A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE IN OUR HANDS - To Parent Directory

Natural resourcesMaking a differenceThe way we use water and energy, the way we design our homesand dispose of waste, whether or not we enjoy the gardens,parks and wilderness areas around us – all these factors havean affect on our world. From projects to recycle old furnitureand clothes to fund raising to save orangutans: people are gettinginvolved.You can help to bring wildlife back into urban areas. By growingnative plants in your garden, you can attract birds, lizards,frogs and insects. These backyard havens combine with trees onurban streets to make wildlife corridors which link the remnantsof natural scrub and wood, and expand the habitats of manyanimals. Try to plant and encourage indigenous species - importedplants can cause havoc; Japanese knotweed is a case inpoint. Remember that every tree you plant not only providesa home for wild animals but improves the quality of air aroundit. When you work in your garden, use eco-friendly productsand avoid creosote and paints with high levels of volatile organiccompounds. This will be shown on the label.Beyond the back garden, parks and forests are just waiting tobe explored – it is easier to recognise the value of somethingonce you have experienced it first hand, so take your family outfor a woodland or meadow picnic.If you have the time for more than a day out, think about thenature reserves which protect wilderness areas for the animalswithin them and the eco-saavy tourists who come to watchthem.Involving and educating children is vital and the internet canprovide information and inspiration. If you live near a river orlake, find out if there is a group which works on weed clearing,if you live near a wood, is there an organisation that works tomanage the trees, clearing scrub? Make you and your environmenthealthier.042