How to Help Save the Rainforest
Understand nature., Stop wasting water.Don't run the faucet when you are brushing your teeth., Eat less meat., Buy your food locally., Switch to tree-free paper.They sell them online or in some craft stores. , Research your source of coffee, tea...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Understand nature.
Awareness, above everything else, is crucial to saving rainforests.
And you cannot make others aware unless you understand the problem thoroughly.
There are many excellent resources for this.
Visit your local bookstore, buy books about rainforests, and write to the authors.
Watch nature documentaries about rainforests.
And above all, read about rainforests online.
Mongabay is an excellent web resource for this. -
Step 2: Stop wasting water.Don't run the faucet when you are brushing your teeth.
Reuse water whenever you can
- for example, collect rainwater for water plants (rainwater harvesting is also an excellent way of keeping your bills low!).
Do not be wasteful when you water the lawn or wash your car.
And cut down your consumption of meat, and exotic foods, for reasons explained below. , If you research your food, you may be surprised to learn that meat and dairy are not essential for good health
- in fact, factory farming practices cause great harm to your body.
Although well-balanced vegan diets tend to have minimal impact on the environment, make a start by reducing the consumption of meat and buying your meat locally (or from nearby producers).
Even the United Nations has published a report that the meat industry is causing great harm to ecosystems.
Firstly, they use too much water
- more than 100 times as compared to crops.
Secondly, cattle need grain as well, and this is often cultivated by clearing forests.
Thus, meat production affects rainforests in more ways than one. , Eat less exotic food.
For one, exotic fruits and other products are often sourced from countries with tropical climates, and this demand is satisfied by clearing rainforests for their cultivation.
Secondly, if you buy locally, you are not only helping the local economy but also greatly reducing the carbon footprint of the food. ,, These are often cultivated in developing countries by clearing rainforests.
To meet increasing demand, more rainforests are cleared.
Besides, this, companies that produce them often exploit and underpay farm labor
- and these people have to supplement their needs with resources from the rainforest. , Palm oil is one of the gravest threats to rainforests today
- especially to rainforests in Southeast Asia.
Palm oil is used in a large number of food products and cosmetics, although alternatives exist.
Palm oil can be labeled as 'vegetable oil' and the law does not require for their source to be identified.
Please research online about companies that use palm oil in their products, boycott them, spread awareness about them. ,, If you are considering a vacation and have some money to spend, consider a trip to a rainforest reserve.
Not only will you be educating yourself, but you will also be supporting the economy there, and providing locals with an incentive for protecting their rainforest.
Please also find out what countries have policies that are harming rainforests, boycott them, and let them know why they won't be having you as a tourist. -
Step 3: Eat less meat.
-
Step 4: Buy your food locally.
-
Step 5: Switch to tree-free paper.They sell them online or in some craft stores.
-
Step 6: Research your source of coffee
-
Step 7: bananas
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Step 8: rubber
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Step 9: and cardboard.
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Step 10: Boycott produce that comes from unsustainable palm oil.
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Step 11: Sign petitions and donate to non-profits that are working for protecting rainforests.
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Step 12: Be an eco-tourist.
Detailed Guide
Awareness, above everything else, is crucial to saving rainforests.
And you cannot make others aware unless you understand the problem thoroughly.
There are many excellent resources for this.
Visit your local bookstore, buy books about rainforests, and write to the authors.
Watch nature documentaries about rainforests.
And above all, read about rainforests online.
Mongabay is an excellent web resource for this.
Reuse water whenever you can
- for example, collect rainwater for water plants (rainwater harvesting is also an excellent way of keeping your bills low!).
Do not be wasteful when you water the lawn or wash your car.
And cut down your consumption of meat, and exotic foods, for reasons explained below. , If you research your food, you may be surprised to learn that meat and dairy are not essential for good health
- in fact, factory farming practices cause great harm to your body.
Although well-balanced vegan diets tend to have minimal impact on the environment, make a start by reducing the consumption of meat and buying your meat locally (or from nearby producers).
Even the United Nations has published a report that the meat industry is causing great harm to ecosystems.
Firstly, they use too much water
- more than 100 times as compared to crops.
Secondly, cattle need grain as well, and this is often cultivated by clearing forests.
Thus, meat production affects rainforests in more ways than one. , Eat less exotic food.
For one, exotic fruits and other products are often sourced from countries with tropical climates, and this demand is satisfied by clearing rainforests for their cultivation.
Secondly, if you buy locally, you are not only helping the local economy but also greatly reducing the carbon footprint of the food. ,, These are often cultivated in developing countries by clearing rainforests.
To meet increasing demand, more rainforests are cleared.
Besides, this, companies that produce them often exploit and underpay farm labor
- and these people have to supplement their needs with resources from the rainforest. , Palm oil is one of the gravest threats to rainforests today
- especially to rainforests in Southeast Asia.
Palm oil is used in a large number of food products and cosmetics, although alternatives exist.
Palm oil can be labeled as 'vegetable oil' and the law does not require for their source to be identified.
Please research online about companies that use palm oil in their products, boycott them, spread awareness about them. ,, If you are considering a vacation and have some money to spend, consider a trip to a rainforest reserve.
Not only will you be educating yourself, but you will also be supporting the economy there, and providing locals with an incentive for protecting their rainforest.
Please also find out what countries have policies that are harming rainforests, boycott them, and let them know why they won't be having you as a tourist.
About the Author
Edward White
Writer and educator with a focus on practical home improvement knowledge.
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