Do good and you’ll feel good. Help those around you and you help yourself. We’ve all heard it, now let’s live it. Here’s how.
Save Sea Turtles
It’s a blessing and a curse to be a sea turtle: blessed with an incredibly long life span (up to 100 years); cursed because of man’s encroachment on nesting sites and habitat. Never mind natural predators that feed on eggs and young turtles, industrial fishing fleets take many sea turtles in bycatch. Make a difference by joining one of many save the sea turtle organizations like the Sea Turtle Restoration Project. You can help create and expand nesting areas, release baby turtles into the sea and document abuse by fishing fleets. Be vigilant.
Protect Mangroves Mangroves have become a disappearing act. But this act has devastating consequences for nature and man. Mangroves reduce the impact of severe storms and cyclones. In some areas they are a key source of food and building materials. Shrimp farms, pollution and dynamite fishing have all contributed to the disappearance of mangrove forests along the coasts of Latin America, Africa and Asia. Wetlands International and other mangrove protection organizations are fighting back. Help them restore mangroves in coastal communities – you’ll get wet, dirty and work hard but make a valuable contribution to the earth’s future. Do it.
Credit: K Dafalais
Want to make a real difference? Try voluntouring with companies like Hands Up Holidays. Become a guest of the community, not just a tourist; it’s your time, skills and compassion that count here. Join a trip to Zambia, where two-thirds of the population lives on less than one dollar a day. Teach at the school, help care for patients at the medical clinic, or put your handyman skills to the test and assist in building homes in the village. Your reward – a glorious smile. What else to you need?