Conservation- You can make a difference

When you put things into perspective as an environmental activist or conservationist, or just as a caring individual, the world is an very big place to try to change. When it comes to conservation, you have to think smaller. . . Focus on improving your county, your neighborhood, or your home. There are many small changes you can implement into your daily life to assist in conservation. In the long run you can make a bigger difference than you’d think!

For example, if you recycle paper products, you might not be able to save a rainforest. Perhaps you could only save one tree a year by recycling. Now think if 10 people recycled… that’s 10 trees saved each year. Now picture this- According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the US consists of appx. 301,526,494 people.¹ About 30% of the population actively recycles.² That’s over 90 million people, which in turn means over 90 million trees each year would be saved.

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of conservation is “A careful preservation and protection of something; especially : planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect”.³

You can help conserve our forests by recycling paper. Other items can be recycled as well, including glass, plastic, and metals. This helps to reduce the amount of waste building up in landfills and conserves our natural resources. Compost piles are a great way to recycle organic matter by breaking it down. Then, it can be re-used as fertilizer for a spring garden!

Conservation isn’t all about recycling though, you can prevent pollution by carpooling to work each day, turning lights off when you are not using them, and planting trees. You’ll be able to read more about these topics on my blog over the next few weeks.

Believe it or not, I don’t currently recycle. I have decided to take up the hobby and see how it goes. Later in the blog, I’ll be able to post to give you an idea of how much I am recycling and let you know how recycling has affected me.

1. POPClocks. 11 November 2006. U.S. Census Bureau. 2 April 2007. http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html

2. E.P.A.. 30 March 2007. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 31 March 2007. http://www.epa.gov/

3. Merriam-Webster. 2007. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. 31 March 2007. http://www.m-w.com/