Not only the Amazon is burning right now, there are also wildfires in Indonesia. Close to 700 hotspots have been identified in fire-prone regions in Sumatra, Kalimantan and the Riau islands. These forests are not only home to many amazing animals, some of which even endangered, they also produce 20% of the world’s oxygen. Here are some things everybody can and should do:
1. Donate to NGOs
There are so many brilliant NGOs out there fighting on the frontiers, such as Rainforest Trust, Cool Earth or Rainforest Rescue. Every penny counts.
2. Eat consciously
Most of the rainforest has been cleared by PURPOSE to grow soybeans, which is fed to animals, which lands on our plates. Europe is a big customer for soy beans from Brazil.
If there is not a quick way to grow meat in petry dishes, this demand cannot be handled much longer. Besides thinking of eating less/no meat and dairy products, buy and eat at least local.
Watch “What the Health” or “Cowspiracy” on Netflix.
3. Know about palmoil
Many rainforests are also cleared by purpose to establish palmoil plantations. Palmoil is lethal. It is in so many things, such as Nutella, shampoo, shower gel, detergent, cookies, packaged bread, frozen pizza and the list goes on. It is not only the cleared rainforest, it is also the case that one palmoil tree takes up to 10l/day from the ground, resulting in low rivers for communities
We know it is a difficult situation as palm oil plantations give jobs and even houses to communities, where there are hardly any jobs. And the alternative such as sunflowers or coconut oil need even more space than palmoil trees, therefore it is important to watch out for certified palmoil.
Read also: The Ultimate Guide to Help Prevent Deforestation
4. Sign a petition
Stop the assault on Earth’s green lung! by RainforestRescue: Sign petition
Stop the burning of the Amazon rainforest! by change.org: Sign petition
5. Buy local or certified products
It is always better to buy local (and organic) to support local communities in your hometown and to avoid shippings and CO2 emissions. A list of certified products can be found on the Website of Rainforest Alliance, where you can also filter by your country.
6. Re-use or buy second hand
It is that easy. The less products are being made the less ressources are needed.
7. Use Ecosia as a search engine
For every 45 searches a tree is planted. To change your default search engine in Firefox go to settings >> search and change to Ecosia at Default Search Engines and 1-Click-Search Engines. For Chrome you can install the addon.
8. Install “Tab for a Cause”
Support your favorite cause with every new tab in your browser. Ads on the new tab page raise money, and you can determine where the money goes. Install here
9. Reduce plastic
Many of the plastic waste from Western countries is not being recycled inland. Instead it is being exported to poor countries. China was a huge importeur, but refused to take more Western waste some years ago. The US, UK, Japan, Germany and Mexico are among the biggest exporters of scrap plastic to Thailand, Malaysia or Vietnam. And here the waste is not being recycled either. Instead it will be dumped, sometimes even in rainforest areas. Not to mention the amount of plastic in our seas. Read about The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
