Charities Blog

Giving Something Back

Amazon Jungle: Under threat from Ethanol producers

By

altfuel.jpgThe high costs of ethanol production and pressure from environmental agencies have forced some lucrative companies to go elsewhere in their drive to produce more grain for the production of ethanol. Ethanol, the major ingredient of E85 biofuels used by Flex Fuel vehicles which can run on mixes and even pure ethanol is now gaining more and more in the area of demand with the price of oil hovering at the 100 USD mark. The Amazon Rainforest and some other Southern American countries are bearing the brunt of the greed of certain individuals and corporations who want to avoid the heavy price for pollution, relocating to countries with little or even no environmental control policies that aim to prevent pollution and control industry’s impact on the fragile environment.
The Amazon Rainforest is considered to be the last most biologically diverse area on earth which is now under pressure from international conglomerates for the production of corn and soy for use in ethanol production. Corruption in these normally developing countries makes it easier for unscrupulous individuals to get permission from government personnel who are under their payroll to clear and plant crops for export overseas. These industries use the term economic opportunities for the locals whom they employ (which is actually due to cheaper labor) in their fields and the benefits to the economy (which is only for the short-term goals) for forest land is not suitable for cultivation due to it’s poor soil quality. The poor soil necessitates the heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides to allow crops to produce more grain which in turn washes into the rivers and streams. The normal flow of nitrogen from forests and other wild lands are naturally controlled by organisms which live in them but too much leaves them ineffective thus allowing the residue to end up in our seas. Too much nitrogen in the sea stimulates algae to bloom uncontrollably eating up most of the oxygen in the water that is vital for a healthy water ecosystem. The reefs and fish die off or move on to better habitat leaving coastal areas void of life. The reefs do recover but it takes time (decades actually) but continued cycles of algal blooming will result in permanent dead-spots/areas in our coastal areas if the root of the problem is not addressed promptly.

Originally posted on March 19, 2008 @ 9:41 am

EarthShare.org

By

earthshare.jpgEarthsahre is a network of nationwide non-profit organizations that are represented in 18 states in America. Their goal is to empower the individual, business and other groups in their drive to help the earth with regards to the environment. The environment’s health is our health and Earthshare knows that and applies recourses to programs that helps save the environment. Global warming is a real issue that must be addressed, the impact of which is currently being felt with severe weather, unprecedented environmental destruction and many more issues such as uncontrolled pollution and misdirected government expenditures that should otherwise be directed at preserving this earth of ours. Considered to be a respectable group with a four-star rating from Charity Navigator and it is registered and recognized to be a reputable charity organization by the Better Business Bureau.
Their main target is to raise awareness in the workplace through campaigns that encourage them to take part in environmental protection. They work to safeguard the health of everybody including nature’s fragile balance. Years of neglect has led to many natural disasters, many of which have not been seen in recent history. The Antarctic ice melting, the tops of Mt. Everest without it’s glistening white crown and many more changes in the environment are warning signals of the pending danger we are going to face if we do not take action now. From recycling programs for your cell phone to volunteering they enjoin everybody to join in the effort to save the earth which we have neglected for so long. They also offer nifty tips and tricks on how you can become more friendly to the environment. Save the Earth, take action now.

Originally posted on March 25, 2008 @ 8:17 am

Whales –Secretive Creatures

By

Whale3.jpgWhale2.jpgWhale1.jpgWhales are considered to be the least studied marine mammals on earth due to their secretive lifestyle while they roam the world’s oceans. From birth till maturity, their lives are still quite murky for the studies only go on seasonal observations by scientists. Their long lifespan and large size prevents them from being captured and raised in captivity where scientists have learned so much about the world’s many marine animals. Breeding, diets, and many other aspects of their daily lives still elude our scientists and new innovative developments like the whale cam, which is a camera that attached to the back of whales allowing scientists to see what they do when they go miles under the sea to feed or do whatever whales do.

Protecting the oceans is still the first step and education is the key. Efforts have been quite successful but their numbers still dwindle on the brink of extinction. Some species are even thought to be almost wiped out due to few sightings. Plastic pollution in the seas is also becoming a greater threat for these artificial wrappers do not degrade and are often blamed for the deaths of many marine animals which die from ingesting or getting caught in them. There is need for protection for these giants who have a right to live as we do for they have long been in the seas long before man has ever been on earth and man who is considered to be the only being on this planet who has the power to save or wipe out a species should do everything in it’s power to do so. Save our Seas and save the Whales, we might just end up saving ourselves.

Originally posted on February 25, 2008 @ 6:39 am

Charities for the Environment (Part 1)

By

envact.jpgThere are several charities that tackle poverty on a global scale that is aimed at providing feasible sustainable livelihood projects for those who live in under developed areas of the world. In India for example, the move of NGO’s who have initiated and continuously supported the putting up of communal biogas digesters has been going on for quite sometime and have proven that home-based fuel generation is possible. The project provides the technology and equipment to provide cooking and lighting through biogas production from human waste. These plastic digesters are constructed and donated to family groups who have them installed in their backyards as well as all supporting facilities such as piping and lighting fixtures. The family is then educated on the upkeep of the system and are left to fend for them selves. Many of the installations have been so successful that the need for wood in cooking and lighting has diminished considerably exacting less pressure on oxygen generating trees.
In other areas where nature has been under attack for generations, charities and various environmental groups have recruited people who used to hunt animals for the illegal trade as guides and protectors themselves to safeguard their previous quarry that are not on the top of the endangered species list. Tigers, elephants, rhinoceros and other susceptible species have enjoyed protection from the very people who used to hunt them who were, as the various environmental groups the best suited people for the job for their skill are unparalleled in tracking and finding these mostly secretive beasts.

Originally posted on March 1, 2008 @ 11:25 pm

Charities for the Environment (Part 2)

By

envact1.jpgIn rural areas where jungles boarder frontier towns, loggers are turned into farmers with help from the UN and other aid agencies who provide education on how their actions such as logging, charcoal making and stripping of forest can spell the end for the lifestyles they wish to protect. Indigenous people are tapped for better understanding of forests which they have hunted and subsisted on for millennia giving them the power to protect the land on which they live on with assistance from environmental groups.
Local cultures are corrected to prevent wiping out species such as sea turtles, birds and other resident animal species to prevent them form extinction. With the case of sea turtles which have high mortality rate from birth to adulthood, they may not have a nesting ground to return to when it is their time to contribute to their dwindling species due to development for tourism and other necessities.
Oil has had resurgence in terms of prices and forecasts of dwindling supplies plus worldwide political tensions have cause much alarm to economists. The need for alternative energy is not an alternative anymore but more of a must if we all want to keep on living on this earth for the rest of our lives.
Much is the power of man to create and destroy what nature has spent millions of years to create. Million of years on evolution have been wiped out in a few short years by over hunting, fishing and development of previously pristine areas that used to teem with wildlife and other native plants. Man needs to protect and recognize the importance of biodiversity if we are to ever continue to live on this planet for we are the only life forms on this earth who are capable of influencing and exacting change in the hearts and minds of all of Mother Nature’s creatures.

Originally posted on March 4, 2008 @ 11:28 pm

Wildlife Charities

By

Nature.jpgThere are currently several local and international charities that have been formed by environmentally conscious groups in most countries due to the threat to wildlife man had effected due to changes to the environment. This has always been a case such as with endangered species, some of which have been brought back from the brink with captive breeding programs such as the American Bison which was almost wiped out of it’s home range but has now returned to better numbers enough to take it off the endangered list. Many such efforts have been successful when conducted in developed countries but conservation for a developing or third world country is a totally different matter. They may either not have the political might to reserve money for such programs or that there is no promise of financial gain that businesses rarely engage in the said activities.

Tis’ true that big businesses sponsor and donate regularly but that may not even be enough for a proper environmental preservation/conservation program. Environmentalists have long accepted the fact that they way is to convince the people who live within the area itself where these creatures reside in and into which their habitats have been encroached on to become the best approach for it to succeed. Conservation efforts in Malaysia for example have the Orangutan considered to be protected but poachers who just happen to be locals still continue to hunt and trade them illegally on the world market. Zoos have been forced to take alternative steps in their acquisition of animals for their exhibits for they were once determined to be the primary reasons for the extinction of some species in the first place.

The world needs to accept that we are the only creatures on this earth that has the capacity to destroy and rebuild what nature has taken millions upon millions of years to create and awareness is the key along with the promotion of a better understanding of the implications of a species being wiped out off the face of the earth. We should all pitch in our own little ways to help natural environments remain as they are without impacting the animals and plant life that resided within. The Amazon which is the largest untouched natural area on this earth is disappearing at the rate which would have it wiped out in as little time as it takes for the next generation to become aware of its existence.

Originally posted on February 9, 2008 @ 8:55 am

SOS – Save our Seas

By

Dolphin.jpgSave.jpgWhales.jpgThis might be one of the most important endeavour people should engage in for the seas that surround our continents are there to stay along with the many species of marine mammals, fishes and plants that are unique to each and every marine environment. Many species of animals are in the endangered species list and people have to take notice and action even within the household which has far reaching effects on our plant’s ecology. The recent uproar on Japan’s Whale hunting and dolphin slaughter activities has attracted much attention to the amount of abuse and indignity our fellow living beings suffer on this planet. Australia has voiced disgust on the actions of the government for condoning such activities which should be stopped and prevented from happening. The country has ordered whale hunting, well for humpbacks that is, to halt due to increasing international pressure and through requests by the International Whaling Commission. The Japanese people are just following their traditions which include these activities as part of who they are and their culture. They argue that this is the way they have lived for hundreds of years and that they should be allowed to continue on doing to continue that tradition. Japanese fishermen have been reported to act with disgust to the action of Westerners for they argue that they are interfering with tradition and their way of life. In one incident, a Western Wildlife Activist who was taking video for his expose had his camera smashed as he exchanged heated words with Japanese Fishermen. GreenPeace has long been battling these whalers and have had some success but sometimes placing their lives at risk. Some are arrested and some have their boats smashed when the captain of whaling ships order them rammed.

Originally posted on February 22, 2008 @ 6:28 am

Economics and Charities for Wildlife (part 2)

By

Australia’s marsupials have long suffered from these introduced species that Bandicoots other indigenous animal life have almost been wiped out of their previous territories. Australia isolated a portion of its territory, fencing it and killing all non-native species that come in or near it to preserve and allow them to recover. In New Zealand, Kiwis(the flightless bird not the fruit) which has long been part of their cultural heritage have long been extinct in developed areas, thriving only in isolated islands where non-native species have been able to reach. In the Philippines, Sea turtles have long been used for food and commerce that the WWF through local groups and the government, have been working to establish sanctuaries to safeguard the beaches which they use for nesting from predators (dogs, cats and humans) patrolled by volunteers till the eggs hatch. The said volunteers aid the hatchling to the sea lessening the deaths that occur due to natural predation from sea birds.

The great elephants of Thailand are now beginning to receive protection with neglected ones being cared fro and rehabilitated for release into wildlife preserves. Orangutans in the Malaysian isles have been protected fro sometime with some headway in terms of breeding and the establishment of large enough rainforest to allow them to thrive and breed naturally.

All these species have been threatened and continue to be threatened by our activities, so much that some are already in the endangered species list. Many still suffer from poaching due to the huge demand for traditional medicine and cure-alls that efforts are making a small impact on the demand. The small steps we take towards a ecologically diverse and stable wildlife community should also include habitat that should be protected by their governments in order to prevent illegal activities. The West and their citizens have long promoted protection for animals and their habitat sometimes when they themselves experience them as tourists to these foreign lands. Locals too have been touched by the plight of these animals that they have banded with volunteers from other nations in the quest to preserve and protect our native species. To end it, all of us can do our share in the drive for the preservation and protection of animal species through donations and volunteer work. Check out your local wildlife centers for any needs and please donate to help them.

Originally posted on February 16, 2008 @ 2:44 am

Economics and Charities for Wildlife (part 1)

By

endangered.jpgAs we all know, awareness about nature is the sort of humane actions that has been helping wildlife all over the world for sometime now. The charities like the; World Wildlife Fund (WWF), The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), The UK’s Blue Cross and many others are all founded and based mainly in developed countries who have the financial might that allow their constituents to provide their time, expertise and have ample resources for funding that allow them to exist and continue working thought the hardest of times.

Many Asian countries boast some of the most diverse and untouched natural habitats the world over mainly due to the undeveloped nature of these countries. Less development means less pressure on nature in terms of habitat disruption/destruction and trade in wildlife/derivatives. Many animals have suffered due to the demand for animals that was first used for traditional Asian medicine that is now slowly being curbed by environmentalists who aim to educate the locals on how the loss of these native species would impact their environment.

The very slow development that has protected and allowed these animals (tigers, orangutans, birds, turtles and many other species) to thrive in peace has been shattered but rapid expansion and development of pristine areas for tourism and other commercial uses that habitat destruction is the most common result. Sea Turtles for example have a very low survival rate from the time they hatch to the time that they are sexually mature to reproduce that only about 2 in thousands will make the return trip to their nesting grounds (if they are still there that is). Those species that have been heavily studied and bred with the help of science are making a comeback but species like the fabled Blue fin Tuna which has eluded artificial propagation are still quite on the downhill in terms of numbers but research continues. The development of formerly pristine areas has also brought feral or introduced species such as cats, dogs, goats and pigs that destroy the habitat of native species even wiping them out totally from some areas.

More on the next post……..

Originally posted on February 13, 2008 @ 2:07 am

Why Some Animals go Extinct

By

Thylacine.jpgQuagga.jpgDodo.jpg
Environmentalists, conservationists and scientists have been working hand in hand in the race to preserve plants and animals in the wild. Even with ample funding and resources, some of these animals and plants defy explanation in the sense that artificial propagation or aided-reproduction proves to have little headway. Nature is still a wondrous and secretive world that not all the factors have been explained. Scientists and explorers have been forced to go to extremes to gain better understanding of how and why animals in captivity fail to reproduce regularly.

They have found that the environment (plant, animal and other variables) plays part in the health of a whole species sometimes interacting in a mysterious way that it produces the right atmosphere for certain species to reproduce. Plants have proven to be a bit easier to manage for they can be manipulated genetically, allowing the creation of several new plants from minimal samples. This means that there is no need to gather from the wild, samples that have to be experimented on in the lab further threatening their presence in the wild. Some plant species have simply died off naturally which tends to make scientists and botanists believe that the process is natural. Some are wiped out due to man’s greed such as the case in the Amazon and the jungles of Sumatra, where huge tracts of virgin forests are set fire to for charcoal, cultivation and land. Charcoal making is a short term solution for economic needs for it takes a couple of hundred years for forests to generate good trees. Agriculture is also short-term for the soil is poor and cultivation would only be possible with the heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides in order to boost yields, further polluting areas far from the cleared areas. Development projects also fail due to threats from another type of natural biochemical warfare that causes sickness leaving many a developed areas abandoned due to malaria, dengue and other animal/insect borne diseases that when transferred to humans become deadly.

Some animal species that have gone extinct in the past years have gone out without a fight, being eradicated well before enough knowledge has been gathered to study them and the role they play in the ecosystem such as the Australian Thylacine when the last known specimen died in 1933. The late Steve Irvin better known as the ‘Crocodile Hunter’, who is considered to be one of the most known and outspoken Australian conservationists has lived a life dedicated to the preservation of wildlife even when he was accidentaly stung by a ray as he was filming. His daughter, Bindi Irwin, inspired by his father and mother’s work in helping animals, continues to promote conservation along with her mother and the other members of the Australia Zoo continue Steve’s fight for the preservation of Australia’s natural beauty and unique animal species. The Kiwi of New Zealand would have also shared the same fate if people hadn’t pushed for a huge effort in understanding them better. Captive breeding programs are now providing re-stocking of the flightless Kiwi bird, the last of the ancient bird order the moas to areas of New Zealand that have not yet been overrun by feral species.

Originally posted on February 19, 2008 @ 7:07 am