Things that can be done to address

what we’ve discussed

Overpopulation

• Provide education and birth control methods to developing countries• This would decrease rates of growth, and

reduce economic hardships

• Provide economic incentives for smaller families (tax breaks, etc.)

• Limit family size (China’s one child policy)

• Practice and Encourage replacement level fertility

Resource Depletion

• Practice wise use and conservation:• Use less of a resource (increase efficiency,

decrease waste- think of gas mileage) **easy• Attempt to find substitutes- renewable energy

sources• Increase the price of a resource to discourage

use (gas)• Recycle/reuse valuable resources

Toxic Wastes / Pollutants

• Do not utilize them- buy products made from safe, natural ingredients

• Proper disposal and treatment (sewage, chemicals, etc)

• Utilize methods to avoid fertilizer and pesticide use (no till, etc)• Biological pest control: using predators, pheromone traps,

etc to kill or sterilize a pest organism

• Outlaw the production and use of hazardous compounds (DDT- still being produced and used in India)

Thermal Pollution

• Recycle cooling water

Deforestation

• Education in areas that are utilizing slash and burn

• Economic Incentives to leave forest intact (pay them to not cut trees down- Jobs, easements, etc.)

• Encourage sustainable forestry practices- selective cuts, replanting

• Reduce use of wood products, buy products made of sustainable wood

• Recycle paper and cardboard products

• Improve agriculture production

Acid Rain

• Reduce fossil fuel use

• Filter emissions to remove sulfur and nitrous oxides

•

Biodiversity Loss / Overfishing

• Protect habitat- both at sea and land• From fragmentation, pollution, encroachment,

harvest

• Enact and enforce laws that protect species and limit harvests

• Buy forest/Eco friendly products• Eat less meat• buy Marine Stewardship Council sea food

(monteray bay list)

Ozone Depletion

• Discontinue CFC use

• Find alternatives

Global Warming

• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions

• Pass laws that would limit emissions• Cap and trade, kyoto- US refuses to participate

in these attempts

• Change lifestyles to reduce carbon footprint• Carbon footprint- the amount of carbon

dioxide that is produced from your activities

Overall- 3 R’s• Reduce: your usage and your waste. • Avoid excess packaging• repair instead of replace• Walk instead of drive

• Reuse: repurpose items• Don’t constantly think of everything as disposable- things just

don’t disappear. Instead challenge yourself to reuse items• Avoid water bottles and single use items

• Recycle: many materials can be processed and repurposed- this means that they won’t be harvested from the environment twice• Paper, plastic, metal, cardboard, glass• This can cut the amount of garbage you produce drastically

In the end

• You need to realize that you do harm the planet

• Every choice you make can either reduce your impact or ignore your impact• Learn about it• Do Research• Evaluate your actions

• You may not think small changes matter, but if 7 billion people all make small changes it adds up to a lot

• http://www.worldwatch.org/node/3915

• http://fire.biol.wwu.edu/hooper/10thingsforbiodiversity.pdf

• http://www.sierraclub.org/energy/tenthings/