The Rainforests - Actions You Can Take
The Rainforests > Actions You Can Take
How can we stop the unnecessary deforestation of our Earth?
Here we will provide ideas that can have a diverse affect on the profit-hungry
moguls who see our world as their own money bank.
1) Forget all of those fancy bits of wood, nicely cut and clean, from the DIY store.
Either hunt around the recycling centre or any skips, looking for discarded wood that
can be recycled. If in doubt, only buy wood that was grown in sustainable forests - when wood is used, it should come from sustainable sources.
2) Find any products that are produced from the rainforest, those that are not of a
sustainable nature and refuse to buy them. Search for alternatives that do not harm
the forests.
3) Pressure governments to stop logging, ask them to pursue alternative means for the
indigenous peoples to receive an income from other means rather than logging, mining and
cattle grazing etc.
4) Support and join environmental groups.
5) Start a 'Plant A Tree' week in your area (seeking permission from your council if
its not your land!).
6) Buy an acre of rainforest to protect it from deforestation. Set up a collective to
buy the forests. Although not ideal, this is a short term remedy. An acre of the rainforest
costs as little as £25. For more information, see the White Arrow Foundation, WWF or
Rainforest Concern.
Browse the Links Section to check out other environmental groups and campaigners.
7) Start recycling. Speak to your council about recycling facilities. Paper, cardboard,
plastic bottles, glass, cans and wood can be recycled. Use recycled paper and recycled
toilet paper (no jokes!) - the more we use, the cheaper it becomes and companies will
change their policies.
8) Re-use plastic bags. It takes over 30 years for one plastic bag to biodegrade. This means
in our present environment with millions of plastic bags everywhere, we will still see ones
in our sixties that we used when we were teenagers! Take your own bags to the shops so if
anyone asks if you want a plastic bag, refuse and fill your own. Encourage supermarkets to
stop the free supply of plastic bags, use cardboard boxes which can be recycled more easily.
9) Use electronic communications and non-paper learning resources.
10) Use recycled wood for small remodeling and repair projects.
We mention 'sustainable' quite a lot. The dictionary states 'sustain: bear weight of, support
, esp.for long period; encourage, support, endure, stand'.
In these terms, it means although we still use wood and require wood for many things, we do not
take so much that the forest cannot support itself or that we over deplete the forest so much so
that there's no trees left. If for every tree we used, we planted another ten then we are giving back what we have taken. We do not take twenty trees a day, plant twenty trees and then wonder why the forest takes another 5 years (or more) before we can take another tree. Sensible and positive action is required.
If you feel there is anything more to add to this page, check out Contact Us section and drop us an email - the more ideas the better.
Document last updated on Tuesday 30 August 2011
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