10 Things You Can Do to Help Save the Earth

by Katie Lambert
Going green is easier than you think. There are little things you can do
every day to help reduce greenhouse gases and make a less harmful
impact on the environment. Taking care of the Earth is not just a
responsibility -- it's a privilege. In that spirit, HowStuffWorks came up
with 10 things you can do to help save the Earth.
1. Pay attention to how you use water. The little things can make a
big difference. Every time you turn off the water while you're
brushing your teeth, you're doing something good. Got a leaky toilet?
You might be wasting 200 gallons of water a day [Source: EPA]. Try
drinking tap water instead of bottled water, so you aren't wasting all
that packaging as well. Wash your clothes in cold water when you can.
2. Leave your car at home. If you can stay off the road just two days a
week, you'll reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 1,590
pounds per year [Source: EPA]. Combine your errands -- hit the post
office, grocery store and shoe repair place in one trip. It will save you
gas and time.
3. Walk or ride your bike to work, school and anywhere you can. You
can reduce greenhouse gases while burning some calories and
improving your health. If you can't walk or bike, use mass transit or
carpool. Every car not on the road makes a difference.
4. Recycle.You can help reduce pollution just by putting that soda can
in a different bin. If you're trying to choose between two products,
pick the one with the least packaging. If an office building of 7,000
workers recycled all of its office paper waste for a year, it would be
the equivalent of taking almost 400 cars off the road [Source: EPA].
5. Compost. Think about how much trash you make in a year.
Reducing the amount of solid waste you produce in a year means
taking up less space in landfills, so your tax dollars can work
somewhere else. Plus, compost makes a great natural fertilizer.
Composting is easier than you think.
Save the Earth - Energy and Driving Tips
6. Change your light bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) last
10 times longer than a standard bulb and use at least two-thirds less
energy. If you're shopping for new appliances or even home
electronics, look for ENERGY STAR products, which have met EPA and
U.S. Department of Energy guidelines for energy efficiency. In 2006,
the ENERGY STAR program saved energy equivalent to taking 25
million cars off the road and saved Americans $14 billion in utility
costs [Source: ENERGY STAR]. (Learn more about proper disposal of
CFLs.)
7. Make your home more energy efficient (and save money). Clean
your air filters so your system doesn't have to work overtime. Get a
programmable thermostat so you aren't wasting energy when you
aren't home. When you go to bed, reduce the thermostat setting --
you won't miss those extra degrees of heat or air conditioning while
you're asleep.
8. Maintain your car. Underinflated tires decrease fuel economy by up
to three percent and lead to increased pollution and higher
greenhouse gas emissions [Source: EPA]. Underinflation also
increases tire wear, so it will save you money in the long run if you're
good about checking your tire pressure.
9. Drive smarter. Slow down -- driving 60 miles per hour instead of 70
mph on the highway will save you up 4 miles per gallon. [Source:
Consumer Guide Automotive]. Accelerating and braking too hard can
actually reduce your fuel economy, so take it easy on the brakes and
gas pedal.
10.Turn off lights when you're not in the room and unplug appliances
when you're not using them. It only takes a second to be
environmentally conscious
Reduce
Reducing the amount of waste you produce is the best way to help
the environment. There are lots of ways to do this. For example:
Buy products that don't have a lot of packaging. Some
products are wrapped in many layers of plastic and
paperboard even though they don't need to be. You can also
look for things that are packed in materials that don't require
a lot of energy or resources to produce. Some products will
put that information right on their labels.
Instead of buying something you're not going to use very
often, see if you can borrow it from someone you know.
Cars use up energy and cause pollution. Some ways to reduce
the environmental damage caused by cars include carpooling
with friends, walking, taking the bus, or riding your bike
instead of driving.
Start a compost bin. Some people set aside a place in their
yard where they can dispose of certain food and plant
materials. Over time, the materials will break down through a
natural process called decomposition. The compost is good for
the soil in your yard and means that less garbage will go to the
landfill.
You can reduce waste by using a computer! Many newspapers
and magazines are online now. Instead of buying the paper
versions, you can find them on the Internet. Also remember
that you should print out only what you need. Everything you
print that you don't really need is a waste of paper.
Save energy by turning off lights that you are not using.
Save water by turning off the faucet while you brush your
teeth.
Lots of families receive a large amount of advertisements and
other junk mail that they do not want. You can stop the
mailings and reduce waste by writing to the following address
and requesting that they take your name off of their
distribution list:
Direct Marketing Association Mail Preference Service
P.O. Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008
Reuse
Instead of throwing things away, try to find ways to use them again!
For example:
Bring cloth sacks to the store with you instead of taking home
new paper or plastic bags. You can use these sacks again and
again. You'll be saving some trees!
Plastic containers and reusable lunch bags are great ways to
take your lunch to school without creating waste.
Coffee cans, shoe boxes, margarine containers, and other
types of containers people throw away can be used to store
things or can become fun arts and crafts projects. Use your
imagination!
Don't throw out clothes, toys, furniture, and other things that
you don't want anymore. Somebody else can probably use
them. You can bring them to a center that collects donations,
give them to friends, or even have a yard sale.
Use all writing paper on both sides.
Use paper grocery bags to make book covers rather than
buying new ones.
Use silverware and dishes instead of disposable plastic utensils
and plates.
Store food in reusable plastic containers.
Recycle
Many of the things we use every day, like paper bags, soda cans, and
milk cartons, are made out of materials that can be recycled. Recycled
items are put through a process that makes it possible to create new
products out of the materials from the old ones.
In addition to recycling the things you buy, you can help the
environment by buying products that contain recycled materials.
Many brands of paper towels, garbage bags, greeting cards, and toilet
paper, to name a few examples, will tell you on their labels if they are
made from recycled materials.
In some towns you can leave your recyclables in bins outside your
home, and a truck will come and collect them regularly. Other towns
have recycling centers where you can drop off the materials you've
collected. Things like paper and plastic grocery bags, and plastic and
aluminum cans and bottles can often be brought to the grocery store
for recycling. Whatever your system is, it's important to remember to
rinse out and sort your recyclables!
Illegal logging
Illegal logging occurs in all types of forests, across all continents, from
Brazil to Canada, Cameroon to Kenya, and from Indonesia to Russia,
destroying nature and wildlife, damaging communities and distorting
trade.
Counting the cost
40-61% of timber production in Indonesia is believed to stem
from illegal logging
25% of Russia's timber exports originate from illegal logging.
In Gabon, 70% of harvested timber is considered illegal.
An estimated 1015 billion is lost through illegal logging
globally each year
The European Union causes almost 3 billion of this loss due
to its trade with countries in the Amazon Basin, the Baltic
States, the Congo Basin, east Africa, Indonesia and Russia.
Failing the Forests: Europe's Illegal Timber Trade
What is illegal logging?
Illegal logging is the harvesting, transporting, processing, buying or
selling of timber in violation of national laws. This definition also
applies to harvesting wood from protected areas, exporting
threatened plant/tree species, and falsifying official documents. It
also includes breaking license agreements, tax evasion, corrupting
government officials and interfering with access and rights to forest
areas.
Causes of illegal logging
Illegal logging exists because of increasing demand for timber, paper
and derivative products (including packaging). Illegal logging can also
happen when forests are cleared for plantations such as oil palm.

But not all wood removal is due to trade. In fact, at a global level
around half of removed wood is woodfuel used for basic energy
needs.

Illegal logging is a major problem in the Congo Basin and the Amazon.
But it also happens in Canada and across Europe.



Economic impacts of Illegal Logging
Illegal logging activities leave an obvious mark of destruction in
forests - gaping holes, where once stood ancient trees.
But theres another cost: lost revenue that may have been
generated from legal logging of forests. So whats the bill for illegal
logging?

When trees are cut without the right permits and are smuggled
abroad, governments lose out financially in several ways including
lost revenue from taxes and duties and the costs of efforts to manage
illegal logging.
A vicious circle that pushes down the market price of timber
Timber that is logged without payment of duties and taxes pushes
down the market price of timber, which acts as an incentive for other
loggers to follow the same practice. This further increases losses to
governments.
A study by the American Forest & Paper Association has estimated
that illegal logging depresses world timber prices by between 7% and
16% (depending on product). This causes US firms losses of at least
US$460 million each year.
Globally, billions of dollars lost each year
The World Bank states that the annual global market loses US$10
billion annually from illegal logging, with governments losing an
additional US$5 billion in revenues.
Why does it continue?
High demand for timber products from Europe, US, Japan and
increasingly from emerging economies such as China
Weak law enforcement
Poorly implemented trade rules
Social Impacts of Illegal Logging
Illegal logging threatens some of the most valuable forests globally
from the Amazon to the Russian Far East. And yet, for many of the
people that live in these forests, illegal logging is a vital source of
income - sometimes it is the only way to survive. But at other times it
threatens their lives.

Increased demand for forests products has brought some financial
benefits for poor people living near to forests. But there is also
evidence to show that usually, poor communities who are completely
dependent on forests lose out to powerful interests, logging
companies and migrant workers who reap most of the benefits.

How does this happen? Around the world, many forest-dwelling
communities have little control over ownership of their land. This
makes them vulnerable to outsiders who try to gain access to their
forest, which may cause repression and human rights violations. Or
just plain exploitation.
US$1 for a villager, US$10 from your wallet
For example, a small community in Papua Province, Indonesia, can
receive approximately US$11 for a cubic metre of hardwood. When
the cubic metre enters a Chinese port for processing, its price has
already reached US$240.
As a finished product, waiting to be bought on a furniture shop rack in
a EU country or the US, this cubic metre will be worth 10 times that
much. Meanwhile, back in Papua, the same community will be
intently seeking buyers to sell more cubic metres earning
themselves a tiny income while they lose their forests.

Making wood legal requires more than good will
Where communities try to sell timber from their land, they often do
not have the means to comply with management requirements for
legal logging. Community forest management plans are expensive
and since local markets are flooded with cheap, illegal products, this
makes legal produce uncompetitive.
When implementing the law can make things harder
Where strong laws exist on illegal logging, putting them in practice
can still be ineffective because of lack of legal independence or
because those enforcing the law may be corrupt. Too often,
crackdowns unfairly single out poor people and small-scale operators
and simply bypass well-connected and protected people.
Illegal logging
Illegal logging occurs in all types of forests, across all continents, from
Brazil to Canada, Cameroon to Kenya, and from Indonesia to Russia,
destroying nature and wildlife, damaging communities and distorting
trade.
Counting the cost
40-61% of timber production in Indonesia is believed to stem
from illegal logging
25% of Russia's timber exports originate from illegal logging.
In Gabon, 70% of harvested timber is considered illegal.
An estimated 1015 billion is lost through illegal logging
globally each year
The European Union causes almost 3 billion of this loss due
to its trade with countries in the Amazon Basin, the Baltic
States, the Congo Basin, east Africa, Indonesia and Russia.
Failing the Forests: Europe's Illegal Timber Trade
What is illegal logging?
Illegal logging is the harvesting, transporting, processing, buying or
selling of timber in violation of national laws. This definition also
applies to harvesting wood from protected areas, exporting
threatened plant/tree species, and falsifying official documents. It
also includes breaking license agreements, tax evasion, corrupting
government officials and interfering with access and rights to forest
areas.
Causes of illegal logging
Illegal logging exists because of increasing demand for timber, paper
and derivative products (including packaging). Illegal logging can also
happen when forests are cleared for plantations such as oil palm.

But not all wood removal is due to trade. In fact, at a global level
around half of removed wood is woodfuel used for basic energy
needs.

Illegal logging is a major problem in the Congo Basin and the Amazon.
But it also happens in Canada and across Europe.


Economic impacts of Illegal Logging
Illegal logging activities leave an obvious mark of destruction in
forests - gaping holes, where once stood ancient trees.
But theres another cost: lost revenue that may have been
generated from legal logging of forests. So whats the bill for illegal
logging?

When trees are cut without the right permits and are smuggled
abroad, governments lose out financially in several ways including
lost revenue from taxes and duties and the costs of efforts to manage
illegal logging.
A vicious circle that pushes down the market price of timber
Timber that is logged without payment of duties and taxes pushes
down the market price of timber, which acts as an incentive for other
loggers to follow the same practice. This further increases losses to
governments.
A study by the American Forest & Paper Association has estimated
that illegal logging depresses world timber prices by between 7% and
16% (depending on product). This causes US firms losses of at least
US$460 million each year.
Globally, billions of dollars lost each year
The World Bank states that the annual global market loses US$10
billion annually from illegal logging, with governments losing an
additional US$5 billion in revenues.
Why does it continue?
High demand for timber products from Europe, US, Japan and
increasingly from emerging economies such as China
Weak law enforcement
Poorly implemented trade rules
Social Impacts of Illegal Logging
Illegal logging threatens some of the most valuable forests globally
from the Amazon to the Russian Far East. And yet, for many of the
people that live in these forests, illegal logging is a vital source of
income - sometimes it is the only way to survive. But at other times it
threatens their lives.

Increased demand for forests products has brought some financial
benefits for poor people living near to forests. But there is also
evidence to show that usually, poor communities who are completely
dependent on forests lose out to powerful interests, logging
companies and migrant workers who reap most of the benefits.

How does this happen? Around the world, many forest-dwelling
communities have little control over ownership of their land. This
makes them vulnerable to outsiders who try to gain access to their
forest, which may cause repression and human rights violations. Or
just plain exploitation.
US$1 for a villager, US$10 from your wallet
For example, a small community in Papua Province, Indonesia, can
receive approximately US$11 for a cubic metre of hardwood. When
the cubic metre enters a Chinese port for processing, its price has
already reached US$240.
As a finished product, waiting to be bought on a furniture shop rack in
a EU country or the US, this cubic metre will be worth 10 times that
much. Meanwhile, back in Papua, the same community will be
intently seeking buyers to sell more cubic metres earning
themselves a tiny income while they lose their forests.

Making wood legal requires more than good will
Where communities try to sell timber from their land, they often do
not have the means to comply with management requirements for
legal logging. Community forest management plans are expensive
and since local markets are flooded with cheap, illegal products, this
makes legal produce uncompetitive.
When implementing the law can make things harder
Where strong laws exist on illegal logging, putting them in practice
can still be ineffective because of lack of legal independence or
because those enforcing the law may be corrupt. Too often,
crackdowns unfairly single out poor people and small-scale operators
and simply bypass well-connected and protected people.