Happy Earth Day!

Hey Jammers! It's Earth Day today!!!! :D

For the past three days, Animal Jam Stream has been having a kind of extended "celebration" of Earth Day where I make a post every day for four/five days detailing what you can do to turn your negative impact on the Earth into a positive one.

I got the idea for Earth Week from this month's edition of Nat Geo Kids magazine, where they already talked about 52 ways to help your world. Because not everyone has a subscription, I've been transcribing them here on my blog in a way that's easier to understand. 

You can view my previous posts by scrolling down the blog, or looking at the archive. C:

Let's get started!

Prevent Pollution

"Always throw trash in the can. Garbage left outside might harm wildlife and end up in the ocean. Trash that's properly brought to a landfill is kept out of the sea."

"According to one study, over eight million tons of plastic pollution end up in the ocean each year.

Drink from a reusable water bottle, store your lunch in cloth or a reusable container, and use bar soap instead of bottled."

(NOTE: It's a misconception that storing food in plastic is more sanitary or keeps it from molding faster. Plastic actually accumulates bacteria, and traps moisture so food spoils faster. 

Storing food in cloth allows it to "breathe", so it lasts longer!)

"Ask your parents to buy more food and clothes that are made without pesticides– chemicals sprayed on crops to kill animals that may eat them. The problem? Pesticides kill animals that are very important, like bees."

(NOTE: Pesticides also make people sick. They accumulate in your body as you eat more food that was sprayed with it!)

"If you go fishing, don't leave nets or lines in the water. Animals can become entangled in the trash."

Combat Climate Instability

"Reduce and reuse as much as possible. Factories emit carbon dioxide (among other pollutants that are bad for humans and the environment) when making new products.

Instead of buying new stuff, fix your appliances and clothes. Good thing patched-up jeans are back in style!"

(NOTE: My friend made a quilt out of t-shirts that no longer fit them! Reusing can be fun and creative.)

"If you see a business with its door wide open in the summer, ask an adult to help you email or talk to an employee about closing it. 

An open door to an air-conditioned building can let 2.2 tons of carbon dioxide escape over one summer. That's about as much as a car on a 5,000-mile road trip!"

"Write a letter to the editor about climate change in your local or school newspaper. The more people talk about the issue, the better!"

"Not everyone understands climate change. Learn the facts and talk to your friends and family. If everyone gets the science, we can work together to find solutions."

Prohibit Habitat Destruction

"Your attendance matters! Wildlife refuges, parks, bird sanctuaries, and nature preserves are more likely to receive funding to stay open when more people visit them."

(NOTE: Donate to a wildlife sanctuary near you! Most sanctuaries have websites where you can donate online.)

Cellphones and computers use a ton of different rare minerals in order to function. 

One particularly destructive material is cobalt (or coltan). Cobalt is a mineral that is used to help electronics retain electricity without burning up.

Cobalt is mined from the sensitive habitats of animals nearing extinction– gorillas and chimpanzees, for instance. Its mining involves basically blowing everything up. Not good, right? 

It's also unhealthy for people living nearby. The mining of coltan pollutes water supplies, along with being a super shady business full of human rights violations. All of that in your smartphone!

So, if you want to support that industry as little as possible, try not to fall for the "buy a new phone every time a new one comes out" thing. Only buy the electronics you absolutely need. 

(NOTE: In Nat Geo Kids, it said that the solution for this was just to recycle your electronics. In theory, that's a good idea, but the truth is that most "recycled" electronics don't actually get recycled because the companies that recycle them just sell them to other countries that they have no contact with. Most end up back in the environment.)

"Is your house full of mail from places like banks and utility companies? Ask your parents to sign up for online alerts. And make sure to recycle newspapers, magazines, and other paper in your home."

(NOTE: Also unsubscribe from magazines and catalogs that you don't use.)

Bring Back Biodiversity!

"Never release a pet into the wild– it could become an invasive species! Cats, dogs, snakes, ferrets, and even hedgehogs prey on local wildlife. 

If you can't care for your pet, find it a new home."

(NOTE: There is also a good chance that your pet cannot survive on their own. Animals don't just rely on "instinct", they learn. If they grew up learning how to live indoors, they will not know what to do on their own outside. Please, please, please don't release your pet into the wild.)

"Riding elephants, holding monkeys, and snapping pics with lion cubs might seem fun, but these animals might have been snatched from their homes in nature and aren't being properly cared for.

Avoid these activities on vacation and ask your parents not to "like" similar photos on social media."

"Think that Dory-looking blue tang would make a good pet? Think again. These fish are difficult to breed in captivity, so blue tangs you see in a store have likely been taken from the wild. That upsets their habitat.

If you have a tank, make sure your fish were not taken from their homes in the wild."

It's interesting how things that are not good for the environment are often not good for humans, either. 

Maybe people aren't separate from the Earth we inhabit.

Animals and plants, we're all living here together. 

The Earth is for everyone, not just humans!

Thank you for reading~ :)