Forest preservation is fundamental for humanity. Covering about 30% of the Earth’s surface, forests are by far the richest ecosystems in terms of terrestrial biodiversity. It is estimated that about 80 percent of the Earth’s great biodiversity such as animals, insects and plant species are found in this habitat. Moreover forests play a fundamental role in absorbing CO₂, and like the oceans, forests also play a key role in regulating climate. These few reasons should be enough to convince to protect them because they are already disappearing. Thus savage exploitment must be stopped, cutting should be regulated and monitored by dedicated organizations, and specific reforestation policies should be introduced. Notably million cubic metres of wood are used every year for various purposes, such as for example: building activities, mining and decorations. One of the main reasons of deforestation is commercial felling of trees, and only with appropriate policies and regulations it will be possible to preserve these important vital resources.

The existing forests thus must be better protected, and populations who depend on them should loud their voice and induce local governments to do more in order to monitor the status of forests, and intervene when necessary and appropriately with reforestation and prohibiting the use of nocive herbicidal where farming is conducted near forests. It is also necessary to fight forest fires whether due to natural causes or processes (lightning or vegetation rubbing in dry air), or to man’s fault (deliberate or negligent actions). Indeed fire still remain one of the most dangerous and feared threats for forests.

Greenpeace, one of the most important and active environmental non-governmental organisations, has estimated that about 90% of all wood produced in the Amazon comes from illegal activities. According to the World Bank, each year, the illegal world trade in timber generates an economic value of about USD 15 billion and with almost USD 4 billion, US is considered the largest consumer of timber. Stopping the illegal timber trade means discouraging the uncontrolled logging of trees.

Thus, the role of governments in forest conservation becomes a duty: although the government of every country is very concerned about conservation of its forest resources, and has several rules and laws for the protection of forests, so far not all the laws and rules are implemented in an effective manner. There are still room for improvements. Governments should implement a more active attitude in preserving forests and act in order to:

• create and develop the conditions to increase the number of “national parks” and “natural reserves” producing and passing more laws for the conservation of forests;
• prepare day-by-day surveys on the health and status of forests; cataloguing and identifying those areas in need of protection and conservation and where reforestation can be done, and identifying those areas where forests can be processed and exploited for other activities like agriculture, construction and mining;
• encourage all possible forest development activities like social and agro-forestry, training programmes for persons engaged in forest conservation activities and develop the use of forest lands as tourist centers;
• increase the investment needed to ensure better protection and prevention of forests against fire and natural disasters.

Raising a single cow can take away about 2.5 acres of forest. Did you know that a mere quarter of a pound needed to make a hamburger can take away 55 square feet of forest? The average annual consumption of this product by someone who likes to eat meat regularly contributes to subtracting almost 3 acres of forest per year while the annual dietary requirement of a vegan subtracts one sixth of 1 acre of forest and a true vegetarian half an acre.

Climate change and its effects have an enormous influence on the health of our planet and in particular on our forests. Scientists and climatologists fear that, over time, rising temperatures in the oceans will substantially alter normal storm patterns, resulting in significant desiccation of the Amazon rainforest by 2040 and possibly even earlier. Under these climatic conditions, the ability of forests to store carbon could decrease significantly, making the problems and damages caused by climate and its changes even worse.

You can help joining organizations dedicated to the preservation of forests or become even more proactive by collecting and disposing in dedicated containers all the waste you find when hiking for example.

The more paper we consume, the more we encourage deforestation: so let’s try to use products made from hemp and reduce the consumption of paper bags, plates and cups as much as possible; thus, when shopping at the supermarket the use of cloth bags is strongly suggested. Don’t forget: 100% recycled paper is better! And if we need to add or replace furniture at home or office, we should only buy furniture made of wood from certified sources.

All of us have a role to play in preserving our environment starting from personal care. If we use products which have an ecological footprint, an impact on the environment is inevitable, but if you opt for sustainably produced “biodiversity-friendly” cosmetics free of chemical ingredients, this surely helps in preserving nature. Some labels such as the EU Ecolabel guarantee that products are environmental friendly. On top of that, you could try to limit your consumption to the bare minimum.

If you really care about nature and want to contribute to preserve it, try to use your devices as long as possible, or having them repaired instead of throwing them away, this contributes to be more ecological. And return your broken device to a collection point if it is not repairable.

Since the Internet also consumes a lot of energy, you can offset CO₂ emissions related to your online activities limiting the time spent on-line. Some search engines like for example Google, already use 100 percent green electricity. Do a research and opt for eco-friendly search engines.

Biodiversity is of paramount importance for the entire ecosystem represented by our planet. Delicate equilibriums exist in nature and all species are interconnected, in fact biodiversity is more than simply a collection of plants and animals living on earth, biodiversity is about local ecosystems and promoting healthy conditions for all organisms present on this planet to thrive. This is why we need to be more respectfull of he nature and the environment.

It is estimated that around 1 million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction, and the alarming situation is even worse considering that many of them could be extinct within decades. This threatening scenario for the planet and its biodiversity was put in evidence by the 2019 Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service. This same report called for drastic changes in human habits and concrete actions to restore and protect nature and its biodiversity. The Report also founds that the ecosystems on which we humans and all other species depend on are deteriorating faster than we think affecting the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide.

A myriad of institutes and organizations are acting proactively to protect nature and wildlife. You can find one of these organizations and if their scope fits with your concerns, consider giving financial support or volunteering for hands-on work or advocacy. All forms of life on Earth are connected to the oceans, so they deserve a particular care: if you live near the coast you can join up with a local group and get involved in projects aimed at protecting the oceans. The more you learn about these themes the more you’ll want to help. Share this knowledge to educate and inspire others.

Many households and modern housing projects can make use of this technologies to recycle the water sources they use and thus avoid the unnecessary waste of such vital liquid. This initiative, where applicable, requires investment in processing plants and large tanks that can either be installed on the foundations of your home or at the side of it. Using this methods, when possible, your house will always have clean running water, and you won’t take much from the natural sources near your place.

Desertification is the process through which fertile land becomes desert. It can be caused by several events put together: climate change, drought, and irresponsible agriculture practices. Desertification causes poverty, food and water shortages and forced migration for some populations. To tackle these problems, it’s important to take steps to help prevent desertification. If you farm, you can change your methods and become more environmental sensitive. In order to reduce desertification we can:

• plant more trees: soil erosion caused by heavy rain and wind can be reduced thanks to the roots of trees, which not only have the task of absorbing nutrients to sustain the plant itself, but also have the function of compacting and holding the soil together;
• improve the quality of the soil: reduce the number of grazing animals and devote more land to crops by using animal manure to fertilise crops without using chemicals;
• improve the water management: during the wet season, which is rich in rain, water can be collected in cisterns or dams to be used in the drier, hotter season to irrigate crops;
• realize circles of stones on the ground: it is simply a matter of arranging small and medium-sized stones on the ground in a “circle”: in this way, the stones help to retain water on the ground instead of letting it run off quickly;
• run “drip irrigation”: with this system, the water drips slowly and constantly onto the ground through tiny holes in the pipe that carries it. This is one of the best forms of irrigation to use because not only does it reduce excess water to a minimum, but its operation is very cost-effective and can be even more if it works using solar energy.

And if you don’t have the land, you can go to your local library and ask a librarian to point you to some good sources and learn more about this topic in order to use your voice to help make a difference any time it is necessary.

The clothes we wear tell a lot about our character and style, but perhaps not everyone knows that most of the processes involved in producing the fabrics (natural or synthetic) used to make some of our clothes have an environmental impact that cannot be underestimated. The production of a natural fibre such as cotton, for example, uses a lot of water and pesticides during cultivation, or, the dyeing process of some particular fabrics uses chemical solvents and others, such as the process of colouring a pair of jeans, consume considerable amounts of water (around 10 thousand litres of water for each pair of jeans).

Therefore, keeping clothes as long as possible is a good practice and, when possible, we should learn to try to buy clothes made of vegetable materials (greenmojitobio and abbigliamentovegan). When we decide not to wear them anymore, we should sell them online (subito.it and vinted.com) reducing the possibility of involving further manufacturing processes that are potentially harmful to the environment.

Certainly chemical medicines are often unavoidable, but there are aspects you could pay attention to, for example reposing unused medicines into proper container in order to limit their dispersion in the environment. For instance you’d better take your expired or unnecessary medicines to the pharmacy instead of throwing them away or flushing them down the sink. Also use antibiotics only when really necessary, and opt for non-hormonal contraception instead of the normal pills, which eventually ends up in rivers and complicates fish and amphibian breeding.

In order to contribute in preserving our environment the only way is to become more “green” and make simple changes to our lifestyle. Educate your family and friends about the importance of our environment, explaining that we all depend on it and invite them to adopt a more sensitive attitude towards our planet following our Tips. And become more active:

• contact local politicians and ask them to promote legislation to protect our land: lawmakers can have an important impact on creating new laws to protect the environment;
• share your knowledge about climate change problems with your friends: invite them to do some research on the problems affecting our environment, and become active participants in organizations caring for our planet;
• adopt eco-friendly solutions: use durable appliances, or your bike rather than your car. Save energy and water. You don’t have to bombard people with information. You can just bring it up naturally. For example, if you’re out shopping with friends, explain them why you are so rigorous about buying only what you need, and why recycling is so important;
• make charitable donations to organizations helping preserving our environment: donate to help an environmental cause. There are a myriad of organizations dedicated to working on protecting our environment and surroundings. Find one whose mission and vision you support and help to achieve their goals. Some donations to nonprofit organizations are tax-deductible. When you make a charitable donation you can ask for a receipt so you can deduct your donation on your taxes if it’s allowable.