We tend to think of saving the world as this huge impending task that is nearly impossible. But have no fear, it's easier than you think!
There are plenty of charities out there to save both people and the planet - we will get to those in a little bit - but let's just start with one thing at a time.
Raise your hand if you have an old smart phone laying around that you don't know what to do with - Blackberry (#throwback), iPhone 4, Android, any smart phone.
Yeah, me too. Keep your hand up if you think stopping people from cutting down rainforests is a good way to start changing the world. It is, good job! Deforestation is a huge contributor to greenhouse gasses (17% in fact, and transportation is only 13%) plus it kills the trees that clean our air and provide cute little animals with homes. How does this relate to cell phones? Well, most of the time the illegal loggers get away with their crimes because the rainforest is so noisy no one can hear them. BUT if you use old cell phone's microphones and GPS systems to pinpoint the sound of chainsaws, the loggers can be stopped. Check out the Ted Talk on this here.
SO: Hit that Easy Button, your ancient iPhone 4 just saved a rainforest!
Moving on, let's picture another part of the world - the oceans. Everyone loves going to the beach right? And you probably bring water bottles, and sunscreen bottles, and plastic sunglasses, and plastic floaties... well what happens to that when you're done? Recyling helps, for sure, but a lot of the plastics we use aren't recycleable, or they find their way in to nature. There is a thing called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (among others) which is basically a trash island. Miniscule and even large pieces of plastics gather in these patches because of the currents and they harm or even kill the wild life. Not only that, but the chemicals leach in to the water, are absorbed by fish, and then eaten by humans. Not cool.
BUT you can do something small to make a big difference. Simply become aware of the plastics you use every day, like REALLY aware, and use the 3 Rs - recycle everything you can, reuse everything you can, and reduce your usage (especially of single-use plastics like shopping bags or coffee lids). For 2 weeks, try to not use single-use plastics at all. Get a paper bag at the grocery store, or drink your coffee without a lid, or buy a reuseable metal water bottle instead of a one-and-done bottled water.
Take that silent plastic monsters!
There's some pretty cool organizations out there that want to help save the planet and everything in it. With POINT app, you can follow them and see how slowly but surely, the easy changes we make in our lives can save the world!
Stay curious, friends, and help us make saving the world despicably easy.