Sunset in Panama.

WHAT YOU CAN DO AT HOME TO HELP THE ENVIRONMENT

---

There are several things you can do at home to help reduce your impact on the environment.

• Eat less beef and pork. Fish and poultry have a much lower impact on the environment, while other protein sources including nuts and organic soy are even less damaging to the planet.
• Think about packaging before you buy products. Individually-wrapped candy generates a lot of trash, while fruits and vegetables are healthier and mean less waste.
• Turn off lights when you don't need them. When light bulbs burn out replace them with energy-efficient bulbs
• Do not waste water.
• Recycle.
• Encourage your parents to drive fuel-efficient cars and not to overheat their house.
• Don't let your animals go into the environment when you don't want them any more. Before buying a pet be sure that you are ready to take care of it. Having a pet is a responsibility.

Things you can do to help save rainforests:

• Don't buy products made from wildlife skins
• Don't buy exotic pets that have been collected from the wild. You can ask pet stores whether animals are "wild-caught" or "captive bred." "Captive bred" animals are more friendly for the environment
• Buy recycled paper.
• Don't buy wood products from Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, or Africa unless you know they come from eco-friendly suppliers. A good way to know if wood is rainforest-safe is if it has a "certification label." An example of a certification label is "FSC-certified" which means the wood comes from sustainably managed forests.
• Learn more about rainforests and the plants and animals that live in them. Tell your friends and parents why rainforests are important.

• About rainforests
• Rainforest animals
• Rainforest people
• Why are rainforests important?
• Why are rainforests disappearing?
• How can we save rainforests?