the ounce-of-prevention approach to waste management. Reducing the amount of pollution produced means less waste to control, treat, or dispose of. Less pollution means less hazards posed to public health and the environment.

Everyone is a stakeholder as we are all inhabitants of this one and only mother Earth. Each person can contribute something to advance environmental pollution mitigation measures. Environmental protection means caring for our resources and subsequently for ourselves and ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come will have a better environment.

By becoming aware and doing the right action, we choose to be part of the solution. Here are a few reminders and tips to reduce/prevent/control pollution: 

• Stop smoking or at least follow the “No Smoking” sign.
• Use unleaded gasoline in your cars.
• Keep your car properly maintained to keep it in good running condition to avoid smoke emissions.
• Share a ride or engage in car pooling.
• Instead of using your cars, choose to walk or ride a bicycle whenever possible. With this eco-friendly practice, you will also be healthier and happier by staying fit.
• Never use open fires to dispose of wastes.
• Adopt the 3Rs of solid waste management: reduce, reuse and recycle. Inorganic materials such as metals, glass and plastic; also organic materials like paper, can be reclaimed and recycled. This takes into account that the proven solution to the problem of proper waste management (especially in third world countries) is proper disposal (in waste bins for collection and not in the street where it could fall into drains), waste segregation and collection, and recycling.
• Start composting brown leaves in your yard and green scraps from your kitchen. It will reduce waste while improving your yard and garden soils.
• Reconnect with nature. Live green by using green power supplied abundantly and freely by wind and the sun. Hang your laundry to dry to minimize use of gas or electricity from your dryers. Enjoy fresh air from open windows to lessen the use of air conditioning system.
• Patronize local foods and goods. In this manner, transporting goods and foods prepared with GMOs which uses fuel from conventional energy sources will be minimized.
• Use eco-friendly or biodegradable materials instead of plastic which are made up of highly toxic substances injurious to your health.
• Create your green space. Value your garden. Plant more trees and put indoor plants in your homes. They clean the air, provide oxygen and beautify your surroundings. Thus, care for them and by protecting them, especially the big trees around and in the forest, you protect yourself and your family, too.
• Have a proper waste disposal system especially for toxic wastes
• Take very good care of your pets and their wastes.
• Never throw, run or drain or dispose into the water, air, or land any substance in solid, liquid or gaseous form that shall cause pollution.
• Do not cause loud noises and unwanted sounds to avoid noise pollution.
• Do not litter in public places. Anti-litter campaigns can educate the populace.
• Industries should use fuel with lower sulphur content.
• Industries should monitor their air emissions regularly and take measures to ensure compliance with the prescribed emission standards.
• Industries should strictly follow applicable government regulations on pollution control.
• Organic waste should be dumped in places far from residential areas.
• Conserve energy - at home, at work, everywhere.
• Look for the ENERGY STAR label when buying home or office equipment.
• Follow gasoline refueling instructions for efficient vapor recovery, being careful not to spill fuel and always tightening your gas cap securely. Consider purchasing portable gasoline containers labeled “spill-proof,” where available.
• Keep car, boat, and other engines properly tuned.
• Be sure your tires are properly inflated.
• Use environmentally safe paints and cleaning products whenever possible.
• Consider using gas logs instead of wood.

 Change starts from us. 

A small action done by many can make a huge difference. 

Leave a better world than what you came into.

The best gift to our children is a cleaner environment.

Together let us protect our home. 

CONSERVATION OF FORESTS

In our last blog series we focused of deforestation and its dangerous impact outlining the urgency to conserve forests. Here is a list of what an average person can do to prevent deforestation and conserve grand forests. It all starts with you as an individual.

1. Avoid printing; The less you print the less paper you use.
2.Go digital with your bills.
3. Use FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood products.
4. Switch to bamboo paper.
5. Switch to digital books/magazines.
6. Use the library instead of printing or buying books.
7. Switch to e-cards.
8. Reuse bags.
9. Plant trees.
10. Use reusable containers.
11. Instead of paper cups, plates and cutlery shift to reusable ones.
12. Avoid the use of paper towels or napkins. Instead use reusable ones.
13. Use cloth diapers.
14. Most important of all is to educate others.

There are many other ways in which individuals can help conserve forests but each one of us needs to put an effort for the results to be achieved. Below we will focus on some regulation put in place to protect forests.

1. Regular and planned cutting.

• If there are large areas that have the same type of trees available on it, trees of the same age group can be cut down in a selected area. This area will then be marked for re-plantation in order to sustain the forest.
• When selective cutting is implemented it means that only fully mature trees will be allowed to be cut down.
• Shelter wood cutting method entails that the least useful trees are cut down first, while the highest quality trees are cut down last.

2. Reforestation projects.

3. Monitor agriculture.

• Many forested areas are cleared in order to make room for agricultural lands. This should be limited.

4.Protect forests from parasitic fungi, rusts, mistletoe, viruses and nematodes. These all destroy the trees. An effort should be made to administer a chemical spray or some other treatment in order to destroy the parasites.

5. Produce less waste.

6. Raise awareness.  

There also are many proposed things that the government can do, such as:

• Passing acts that require the conservation of forests,
• Surveying the forest resources to prevent overusing the resources,
• Categorizing forest areas and proper delimitation of reserved forest areas to prevent anyone from damaging the reserved area,
• Find out which areas require reforestation,
• Regulating and improving upon the commercial use of forest products,
• Protecting forests from fire, mining and other threats, and
• Developing national parks.

Forest management can also play a huge role in the conservation of forests by undertaking these steps:

• Survey of forest,
• Categorization of forest.
• Economic use of forest,
• Administrative setting for forest management,
• Training programs for persons engaged in forest conservation activities,
• Use of forest land as tourist centers,
• Social and agro-forestry,
• Development of new techniques for the conservation of forests,
• Research for efficient use and conservation of forest, and
• Policy decisions and their proper implementation.

According to FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States) deforestation and forest degradation continue to take place at alarming rates, which contributes significantly to the ongoing loss of biodiversity.

Since 1990, it is estimated that 420 million hectares of forest have been lost through conversion to other land uses, although the rate of deforestation has decreased over the past three decades.

Between 2015 and 2020, the rate of deforestation was estimated at 10 million hectares per year, down from 16 million hectares per year in the 1990s. The area of primary forest worldwide has decreased by over 80 million hectares since 1990. All these facts indicate that there is an urgency to conserve forests to combat climate crisis.

Action has to be taken TODAY and has to start from YOU.

Sources : http://www.fao.org/state-of-forests/en/

Thank you to our Facebook family for their take on how to conserve forests:

Healthy Yards - 

 Create 'tree' rules in your town and engage your local government, gardening clubs , schools etc. in tree planting programs. 

Luke Makuluni -

1. Conducting awareness campaigns and analyzing the root causes of deforestation by engaging people who are destroying the trees directly

2. Providing alternative solutions e.g briquette production and bio-gas

3. Raising tree seedlings, planting and managing them

4. Empowering communities to engage in ecologically sustainable businesses e.g. bee keeping, conservation agriculture, tourism

5. Reviewing policies and laws at govt level

6. Law enforcement e.g by-laws, forestry laws

7. Taking part in forest patrols to reduce incidences of charcoal burning, forest fires, encroachment, mice hunting etc

Mutuku Mutielega - 

Training my neighbor community about forest conservation and plant more trees

Mafix Reigns -

 Provide alternative sources of fuel like HEP, solar so as to reduce on demand for wood fuel

Ana Findlay - 

 Become a Treekeeper an Open lands project Chicago!

Plant more trees in your landscape and educate people.

Part 6: INDIVIDUAL POLICIES

As discussed in our previous chapters, deforestation does more destruction than good for our environment and society. We will now focus on what measures we can put down for reforestation. In this chapter we focus on individual policies. What can you do to reduce deforestation and its negative effects.

1. Education

• Educating yourself and passing it on to others is the first step you can take towards reforestation. Get to know what deforestation is and its effect and the seriousness of how its affecting you and your future generations.
• Online material can be found from sites like National Geographic. Books available include Global Deforestation by Paolo D'Odorico and Forests and Climate Change: The Social Dimensions of REDD in Latin America by Anthony Hall. Alternatively you can listen to podcasts with Thomas Mann or Jonah Busch regarding deforestation or watch YouTube videos regarding the same from National Geographic. 

2. Use Renewable Wood Resources

• Sustainable, locally sourced wood can be used and charcoal for cooking or heating homes is a great alternative to fossil fuels especially if locally sourced. 

3. Reduce Meat Consumption 

• The consumption of meat has a major effect on deforestation because producing meat, particularly beef, uses large amounts of land. In recent years, much of the new land for meat production has come from clearing tropical forests. 

4. Reduce Consumption of Palm-oil based Products

• Today palm oil production is the largest cause of deforestation in Indonesia and other equatorial countries with dwindling expanses of tropical rainforest. Indonesia's endangered orangutan population, which depends upon the rainforest, has dwindled by as much as 50% in recent years. 

5. Reduce the Use of Paper

• Instead use recycled paper products including printing paper, notebooks, napkins and toilet paper. 
• Adapt to simple habits such as trying to print or write on both sides of paper, using less toilet paper and avoiding paper plates and napkins in order to reduce paper wastage. 
• Use paper alternatives such as wood-free uncoated paper and cotton paper.  

 6. Purchase from sustainable companies

• Purchase from companies who are committed to reducing deforestation such as Nestlé, L'Oréal and Unilever. 

 7.  Plant Trees

• Planting a tree is one of the easiest and powerful methods of combating deforestation log onto https://www.the-sol-foundation.org/ to plant a tree from your personal space. 
• You can also own an indoor garden or take care of a potted plant and later release is to the forest. 

 8. Use bio-degradable products

• Buy recycled products or use products which you can recycle them. Be considerate and avoid wastage and responsibly dispose off waste ( Recycle them! ) 
• You can purchase products such as plantable pencils, handmade soaps and bamboo toothbrushes from Go Green with Chilo & Pri based in Mombasa, Kenya. 
• Other companies selling re-usable products include Worldcentric for biodegradable bags, dishware and cutlery, papelyco for plantable plates, Tipa for biodegradable flexible plastic among others. 

 9. Practice Zero-Waste

• Zero- waste means to generate little or no waste. We should buy only what we need and reuse whenever possible. Let us try to be considerate about our environment protecting our trees and helping those who cannot meet their basic needs by practicing zero waste in every aspect of our lives. 

There are many other ways that an individual can help save our beloved trees from being cut down. Remember charity begins from home and you need to practice these and more methods to conserve our environment before you tell others to do so.

Let us take a small initiative today towards reforestation and help make a difference in the lives of our coming generations.