Conservation
Trump, Trophy Hunting, and That One Time The President Didn’t Disappoint Us (Yet)
With sharply plummeting rhino populations, a decrease of one-third of total elephants in less than a decade (and many of those numbers from protected areas) and less than 20,000 lions left in the wild, African wildlife has recently found itself in unprecedented peril. But luckily turning things around should be a piece of cake. We…
Read MoreInsights from Environmental Science Journalist Mike Gaworecki
Readers of Don’t Forget Your Boots will know that we often struggle with finding positive environmental stories. Recently, I reached out to the most positive-and friendly-man in conservation, Mike Gaworecki, the Staff Writer and Editor at Mongabay.com, with burning questions from “how to get into wildlife conservation writing” to “are we all doomed under Trump”.…
Read MoreHow banks and corporations are destroying the planet
Go figure, but big bankers don’t always have the best interests of common people in mind. Whether it’s for resource mining, paper for pulp, or palm oil, many banks and corporations are culpable for destroying the planet one forest at a time. How banks and corporations are destroying the planet (probably with your money) In…
Read MorePositive Environmental Stories
This article was updated September 20th, 2017 In the death by 1,000 cuts of today’s news climate, bad news is as irrepressible as ever. The current state of affairs regarding climate change, potential loss of the honey bees, and obviously, the breakdown of the EPA, can make even the most stoic of conservationists squeamish. But…
Read MoreNature is good for you
“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, ‘”This is what it is to be happy.’” As one of our favorite nature quotes, Sylvia Plath was onto something when she wrote The Bell Jar. And she is right, science has determined nature is good for you. Recently, PLOS…
Read MoreWhat will happen to the environment under Trump?
This article was updated March 29th, 2017 “You know what this says, right? You’re going back to work.” On March 28th, to a smattering of applause, Trump signed an executive order that begins the long process of dismantling Obama’s Clean Power Plan. He said the order, known as “Energy Independence” would deregulate the industry, “reverse…
Read MoreWater, Water, Everywhere? Not Really
In many places, clean drinking water is so commonplace that it is often something that most of us take for granted. In the United States, functional water amenities have become so familiar that in many places they are simply automatic. This is, however, not a luxury that the rest of the world shares, and in…
Read MoreVolunteer in South Africa with Afri-Campus
Recalling what she learned in her training, Beth’s eyes followed the direction the giraffes were gazing. It didn’t take her long to realize that all of them were being watched by one of Africa’s Big Five. Not too far away, a leopard lay benignly under a bush, casually assessing lunch options. Using her intuition and…
Read MoreConflict Palm Oil and the Destruction of Rainforests
This article was updated September 19th, 2017 The rainforests are the lungs of the earth, provide food to many people, and are an amazing ecosystem for some of the world’s most beautiful flora and fauna. With that in mind, there’s little doubt that the effects of rainforest deforestation would be devastating to both people and…
Read MoreCompanies That Give Back To The Rainforest
The rainforests of the world are astounding, and from where almost 80% of food originated. Just imagine millions of giving trees handing out everything from shampoo to coffee to moisturizer and you’ll almost be there. Humans have known the giving potential of the rainforests for thousands of years, relying on it’s flora and fauna for…
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