what can i do to help? i cant even vote! signing petition doesn't do anything and i know it. how can i help mother nature???
Shit, there's like a billion ways you can help! Here's a few good ones: Reduce, reuse, recycle. Add to that reconsider (the item) and refuse (to buy it if it isn't necessary) Recycle like a madman, make others do it. Be annoying. Hopefully your city has a recycling program. If not, start writing letters to the mayor or something. Try to get your school to do it by talking to the principal or something. Pick up litter. Recycle the recyclable stuff. Start or join an environmental club at school. They do lots of things, from sending letters to congressmen (you don't have to be able to vote to have a voice) to cleaning rivers or parks or roadsides. You could do all that alone, but that's less fun and less effective. Drive less, walk/bike more. If you can't drive yet, this includes asking for rides. If you do drive, keep your tires inflated and don't accelerate really fast, this saves gas (and money...environmentalism saves money in lots of ways) Keep your thermostat lower in winter and put on a sweater. Put weather stripping on your windows (if they need it) to reduce heat loss. More money saved, if your parents need convincing. Turn lights, TVs, computers, stereos, etc off when you leave a room or they aren't in use. Money saved again. Isn't this fun? Conserve water. Don't buy bottled water (recycling is good, reducing is better). If you don't have a low-flow toilet, put a brick in the resevoir tank to reduce the water it uses to flush. Take showers instead of baths, and short ones if you can. Water uses lots of energy to heat. More money being saved. Eat less meat. It's healthier, and it requires less land to raise grain than it does cattle (because they feed lots of grain to the cattle to make them fat), so it uses less energy. Feed your brain. Read more about this stuff on the web, learn about the issues at stake and be informed. That way you will know what to write to your congressmen (both state and federal), what to vote for when you're old enough, and to spread the word to others. Environmentalism will always be a grass-roots effort, and we need some well informed, ambitious and energetic roots!
You can also visit www.donationjunction.com where there are tons of great sites allowing you to raise money for charity for free by viewing ads and searching the web. For the environment there are: www.ecologyfund.com www.therainforestsite.com www.care2.com www.theenvironmentsite.org and a few more.
with your beautiful soul... your thoughts are already a really big step... I guess that if only the tenth part of the humanity could think like you..and me..and many others people from this community... well... we'll live in the best of the possible worlds... and if you want to concretize your thoughts into real actions... check also greenpeace groups... and try to spread this love for respecting and protecting the environment with your fellows... like a big fire this love can grow....
John Denver once said; "Nobody can do it all. Just do what YOU can do." Maybe plant a tree or flower in your backyard. When you go camping. WATCH your fire, and Pack Out your trash. Leave the place like you found it. Like someone else posted... There are a million things YOU can do. Just do it! As for myself, I've personally saved the lives of TWO Pine trees here in Las Vegas. I was a Plumber. The sprinklers were clogged, and the trees were dying. I took it on myself, to Fix the sprinklers for FREE. Because I care. I once posted, that TWO of my best friends are trees? Now you know which two! And they are "Pinion" pines. Rare in Southern Nevada as far as I know...
Not that old chestnut again!If you want to eat healthy I suggest you look up www.westonAprice.org To be healthy, it is not just a question of what you eat,it is also a matter of excersize and being spiritually healthy. As to the amount of land being used to raise cattle,let us not forget that great deal of cattle is raised on land that is not arable.To suggest that land that is currently being used for beef production could be used for horticulture is being highly misleading.The amount of land that is arable in the following places is as follows: USA 18%, Europe 28%,UK 22%, Australia 6%.
That's partially true. I didn't say eat no meat; I love meat. But too much red meat, the way it's made now with all that fat marbled in, is not great for the heart. The old garbage in, garbage out...feed your body right, and you'll get improved health. And I was saying that since many cattle ranches feed their cattle grain, rather than letting them graze, we have to grow all this grain for the cattle. On other land. Energy transfer rates in the food chain are around 10%, so by feeding the cow grain and then eating the cow, we get about 1% of the energy out of that grain, rather than 10% if we skipped the meat and went for the grain. That just means we have to grow an immense amount of grain to feed the cows enough to get them fat and ready for us to eat. And I just saw this thing on Modern Marvels that said since cows' stomachs aren't evolved to digest grain, millions of cows have to be treated for indigestion.
You can take David Suzuki's Nature Challenge The Challenge is to pick at least three steps and sign up (Don't cheat). Reduce home energy use by 10% Choose an energy-efficient home & appliances Don't use pesticides Eat meat-free meals one day a week Buy locally grown and produced food Choose a fuel-efficient vehicle Walk, bike, carpool or take transit Choose a home close to work or school Support alternative transportation Learn more and share with others
I am an eccentric in that I have a front loading washing machine.I have calculated that the mechanical energy used to do a wash would be equivalent to leaving a 100W globe turned on for approximatly 90 minutes - a tiny fraction to that of a top loader.Furthermore, front loaders use only one third of the water that a top loader does to do the same job.Australia is the driest continent on the earth, yet front loaders only make up 8% of new washing machine sales.Also, front loaders are much gentler on your clothes, so they last much longer. So what type of washing machine do you use? I also use a solar powered clothes drier.How about you? More energy reduction methods can be found on my home page. Ah, now we are talking organic.Did you know that organic fertilizers are a by-product of the meat industry? [Shock Horror] With this knowledge, a vegan once suggested that gardeners use such chemical nasties as pottassium chloride. That is a relative term.A Ford Falcon of today uses less fuel than one made 20 years ago.Did you know that a car only uses a fifth of the energy a fifth of the pollution in its life time than was used to manufacture it in the first place.Solution, keep older smaller cars on the road and fit anti-pollution equipment to these cars.
I always bring trashbags when I go camping or to the park or hiking so I can pick up any trash around. My fav saying is: Leave only footprints and take only memories!
You mean hanging them out:H Yhea I do too. I have a 10 year old 12 speed montain bike how is that for fuel efficent. I also take public transit and when I go for long distance trips I ride the rails, the view kicks ass be it in a passenger car or hidden on freight trains.
Writing About The Establishment Is Fun. And No Matter What You Say, It's Your Words That Are Made. Taking Pictures, And Getting Involve On Talk Radio On The Internet Is Alot Of Fun. I Love The Internet, But I Know They're Watching, And I Don't Really Care! I'm An Activist, And Practice It Every Day Of My Entire Life. Good Luck!
for more ideas that may not have been mentioned here, check out my thread in the old hippies forum titled "what do you do?" i noticed your a teenager too, and one thing i noticed as teenagers is that your parents will most likely think your a nut, and tell you to fuck off if you try to change any of their bad habits, so don't change you is one thing you can work on! remember this stuff when you have a place of your own someday(assuming you make it that far :>), and get into the habit of doing what you can right now...
