Recycle and Save the Rainforest

 

Thousands of animals are being force to flee their only habitat of the rainforest due to deforestation. This massive removal of trees has caused nearly all the species living in the rainforest to become severely endangered. Even if only one species of frog dies off, the whole entire ecosystem is disrupted. Even before deforestation, rainforests were scarce. Now we must race to save our rainforests before all of their vast flora and fauna become extinct. Why are these forests cut down? One reason is to clear room for residential areas. However, another reason is for creating paper. How can you help prevent rainforest wildlife from vanishing from the planet forever?

The answer is... by recycling! Just in one day, you probably produce a huge stack of scrap paper. Instead of tossing it in the trash, recycle it! When you throw out a piece of paper, that is wasting a whole tree, thus all the animals that rely on it. When multiplied by millions, that amounts to all the trees in the rainforest. You probably receive newspapers daily or weekly. Instead of letting last year's news sit in your garage, recycle the paper! The animals in the rainforest will thank you for it! However, that also means that recycling this piece of paper, multiplied by millions, amounts to saving those trees. Another way to save paper is by writing on the backs of pages. If you are writing in a notebook, use both sides of the page. Twice as many words can fit on that one page if you use both sides! Why do we make animals become homeless when you could simply throw your paper scraps in the recycling or write on the backs of your papers?

Just imagine how many trees were saved by recycling these!

 As well as recycling paper, you should recycle cans, plastic, and glass. While recycling these materials does not prevent deforestation, it does conserve energy. During the process of making new cans and bottles, a great amount of energy is used at the factory. Thus, the machines produce waste-- toxic waste. This waste has contaminated streams, causing fish and frogs to die, thus the birds and larger fish that feed on them to also die. In addition, such pollution harms humans by inflicting damage on the lungs. Also, would you like to walk around a city shrouded in grey smog? In fact, recycling a regular aluminum soda can uses only 5% of the energy making a new one would use!

 

You can easily register for recycling, and spread the word. Encourage recycling at your school or subdivision. Create some posters explaining the benefits of recycling. Earth needs you to help preserve the rainforest. Are you afraid you will accidentally recycle the wrong thing? Here is a list of recyclables:

1. Aluminum and steel cans

2. Newspaper

3. Magazines and other junk mail

4. Paper scraps

5. Cardboard

6. Plastic(any plastic that is NOT a plastic bag)

7. Glass(just NO lightbulbs and mirrors)

Anything not on this list is not accepted by common recycling companies like what you may have at your subdivision. If you have other materials that you think you can recycle, you should research if any specialized companies will take it. However, if you are recycling containers that held food(for example, a glass jug that used to contain tomato sauce), you should rinse them out. They do not need a scrub, but just a rinse.

There's one more thing you can do to help the endangered animals in the rainforest! Please sign the following petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/442/835/296/?z00m=22226901&redirectID=1494203412  As well as for making paper, rainforests are cut down to create palm oil. Currently, many immense fast food companies are using palm oil from the rainforest. Please sign this petition to persuade the fast food industry to use responsibly sourced palm oil!

Note: If you are not comfortable providing your address, you can enter the name of your subdivision.