What can I do to help the environment and endangered animals?

Question

I'm 14 years old, turning 15 in October, and starting high school this fall. What can I do to help the environment and endangered animals?

Answer 1

Lil G's answer is great and full of helpful suggestions. I'd also add that the best thing you can do for local wildlife, if you have a yard, is to plant native trees, shrubs, and flowers, and an organic vegetable garden.

This will beautify and add value to your home, as well as attracting birds, butterflies, and other native wildlife to your yard. An organic vegetable garden provides food for your family that doesn't have to be shipped across country (using fossil fuels) and is also tastier and better for you than conventionally grown vegetables.

http://www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife/

http://www.for-wild.org/

http://www.organicgardening.com/

If you don't have a yard, encourage your family to start buying food from your local farmer's market (preferably) or organic/health food store. Organic farming is better for wildlife and the environment than conventional, especially grassfed meats/dairy and pastured poultry.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/

http://www.localharvest.org/

http://www.eatwild.com/

On a national or international scale, there are many, many conservation organizations out there. Some are very general, such as the Sierra Club, some very focused. Some work on the ground, some primarily through legal action, some do both. I would suggest you think about what issues are especially important to you: is it rainforests? oceans? wolves? Southern California? environmental law? and then find one or two organizations that work on those issues specifically.

For example, I like the Nature Conservancy's focus on habitat conservation on a large scale.

http://www.nature.org/

Many organizations will also offer action alerts to inform you of issues where it is possible to write letters to congress, business, and other people in power, which can be a relatively inexpensive way to make a difference. The World Wildlife Fund's Conservation Action Network is one example: http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/PageSe...

Answer 2

Use and Recommend these ...

http://www.greenoholic.com/is-biodiesel-...

http://www.FuelCellReviews.com

http://www.Greenoholic.com/earth4energy....

Answer 3

Sell your car, your house, and most belongings.  Live in a brush hut, eat berries, wear leaves for clothes, and move every 2 months.

Answer 4

Go out in the forest and hunt hunters. See how they like it.

Answer 5

well you could drive a car with bio-deisel but thats not going to make a difference when massive companies keep pumping out the goods.

Answer 6

there are lots of ways to help the environment and earth. a big one is to stop junk mail. in the US junk mail is equal to 100 million trees per day. all those trees are being wasted. to stop junk mail write a letter to this address:

Mail Peference Service

Direct Marketing Association

11 West 42nd St.

PO Box 3861

New York, NY 10163

Answer 7

it's great that you're trying to help.  :)

try to cut down on your carbon footprint for the environment. travel by bike or walking instead of car whenever possible. turn lights off when you leave the room. take shorter and cooler showers. conserve water. recycle for sure!

for endangered animals, you can donate money, but for people our age (teenagers), that's usually not so easy. it's great though, if you can. raising awareness is always good, and not too hard. if you're looking into a career with this in mind later, take earth science classes and just try to learn about it.

good luck! we need more people trying to make a difference.

Answer 8

Recycle some. People tink that recycling is so good for the environment, but the truth is, it really isn't that great. You have to use fossil fuels for the energy to break it down and then make a new product out of it. Try to reuse things instead.

Try not to use as much plastic because it will be thrown away.

At some stores they sell bags that you can reuse to put the things you purchased in. They are usually 99 cents and last a long time.

When you go to grocery stores they have platic bags that you can put your fresh food in. If you are getting one item then try not to use those. They end up in a land fill.

Turn off lights that don't need to be on. It saves energy, which comes from fossil fuels.

Encourage your friends to do the same.

Answer 9

I've always thought we should go back to the basics. If everyone would quit throwing trash on the ground it would be a huge step in the right direction...Sounds simple, but drive down a highway and look to your left and right and you'll see what I mean...

Answer 10

We’ve all noticed the temperatures getting a warmer, SUVs getting bigger and hurricanes and earthquakes ravaging the Earth, but is it global warming or a natural occurrence? Al Gore’s new documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth” shows his efforts to halt global warming's deadly progress in its tracks by exposing the myths and misconceptions that surround it. He believes global warming is not a political issue, but an individual moral issue facing every member of our community. JustGive has created 50 ways to help protect our environment in your everyday life.

    * In your home

    * In the yard

    * In the car

    * In the office

    * At the store

    * In your life

In your home

1. Recycle everything: newspapers, bottles and cans, aluminum foil, etc.

2. Don't use electrical appliances when you can easily do by hand, such as opening cans.

3. Use cold water in the washer whenever possible.

4. Re-use brown paper bags to line your trash can instead of plastic bags. Re-use bread bags and produce bags.

5. Store food in re-usable containers.

6. Save wire hangers and return them to the dry cleaners.

7. Donate used items to a charitable organization or thrift shop.

8. Don't leave water running needlessly.

9. Turn your heat down, and wear a sweater.

10. Turn off the lights, TV, or other electrical appliances when you are out of a room.

11. Flush the toilet less often.

12. Turn down the heat and turn off the water heater before you leave for vacation.

13. Recycle your Christmas Tree. Learn how

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In the yard

14. Start a compost pile.

15. Put up birdfeeders, birdhouses, and birdbaths.

16. Pull weeds instead of using herbicides.

17. Use only organic fertilizers.

18. Compost your leaves and yard debris, or take them to a yard debris recycler.

19. Take extra plastic and rubber pots back to the nursery.

20. Plant short, dense shrubs close to your home's foundation to help insulate your home against cold.

21. Use mulch to conserve water in your garden.

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In the car

22. Keep your car tuned up and your oil changed.

23. Carpool, if possible.

24. Use public transit whenever possible.

25. On weekends, ride your bike or walk instead.

26. Buy a car that is more fuel-efficient and produces lower emissions.

27. Recycle your engine oil.

28. Keep your tires properly inflated.

29. Keep your wheels properly aligned.

30. Save trash and dispose of it at a rest stop.

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In the office

31. Recycle office and computer paper, cardboard, etc.

32. Use scrap paper for informal notes to yourself and others.

33. Print or copy on both sides of the paper.

34. Use smaller paper for smaller memos.

35. Re-use manila envelopes and file folders.

36. Use dishes, glassware and coffee cups instead of disposible dishes and cups.

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At the store

37. Avoid buying food or products packaged in plastic or styrofoam containers since they cannot be recycled.

38. Think twice about buying "disposable" products. (They end up in landfills.)

39. Buy paper products instead of plastic if you must buy "disposables."

40. Buy energy-efficient appliancess.

41. Don't buy products, such as styrofoam, that are hazardous to the environment or manufactured at the expense of important habitats such as rainforests.

42. Buy locally grown food and locally made products when possible.

43. Don't buy products made from endangered animals.

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In your life

44. Join a conservation organization. Browse the JustGive Guide to find an environmental organization you would like to support.

45. Volunteer your time to conservation projects.

46. Give money to conservation projects.

47. Switch to a vegetarian diet. (Raising animals for food consumes vast quantities of natural resources, including water, land, and oil; destroys habitats; and generates a tremendous amount of water and air pollution.)

48. Encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to save resources too.

49. Learn about conservation issues in your community or state. Write your legislators and let them know where you stand on the issues.

50. Teach children to respect nature and the environment. Take them on hikes or camping. Help them plant a tree or build a birdhouse.

6 Simple ways to make a difference for animals

You don't have to pack up and move out to the Amazon to make a difference! There are tons ot little ways that you can make a HUGE difference. Start with these six!

Simple Way #1

Don’t buy fur or leather. There are great alternatives to fur and leather. More than 40 million animals are killed each year for their skin. Don’t contribute to their killing!

Simple Way #2

Cut the plastic rings that come with 6-packs of cans. Cut the small inner diamond too. Those rings often end up where they don’t belong and are found with animals trapped inside the holes.

Simple Way #3

Cut up containers. If you have a tough, sturdy container, cut it up before you throw it out. Sometimes, animals can climb in them and get stuck, with no way out.

Simple Way #4

Put a birdbath in your backyard. Make sure it’s not near a bush, tree, or other place where a predator could hide. In the winter, try to find a heating element so the water doesn’t freeze.

Simple Way #5

Buy animal-friendly products. Look for labels that say the product was not tested on animals. If you’re buying tuna, look for “dolphin friendly” kinds.

Simple Way #6

Don’t liter! Just hold on to your trash for a while until you find a garbage can. Come on, it’s not that awful holding on to something for just a little while longer! When it rains anything you threw on the ground ends up in the ocean or nearby lake and pollutes the water.

Give money to charity. There are lots of organisations that have been set up to help try to preserve populations of endangered species. Often these organisations work in partnership with local peoples and the aid therefore not only benefits wildlife but also the often impoverished people who live alongside the wildlife. An example is the Jane Goodall Institution which helps chimpanzees in various African countries. It's not just about personal donations however. How often do you see companies collecting money for charities, and it's always the same old suspects that get all the money - cancer research, heart foundation, save the children. These are all very worthwhile causes but they already have the lion's share of the charity money, so try to encourage your workplace to be a bit more original in their choices of charities.

Answer 11

recycle... other than that nothing....