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~ :)

Earth Week Day 3

Hey Jammers, I'm back again for the third day in a row! Whew. 

Even though it takes a lot of time for me to write up these posts, if I manage to post for multiple days in a row then I always wake up feeling happy. :D

Let's get into Day 3 of Earth Week on Animal Jam Stream! With the help of an article from the April edition of National Geographic Kids, I'll show you how to do your part, in a time when the world needs it the most. ^_^

Prevent Pollution

 "Don't fill your birthday goodie bags with plastic yo-yos and other trinkets for your friends. Instead, give them homemade treats or coupons to a local bakery."

"Items shipped to your home often come wrapped in plastic packaging; toys bought at the store are covered in it (or made of it). 

Think about what can be bought secondhand, what can be shared, and what doesn't need to be purchased at all."

(NOTE: Plastic is awful for the environment because it will never truly break down, and it just gets more and more dangerous the more it degrades because small particles get into water supplies and make animals and people sick.

In general, just try to avoid buying it to reduce the demand for so much plastic.)

Combat Climate Instability

"'Vampire' appliances suck energy even when turned off. 

Kill these monsters by unplugging phone and laptop chargers when not in use, and use power strips for lamps and TVs. (Bonus: It will save your parents money on energy bills)." 

"Send a letter, postcard, or drawing to your mayor, government representative, or even the president asking them to do something about climate change."

Prohibit Habitat Destruction

"Plant fertilizer dumps extra nutrients into the water system through the soil, which creates wildlife-killing algae blooms in the ocean.

Local flowers, though, don't need as much fertilizer to help them grow. Encourage your parents to plant them."

(NOTE: The reason why plants native to your region don't need fertilizer is because they have adapted to your region's soil. Because they're already at home, they don't need the soil to be changed with fertilizer.)

"It's fun to look for frogs and slugs under logs– but always put the logs back. Rocks, leaves, and tree limbs are homes for lots of tiny animals, so it's important not to destroy them."

Bring Back Biodiversity!

"Birds can become confused by bright nighttime lights, causing them to collide with windows or fly in circles until they're exhausted.

Turn off unnecessary lights at night in the Spring and Fall, when birds are migrating. You can also talk to your parents about turning off the lights at their workplaces."

(NOTE: Light pollution not only makes it so you can't see the stars– it is genuinely bad for animals! Also, having lights on at night makes it hard for humans to sleep, and insomnia can actually be unhealthy for you.)

"Always stick to the trail when hiking, and keep your pup on a leash."

(NOTE: A lot of animals you will find in nature preserves used to live where cities are now, but were driven out because humans kept walking and building on their homes. 

Some of those animals are ground-nesting bees. Stay on the path, or you could get stung!)

Thanks for reading, guys.

See you in Jamaa! :D

Emails from AJHQ + Earth Week Day 2

Hey Jammers! Before I begin Day 2 of Earth Week, I have some new info from AJHQ themselves that will probably tie up the "Nat Geo Leaving" saga for good. (Hopefully, if no more noticeably unfortunate changes occur as a result)

I emailed AJHQ a few days ago– and got a very clear, non-automated response! 

For context, here is what I wrote:

"Dear AJHQ,

I have played your game for a long time and I love it a lot. Recently, me
and some other Jammers have noticed the erasure of National Geographic
content and logos throughout Animal Jam. On the official WildWorks
website, it says that the partnership between you and Nat Geo is still
projected to continue for another six years, so we are a little confused.

Is National Geographic still under an agreement with Animal Jam, or has
that been broken off?

I hope you are able to answer that question, but if not, I understand.

Regardless, thank you for maintaining such an awesome game."

Here is the reply I received:

"Hello,

We're so glad you think our game is awesome - we try!

National Geographic and Wildworks have mutually agreed to end the 

license agreement for use of the National Geographic name and trademarks inassociation with the Animal Jam virtual world.

We hope this helps.

All the Best,
Nicole
AJHQ"

So, there you have it! Confirmation that National Geographic is no longer going to provide content to Animal Jam. 

But this doesn't necessarily mean the end of Animal Jam's educational content, or that AJ is in danger of shutting down. Let me remind you of an email (from this same person from AJHQ) that was made public a few months ago:

"- National Geographic has never been involved with funding, building, or



publishing Animal Jam. Animal Jam is wholly owned and operated by



WildWorks. 








* WildWorks has partnered with a number of outside institutions to advance wildlife conservation projects, contribute to our educational materials, and endorse the game itself. We will continue to explore synergistic partnerships in the future. 








- Animal Jam continues to grow and flourish as an online community, and WildWorks will continue expanding it with new features, content, and surprises. 








* Animal Jam is in no danger of shutting down or changing. As we’re demonstrating with the Packs feature, we are always looking for ways to give players MORE for their membership dollar, and there are no plans to raise prices. 








We hope you continue to enjoy our products and games. 








All the Best, 










Nicole AJHQ"

You may not realize at first, but a lot of AJ's educational content already comes from places other than Nat Geo. For instance...

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is associated with the Birds of Paradise Journey Book...

This image from a current museum exhibit seems to be sourced from the National Institute of Standards and Technology... maybe that means a partnership? Or at least an interaction?

But most of all:

I know for a fact that Tierney Thys and Gabby Wild are not directly associated with Nat Geo. They're staying!

Brady Barr works for National Geographic... and wears a Nat Geo hat in most of his videos... but I am really hoping that the new videos in his theater are proof that he's staying. 

It would be more a loss than a gain if the break in the Nat Geo agreement meant that any of the three scientists had to leave. :\

Now, we come to the big question: Why are AJHQ and Nat Geo calling it off?

I didn't ask AJHQ that directly, because they probably wouldn't answer it. My idea is that Wildworks' success has something to do with it. Now that AJ is the most popular browser game, they no longer need Nat Geo's support.

There's probably other stuff involved, too, but we don't know yet. :P

I also came up with a theory about why Brady's Expeditions were removed.

You can still watch playthroughs of it on YouTube, and you'll find that some footage around the intro looks like it might be from his National Geographic show Dangerous Encounters. 

If that's the reason why it was removed, then because no directly Nat Geo sponsored footage is used in Barr's normal videos, then he'll most likely stay! 

I'm gonna finish up talking about this now so I can finally get into Day 2 of Earth Week. 

Just know that everything is fine in the realm of AJ!!! 

If AJHQ broke ties, it's most likely for a good reason!

---

Welcome to Day 2 of Earth Week! If you didn't see my Day 1 post, here it is for context. I'm too lazy to explain everything again. :P

Information courtesy of April's issue of Nat Geo Kids magazine. Here are some things you can do to help Mother Earth!

Prevent Pollution

"Form a club in your classroom to reduce your waste at school. Monitor what's thrown away each week, and think about ways to cut down on those items."

(NOTE: You can also do this at home with your family!)

"People in the United States recycle only about 35 percent of their waste, so recycle what you can. Ask your teacher to help create a paper and plastic recycling program in your classroom."

(NOTE: Reduce comes before Recycle, so if there is not a recycling program near you, just try to Reduce the stuff you throw out.)

Combat Climate Instability

"Hand up and reuse your towels instead of washing them after each use. This saves water and energy."

"Livestock such as cows account for most of Earth's heat-trapping gas emissions. Eating more plants cuts down on the need for so much livestock."

(NOTE: Studies show that if all Americans stopped eating beef, all of the United States air pollution/climate change goals would be met!)

Prohibit Habitat Destruction

"Work a lemonade stand, host a bake sale, or sell homemade jewelry to raise funds to protect wildlife and their habitats."

(NOTE: Find out if there are any wildlife sanctuaries in your region and donate to them to make a direct impact!)

"Ask your parents to help you plant a garden full of local trees, flowers, and shrubs to provide habitats for native bees, birds, and other animals."

(NOTE: It doesn't need to be a big native garden to make a difference! I have a small-ish rectangle of Native Plants in my apartment's backyard and I see lots of cool animals. Every little bit helps. 

If you want to learn what plants are native to your region, The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has a great and easy-to-understand database.)

Bring Back Biodiversity!

"Feeding animals makes them less fearful of and more dependent on humans, which negatively affects the critters' ability to survive. Human food can also make animals sick."

(NOTE: You can plant native plants on your property to help animals feed themselves!)

"Avoid souvenirs or other items made from animal parts like scales, teeth, feathers, tortoise shells, seashells, coral, and especially ivory. Animals were most likely harmed or disturbed to make them."

Thanks for reading, guys!!! 

As I said before, Earth Week is not about demanding you do everything on the list. Just doing what you can is what matters. :)

See you in Jamaa~

Welcome to Earth Week!

Hey Jammers! Earth Day is coming up soon– on the 22nd, to be exact. But... one day is not enough time to fully celebrate the entire world, right?

So I decided, as my school is on April Break right now, why not make a post every day for five days dedicated to protecting the Earth? :D

It can be hard to know how you can do your part to help the planet, especially if you don't think what you do matters. Well I'll tell you straight up: everything you do matters! 

Most people give up trying because they think that individual actions don't help. Because millions of people think this way, a lot of damage happens! And we can all agree that that matters.

So with the help of an article from the April edition of National Geographic Kids, I'll show you how to do your part, in a time when the world needs it the most.

Prevent Pollution

"Experts estimate that Americans use about 500 million plastic straws a day, and they're one of the top 10 trash items found during ocean cleanups. 

If you must use a straw, find a reusable metal straw or a paper version."

(NOTE: My family uses bamboo straws– they're compostable!)

"Scientists estimate that about half the world's sea turtles accidentally eat plastic and other trash. Keep the ocean clean by never leaving toys or trash at the beach."

"Balloons eventually fall back down to Earth... and can end up in the ocean, entangling animals or being mistaken for food.

Skip the balloons at your next party, and ask your friends to do the same."

Combat Climate Instability

"Wear a warm sweater instead of turning up the heat, and open your windows and turn on a fan instead of blasting the air conditioner."

(NOTE: This is important because heating and cooling use up the most electricity in your house. If you wanna make a huge difference in your carbon footprint, try this!)

"Walk or bike as much as you can. Biking or walking just one mile a day for one year could save 330 pounds of carbon dioxide– that's the same as planting four trees and letting them grow for ten years!"

"Try to eat mostly in-season and locally grown fruits and vegetables. This cuts down on the energy used to grow and transport food, which reduces the release of pollution and heat-trapping gases."

Prohibit Habitat Destruction

"Palm oil is often used in products like chocolate, soap, ice cream, bread, cookies, and shampoo. But most rainforests are being destroyed in order to grow the trees that produce palm oil. Try to avoid buying products that use it."

(NOTE: Check the ingredients on the food you buy! If palm oil is included, choose another product if you can. For example, some peanut butter has palm oil, but some doesn't and is the same price.)

"Using too much water from lakes and rivers affect animals' habitats.

Conserve this resource by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when you brush your teeth, and bugging your parents to fix leaky pipes."

Bring Back Biodiversity*!

*Biodiversity refers to the different kinds of animals living in a region. 

If a region has only a few kinds of plants and animals, like a city, there is low biodiversity and the ecosystem is weak. Sickness spreads faster, for animals and humans.

If a region has many, many different kinds of plants and animals, like a forest, there is high biodiversity and the ecosystem is strong and healthy.

Human activities can hurt and kill animals, thereby reducing biodiversity. 

"Some people are scared of animals like wolves, sharks, and bats– and try to harm them out of fear. 

But these animals are super important because they keep their habitats healthy. So tell everyone how amazing they are!"

(NOTE: Do you know Yellowstone National Park? Grey wolves lived there for hundreds of years, but were made extinct in the region by humans many years ago. Because of a domino effect caused by their temporary extinction, the entire landscape changed for the worse. 

In 1995, when grey wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone, biodiversity increased and the entire landscape improved! 

Wolves, sharks, and other "scary" predators are called keystone species, meaning that if they become extinct, their entire ecosystems can become extinct.)

"Bluefin tuna and Atlantic halibut are large fish that reproduce and grow very slowly– so try to avoid eating them."

(NOTE: Tuna are actually straight-up endangered. But for some reason, you can still buy them at the store! A tuna sandwich is a normal thing you can find in your cafeteria!

Even if they are not endangered, any fish you buy from the store was most likely caught alongside sea turtles, sharks, and dolphins that accidentally got caught in the net.  When you eat any fish, you might as well be eating those, too. 

In general, try to avoid buying any fish at all.)

Thank you for reading! Remember, this list isn't a demand. Just do what you can. Helping the environment isn't about being a perfect person, it's about doing the best you can. :)

Everything in quotes comes from this April's issue of Nat Geo Kids magazine. For the next four/five days, I'll continue to transcribe their list of things that help the Earth in a more easy-to-understand way.

And if you have any questions, feel free to comment! :D

See you in Jamaa~