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Every day we make choices in our lives that affect the environment, the climate, and other species. Here’s how you can ‘choose wild’ and reduce your environmental footprint to leave more room for wild animals and plants.
1. Think twice when shopping. Before you buy something new, ask yourself if you really need it. If so, consider buying gently used and look for minimal packaging.
2. Boycott products that endanger wildlife. Avoid places that sell products from threatened species, such as sushi restaurants that sell bluefin tuna, and look for products made from sustainable materials that don’t endanger the habitat.
3. Take extinction off your plate. You have three chances a day to reduce your environmental footprint by eating less or no meat. Eating locally sourced fruits and vegetables also lowers the amount of fossil fuel used to transport food over long distances.
4. Pay attention to labels. Choose Fair Trade certified goods and buy organic food whenever possible. If you’re a coffee drinker, look for “shade-grown” coffee.
5. Make sure big purchases have big environmental benefits. Look for the Energy Star label on home appliances and look for more fuel-efficient car models.
6. Be water-wise. Skip the bottled water. Conserve water by taking shorter showers, fixing leaky toilets, and choosing low-flow or low-water appliances.
7. Ditch the plastic. Cut down on plastic waste by shopping with reusable bags, ditching one-time-use water bottles, and avoiding products made from, or packaged in, plastic.
8. Drive less, drive green. Walk, bike, carpool, or use public transportation whenever possible. Combine errands to make fewer trips and keep your car in shape with regular tune-ups and tire inflations.
9. Choose a smaller family. With more than 7 billion people in the world, we’re not leaving much room for wildlife. We need to talk about human rights, overconsumption, and choosing a better future for wildlife, the planet—and us.
10. Green your home. Improve your home’s energy efficiency with adequate insulation, energy-saving windows, and a programmable thermostat. Call your energy provider to see if it offers free energy audits and efficiency incentives or knows of a company that does.
11. Choose renewable energy. If your state allows you to pick your electricity supplier, use a Green-e certified company. Explore the options—and tax credits—for installing solar in your home.
12. Use your voice and your vote. Vote for candidates with strong environmental platforms and urge them to pass policies that protect the environment and wildlife. Sign and share action alerts, and talk to your friends about endangered species protection and the need to address human population growth and overconsumption.
Learn more:
www.biologicaldiversity.org/population_sustainability
Facebook: Facebook.com/PopulationSustainability
Twitter: @choosewild
Instagram: @CrowdedPlanet
Retrieved from http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/sustainability/pdfs/12WaysToLiveMoreSustainably_factsheet.pdf
Tomorrow’s Child/ November 2017/ Pg 26
