Our planet is in trouble! Almost every day we seem to hear of yet another problem affecting the environment - and what a list of problems! - pollution, acid rain, global warming, the destruction of rainforests and other wild habitats, the decline and extinction of thousands of species of animals and plants....and so on.

Nowadays, most of us know that these threats exist and that humans have caused them. Many of us are very worried about the future of our planet and unless we can find a way of solving the problems we have made then the environment will suffer even more.

It all sounds so depressing - but we certainly mustn't despair! Every one of us, whatever age we are, can do something to help slow down and reverse some of the damage. We cannot leave the problem-solving entirely to the experts - we all have a responsibility for our environment. We must learn to live in a sustainable way i.e. learn to use our natural resources which include air, freshwater, forests, wildlife, farmland and seas without damaging them. As populations expand and lifestyles change, we must keep the World in good condition so that future generations will have the same natural resources that we have.

Here are just a few examples of the threats to our environment and some ideas to help you to do something about them.

Waste

We humans create such a lot of rubbish! Each household in Britain produces about 1 tonne of rubbish every year! Most of this is taken away by dustmen and buried in enormous landfill sites or burned in incinerators - both of these actions can be dangerous for the environment. Is all our rubbish really rubbish? If you think about it, much of what we throw away could be used again. It makes sense to recycle and not just to solve the problemof where to put the rubbish. Much of our waste is made up of glass, metal, plastic and paper. Our natural resources such as trees, oil, coal and aluminium are used up in enormous amounts to make these products and the resources will one day be compl etely used up. We must cut down on energy use.

Ideas to Help

• Sort out your rubbish. Organic matter e.g. potato peelings, left over food, tea leaves etc. can be transferred straight to a compost heap in the garde and used as a good, natural fertiliser for the plants. Aluminium cans, glass bottles and newspapers etc. can be taken to bottle and can banks and wastepaper skips. Find out where they are by asking your local council or library.
• Use recycled paper to help save trees. Everyone in Britain uses about 6 trees worth of paper every year.
  Chlorine bleach is usually used to make newspapers and this pollutes rivers. Its better to use unbleached, recycled paper whenever you can.
• Take your old clothes to charity shops. Some are sold, others are returned to textile mills for recycling.
  
• Try to avoid buying plastic. It's hard to recycle. One way to cut down on plastic is to refuse to use carrier bags
  offered by supermarkets and use strong, long lasting shopping bags instead, or re-use plastic bags over and over again, until they wear out.
• Don't buy over-packed goods. Many things we buy have unnecessary amounts of plastic and paper around them.
  

Rainforests

Rainforests are valuable habitats. About half of all the species of animals and plants in the world live in rainforests. Thousands of rainforest plants contain substances that can be used in medicines and the tribal people of the forests have great knowledge of them. Rainforests are being cut down to make way for 'civilised man', to grow crops and graze cattle, and provide timber. An area almost the size of Britain is burnt every year. Rainforests help to regulate the world's climate and atmosphere.

The Ozone Layer

Fifteen to thirty miles above the Earth lies the stratosphere, a broad band of gases and one of these gases is ozone. It's only a small part of the stratosphere but very important because it prevents too many of the sun's ultra violet rays from reaching us. Too many ultra violet rays can give us skin cancer and destroy plankton, the important microscopic life in the sea. In the 1980s it was discovered that 'holes' were appearing in the ozone layer above the Antarctic and Arctic. CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons, gases used in the manufacture of aerosols and fridges, are believed to be responsible for destroying the ozone layer.

Ideas to Help

• Don't buy aerosols containing CFCs. Actually, it's not a good idea to buy any aerosols. Even 'ozone friendly' aerosols may contain harmful chemicals and spray cans are difficult to dispose of - they cannot be recycled. Pump-action sprays are a much better alternative.
• A lot of packaging e.g. fast-food cartons, are polystyrene 'blown' with CFCs. Try to avoid items packed with this
  polystyrene.
• If you know of anyone getting rid of an old fridge, tell them that the CFCs can be drained out and recycled -
  contact the local council and they will dispose of the fridge safely. New fridges can be bought with less CFCs in them.

Ideas to Help

• Don't waste electricity. Electricity is produced by burning coal, oil and gas and this action gives off carbon dioxide.
• Car fumes produce carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide - so try to cut down on car journeys if possible. Use a bike
  or walk - it's good exercise for you too!
• Recycle as much of your waste as you can. Methane, the most effective 'greenhouse gas', is released into the
  air as the rubbish in landfill sites rots.

Endangered Habitats and their Wildlife

Wild habitats all over the world are fast disappearing. Forests are being cut down, rivers and seas polluted, heathlands built on, hedgerows pulled up, ponds filled in - the destruction seems endless. As the habitats decrease, so do their communities of animals and plants. Habitat destruction is one of the main reasons why many species face extinction. Other reasons include the hunting of animals and collection of plants.

There are now more than 5, 000 species of animal and about 25,000 species of plants threatened with extinction. During the last 200 years more than 200 species of mammals and birds have become extinct i.e. disappeared from the earth forever. It is possible that we are losing one species of animal or plant every day!

Ideas to Help

• In many countries souvenirs made from rare wildlife are available - never buy shells, coral or things made from elephant ivory, rhino horn or cat skin etc.
• Remember that British habitats and wildlife are under threat too. The destruction of wood land, pollution of rivers
  and ponds, the use of pesticides and herbicides have all contributed to the reduction in the amount of wildlife in Britain. Many animals and plants are endangered e.g. red squirrels, otters, barn owls, golden eagles, natterjack toads, many species of butterflies and dragonflies, orchids - to name just a few. If you have a garden at home, you could transform it into a mini nature reserve for wildlife. The same could be done in your school grounds. Here are just a few ideas to create a wildlife garden:-

1. Make a pond. Even A small pond will attract frogs and toads etc.. Birds and foxes may use it for drinking.
2. Make a wildflower meadow. Wildflower plants and seeds may be bought from garden suppliers and, if planted correctly, a colourful meadow will result, attracting birds, butterflies and other insects.
3. Provide logs and stones and allow a few autumn leaves to remain lying around. These provide shelter for minibeasts and perhaps small mammals such as shrews and mice. An over-neat garden will not be attractive to wildlife.
4. Feed the birds during winter and put up nest boxes for robins and blue tits etc. to use in spring.
   
5. If your garden is big enough, you could plant a small wood. Always grow native trees such as oak, ash or birch - these attract more insects than foreign trees.
6. Hedgehogs are useful to have in the garden as they eat slugs. Encourage them to stay by providing them with tinned cat or dog meat, water and a safe place to hibernate in winter, such as a pile of logs, stuffed with hay and leaves.
7. Avoid using chemical sprays in the garden - some of these can be poisonous to wildlife. It's best to let the birds eat the cabbage-munching caterpillars, the hedgehogs and toads deal with the lettuce-loving slugs and the ladybirds dine on the rose-ravaging greenfly!