environment – Eco Home Ideas

7 Reasons To Care About The Environment

There are as many reasons to take care of the Earth as there are people living in it. We all know that, of course. But sometimes we forget the actual impact we have in the world. And since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are some very tangible reasons to care about the environment.

1. The Maldives

The Maldives are probably the most vulnerable populated area when it comes to global warming. Rising sea levels threaten this little islands and eating away their land. Some very bleak predictions estimate that the Maldives will disappear below sea level in less than fifty years. People are already emigrating in preparation of losing their home.

2. Java, Indonesia

This is the world’s most populated island and as such, the world’s most polluted one. People produce so much trash and waste that it completely surrounds the island and it’s not even possible to practice water sports without a wave of pollution taking the fun out of it.

3. Accra, Ghana

Electronic waste is growing every day and we don’t even notice it. We’ve become accustomed to changing our computers fairly frequently as they develop faster and cheaper. But the other side of the coin is landfills all around the world filling up with our electronic waste. Nothing wrong with a new computer, we just need to learn to recycle the old ones.

4. Willamette National Forest

Only less than 1% of Willamette forest in Oregon, US remains intact. Most of it was cut down for agriculture and urbanization and the rest was lost to fires. Forests like this take multiple generations to grow, and now it’s not likely that we will ever get back even a fraction of what was lost.

5. The Amazon, Brazil

This rainforest is considered by many as the lung of the world. It plays a key role in the production of oxygen and climate regulation all around the world. And yet, every year we are losing a bigger part of it. Companies want to cut it down for farming land, urbanization and mining, and local governments are doing little to stop them.

6. Ken River, California

This is what an oil field that has been active since 1899 looks like. Drilling for oil has devastating consequences for the local environment that won’t just go away once we stop. And this is on top of all the other evils of fossil fuels we are so familiar with, like increasing emissions of greenhouse gasses.

7. Svalbard, Norway

The increase in temperatures because of greenhouse gases causes glaciers around the world to melt at an accelerated pace. This introduces large amounts of fresh water into the oceans, causing shifts in currents and climate. And, of course, a rise in sea level, which affects land close to the water, such as The Maldives.

Is Your Cat An Eco Threat? (We’ll Answer Right Meow)

One of the most underrated threats for our local ecosystems has been allowed to go unchecked for too long. And there’s probably one near you right meow. I don’t want to alarm you, but it could be anywhere, on your lawn, inside your house, under your bed… it could even be on your lap right now as you are reading this. That’s right, I’m talking about the domestic cat. I’m sure Mr. Mittens is incredibly cute and cuddly, but he could be terrorizing your neighborhood without your knowledge. It’s not his fault, of course, he’s just following his instincts. But, the cat’s out of the bag now and we’ve got some ‘pawsitive’ news.

One of the stronger instincts for cats is to hunt. It doesn’t matter how well-fed your cat is, he will still want to hunt and kill prey. Even if you give Dr. Fluffkin home-cooked meals every day, he will still go outside and ruthlessly murder some birds. And probably won’t eat them afterward. Studies have shown that cats are killing billions of animals every year, which makes them a hazard for local wildlife.

Studies estimate that cats are responsible for the deaths of up to 3.7 billion birds and 20.7 billion mammals each year in the US alone. Globally, 33 species were drove to extinction by cats. Stray and feral cats are the worst offenders, but pet cats are not free of blame. Luckily, there are ways in which you can mitigate the effect of your pet in the local environment.

First of all, you can keep Princess Furrypaws indoors. This will stop her from killing birds, squirrels and rabbits. This will also keep your cat safe, away from cars, other animals and cruel or careless people. If you want to let your kitty enjoy the sun and fresh air, you can always get him a leash and a harness, and take him outside under your supervision. It will probably take a while until your cat is used to the leash, but it can be done. Simply make him wear the harness for a few minutes a day until he moves normally, and then add the leash to the equation.

If you don’t want to use a leash and your cat still goes outside, then you can try buying a well-fitted collar with a big bell. This is by far the least effective route, but it has been proven that a bell can reduce a cat’s success when hunting by a third.

But wait, you say, Captain Whiskers never goes outside, he only hunts laser pointers and plastic mice. If that’s the case, then your cat is probably very eco-friendly, you’ve done your part to save the Earth. Just remember to play with your cat for twenty minutes every day to keep him stimulated and make him feel loved. Unless you’re looking forward to raising a serial killer kitty cat.