How to Help at Home

You may not realize it because it is a part of your everyday routine but the water and electricity you use at home can have adverse effects on your environment.

                                                           
For example, leaving a light on when you aren't in a room may not mean much to you. But every moment the power is being run through your house into that light bulb means the power companies have to keep sending emissions into our environment. Some methods we have learned about, coal and fossil fuels. These emissions are called Green House Gas Emissions and these make up 40% of all emissions in the US today. These air emissions pollute our air which causes smog and acidic rain and also our water. Thankfully, we ourselves have water companies who decontaminate our water so that it is drinkable. But what of the animals who don't have the luxury? Many will unknowingly drink contaminated water from these emissions and die. It's up to us to protect our environment. Turn off your lights when you don't need them!

http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm/data/index.cfm?page=electricity_environment

Did you know that the average American home uses 400 gallons of water a day?! It's incredible how much water we waste without even knowing it. The ways to use less water are quite easy!

Do you ever keep the faucet running when brushing your teeth? Honestly, think about it and if you do, stop doing it! There isn't a need for all that water to be wasted when you don't need it and keep it off when washing your hands. If you are just scrubbing your hands down and don't need the water to get the excess soap off then don't leave it running.

Take a quick shower instead of a bath. I'm not sure if many of you actually still take baths (I haven't in a very long time.) But if you do consider switching to a shower. Showering uses much less water than a bath in the long run especially if you cut your showers short. Five minutes of cut shower time saves an average of 5 gallons of water! On top of this you can take less showers. One shower a day is enough to keep your body clean. Even more-so you could skip a shower one day a week, unless you  did some vigorous activity that caused you to sweat and produce body odor. Skip the shower the environment will thank you for it. Speaking of showering... do you ever use a towel only once and throw it in the hamper? Use a towel multiple times a week, if you are cleaning your body your towel isn't dirty! The less you have to use electric and water the better, less wash is less water and electric used! If you'd like some more basic tips on how to better use energy and water at home use the link below!

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/20-ways-to-conserve-water-at-home.html

If we all take small steps at home to do more we can help protect our environments. It may not be much but every little bit helps. Take action at home and make a difference in your life and the lives of the animals who share this planet with you!

Helpful links:
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/20-ways-to-conserve-water-at-home.html
http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm/data/index.cfm?page=electricity_environment
http://www.wikihow.com/Save-the-Environment-at-Home

Renewable Energies

If we are to combat the problems that our world faces to held protect our wildlife then we must start on a better energy plan. Renewable energy is a source that we must utilize to have a happier healthier life for ourselves and for those we share this planet with. What are some renewable energy sources we could utilize and what do we still use that is not renewable?

Solar power is one method that can help combat climate change and give us a healthier alternative for our planet. Using panels that absorb solar energy from the sun which has no drawbacks other than the fact when the sun isn't out there isn't much energy being absorbed.

Another method we could utilize is wind turbines which allow us to harness the power of the wind to spin around large turbines which produce energy. The drawback of this source is that if the wind isn't blowing the turbines are not spinning which means they produce little energy. Both solar and wind methods could easily supply 40% of the US power grid with power.

One method that is widely used and has been the most successful is the use of dams which block off water flow and slow it down. The water travels through the dam and powers a hydroelectric turbine to give off energy. The problem is there are not many areas effective for dams and thus can only be used in certain areas.

Geothermal power plants use heat from the Earth itself to power the plants which create energy for our planet. It uses heated water or rocks from several miles below our surface, sometimes even deeper into the surface where magma can be found to power the plant. Using our own planet without actually harming it to power our electricity? If you ask me this is a great alternative to burning up our atmosphere.

The alternative to these, fossil fuels and coal, are widely known to give off extremely high levels of gas when burned into our atmosphere. This effect causes our ozone layer to become fragile and allow more harmful rays to make it to our planet. This causes global warming when the suns harmful rays are able to exploit our o-zone layer and heat up the planet. If we however, combine efforts to find new ways and use the ways currently implemented to create better sources of energy we can stop using these sources of energy. Which are slowly starting to dry up and become harder to produce and harmful to our environment.

If you want to help change the way we use our energy then get in contact with your local Senators and elected officials and tell them you want them to support cleaner renewable energies. You can also support groups like the Union of Concerned Scientists. Their site is below with other useful references:

http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy

https://energy.gov/science-innovation/energy-sources/renewable-energy

Images courtesy of: http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy

Poaching and Hunting

Poaching and aggressive hunting is a huge problem towards wildlife conservation. We need better regulations to address these issues. Whole populations are on the verge of being wiped out. Reserves and many countries have taken steps to protect endangered animals but it's not enough. Hunters and poachers are finding ways around the regulations to hunt animals. Giraffes, rhinos, elephants and other animals that are known to be aggressive predators are being hunted down for sport.

Pictured above you see one of the last known northern white male rhino's guarded by Kenyan guards. This rhino has been hunted to the brink of extinction for it's horns and for sport. It's sad to see a beautiful creature like this brought to the brink of extinction. Most likely when this animal dies it will be the last of it's kind and cease to exist.

Many hunters hunt for sport and will usually stay within the laws of the land to hunt down animals that are deemed 'ok' to hunt. But as you can see above some just have zero morals. Hunting animals that have no business being hunted like the Giraffe. I have a strong belief that if animals keep to themselves and do not bother local populace then leave them be. Some wolves, bears, hyenas and other animals who could harm other humans or disrupt the balance must be hunted to keep people protected or protect the balance. Hunting a Giraffe? I just don't see the reason for it.

New regulations must be put in place to protect animals deemed, 'unworthy' of hunting or protected when populations begin to dwindle. Populations must be actively monitored and people held accountable if they break the law and harm these animals. You may also want to get into contact with your local officials in government and express your concerns.

If you would like more information on what you can do to get involved and what our country is doing to get involved with helping fight poaching and hunting visit these sites below:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/07/150715-poaching-wildlife-trafficking-elephants-rhinos-ivory/
https://www.savetherhino.org/rhino_info/thorny_issues/shoot_to_kill
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/fight-against-elephant-poaching-going-commando-180959071/

Climate Change

Climate change is the most important thing for us to address in the situation involving wildlife conservation. If we do not begin efforts to clean up our act then the wildlife around us will be the first to suffer follow by humans. Every living being is interconnected to one another whether we want them to be or not, we all rely on each other. The grass growing in the backyard of your home feeds a rabbit, who later feeds a wolf and it's family. If one of these in the chain disappears the other suffers for it. Areas that were once lush with life are now starting to become barren and uninhabitable for the animals that call them home. It is becoming a harsh reality that the balance of nature is spiraling out of control. If it continues entire species will be wiped off the face of the earth which in turn will cause others to follow with it.

But how does climate change affect this and what is some of the evidence of it happening? Over the past 50 years a trend of increasing carbon dioxide levels has caused our o-zone layer (the protective shielding that protects us from harmful UV rays from the sun) to become breaking down and disappearing.

                                         Chart found on:https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

The chart above shows how carbon dioxide levels have increased dramatically since the 1950's.Shows how carbon dioxide levels have been at an all-time high since the 50's. This is mainly due to the fossil fuel and coal companies who use factories to burn extremely high levels of the gas into the atmosphere which in turn causes it to evaporate. In turn, with the o-zone layer evaporating, the temperatures on our planet have begun to rise. Areas that were once cold like Antarctica have begun to melt. Polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate which is causing another issue, rising sea levels. If the caps continue to melt much of the world we use to know will be sunk under an ocean of water.

This map shows what could happen to North America if the ice caps are left to melt. (Source: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/09/an-interactive-map-of-rising-sea-levels.html#.WKxgCDsrLIU)
As you can see Florida and many other areas will cease to exist. Not only will it affect us at home but the animals that call Antarctica their home, polar bears, seals, penguins and other wildlife will either have to find new homes or most likely will die out. These species are at home in the arctic and thrive there off each other and the rare animals that inhabit it. If one ceases to the exist the others will also die out.

One final issue I will talk about is the acidification of oceans. Since the industrial revolution we as humans have put a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In turn this has caused a 30% increase in ocean acidity on the surface. Fish and other mammals that inhabit the oceans are being killed by rising ocean acidity levels. Fish are an important part of our society as we use them for food and other medicinal purposes like fish oil, which has omega-3's used to treat heart disease. Without our oceans and the fish who inhabit them we will have to find new ways to combat these problems.

An Introduction To The Problems Our Planet Face

   

  Wildlife conservation is an important part of protecting our world for ourselves and for future generations. Plenty of issues are ravaging our wildlife and ecosystems but none as deadly as our own climate. The change to our climate over the past thousand years has destroyed many ecosystems, caused extinction of animals and changed the landscape of our world forever. 

The evidence is all around us; from rising sea levels, to global temperatures rising, to the warming of oceans and to the increase of disaster events brought on by extreme weather. These issues are not the only problem affecting our wildlife though. 

Poaching and illegal animal parts trade also cause a huge decline in populations of our wildlife, which in turn destroys entire ecosystems. Trading of ivory tusks to killing of whales off the coasts of Japan. 

However, the saving grace for our wildlife is that our government has funded national parks and animal sanctuaries to protect important ecosystems from being poached or hunted on. However, many officials in our government want to defund or even close down national parks that protect the natural balance. 

In this blog I would like to talk about and show you ways to tackle these issues affecting the wildlife our world. If we do not take action and start on a track to healing the earth then many of the animals we share this planet with will become extinct. This will have detrimental effects on us as a species and the animals who rely on each other to survive in the wild.

Photo by Charles Caralluzzo