Ready to do some good for yourself and our planet? Here are 5 actions you can take this week:
Our friends at Mother Nature Network provided us with 5 things we can all do to stop deforestation in 2009. Here we are almost 10 years later – we’re sad to say that these 5 things are still needing to be done? The great news is that in 2018 the call to action is stronger than ever and we can do this. Yes? Here we go!
- Plant a tree. Trees are simply amazing. Let the Arbor Day Foundation help you celebrate their greatness.
- Go paperless. Well, “saving the environment” was not the number one reason to go paperless on this 2017 article featured on helpsystems.com – but all of the reasons are great, so we will take it.
- Recycle and buy recycled products. Closing the recycling loop is essential, just ask Grist’s Umbra! Did we mention Umbra was on our show in 2011? She was! You can listen to the podcast and everything. Wow – 2011. Where does time go?
- Look for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification on wood and wood products.The FSC sets standards for responsible forest management. A voluntary program, FSC uses the power of the marketplace to protect forests for future generations. Some people feel the best way to prevent deforestation is to stop using forest products. In reality, people use forest products every day. For example, the average American uses nearly six trees worth of paper each year.
So FSC harnesses market demand to ensure forests are responsibly managed. Because FSC is the gold standard in forest certification, it is the only system supported by groups such as WWF, Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Natural Resources Defense Council and National Wildlife Federation.
Today, more than 380 million acres of forest are certified under FSC’s system, including more than 150 million acres in the US and Canada. - Eat vegetarian meals. Be like the Lorax and speak for the trees! What we are having for dinner is a big part of the equation. Well, dinner and breakfast and lunch – it matters.