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your guide toMAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR:

DEFORESTATION

Deforestation: To divest or clear of forests or trees. 1 The concept isn't shocking -- we see the results of it all the time when new houses are built or we're tossing wood into a firepit. But, to understand the issue of deforestation, we need to understand the scale on which it's happening. It is estimated that 18-23 million acres of forest are cleared each year. 2 That's 48 football fields every minute. 3 Now that perspective gives us pause, right? 20% of the world's oxygen is produced in the Amazon forest and yet half of the world's tropical forests have been cleared already. This leads to soil erosion, floods, wildlife extinction, an increase in greenhouse gas emissions and climate imbalance. 4

Leading causes of deforestation include agriculture, the production of timber, urbanization and clearing the land for popular products like palm oil.

Not so fun fact: The United States has 5% of the world's population, but consumes 30% of the world's paper (using about 700 lbs/year on average). 4

You should know: Many rainforests are in poor countries where the money from crops planted after the forests are cleared is sorely needed. But, the forests themselves are critical to many populations around the world for food, shelter, medicine and more.

Sources: 1 http://www.dictionary.com/browse/deforestation?s=t2 http://www.livescience.com/27692-deforestation.html and http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/forests/issues/ 3 https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/deforestation4 http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/various-deforestation-facts.php

THE PROBLEM:

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your guide toMAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR:

DEFORESTATION

okay i'm inWHAT CAN I DO?

The good news is that there is plenty we can do to slow down deforestation! Let's start small and work our way up.

Go Paperless. This step can be applied in various ways, so you might not tackle it all at once, but take advantage of opportunities when they arise. For example, when your credit card company offers you the option to go paperless, take it! The average American receives 41lbs of junk mail per year -- remove yourself from mailing lists wherever you can. And when you're making a quick purchase at the store and they reach for a brown bag, tell them you can just carry it out.

Bonus: Another way to save some paper, and therefore trees, is to get creative with your gift wrap! Have some fun wrapping gifts in recycled paper (like the comic section of the newspaper or last year's calendar pages.)

2 MINUTE ACTION PLAN:

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Cook Something New. Farming is by far the biggest cause of deforestation, so cooking up a delicious vegan meal is a great way to save some trees! Try substituting sliced portobello mushrooms into your fajitas instead of meat, or cook up a bean chili. There are tons of ideas on Pinterest and you'd be surprised how easy this simple switch can be. We particularly love recipes from Dreena Burton, Isa Chandra and Minimalist Baker.

Bonus: Make this a regular habit once a week!

Tip: If you get serious about eating vegan, you can check out your impact as to how much forest you're saving (and of course animals!) at The Vegan Calculator (http://thevegancalculator.com/). Just one month will save 900 square feet of forest!

30 MINUTE ACTION PLAN:

Plant Some Trees. That's right, fight deforestation with reforestation! Plant trees on your own property, or if that isn't an option, think outside the box. Give a tree instead of cut flowers to Mom for Mother's Day or as favors at your wedding. We love the idea of gifting a copy of The Giving Tree (http://www.shelsilverstein.com/books/book-title-giving-tree/) along with an actual tree! That could be a gift to last decades for a child.

Bonus: Root this idea into your community -- gather up a group of friends and start some community forestry! Think about planting trees at your local senior center, school or park (with landowner's permission, of course). This would be a great activity for kids, too.

1 HOUR ACTION PLAN:

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Overhaul Your Shopping Habits. Yup, we're talking about responsible consumerism here. There are so many shopping habits that you can tweak which will add up to having an actual impact on deforestation. Start by becoming aware of what you're buying. Read labels and ask questions. And it's not just in your weekly trip to the grocery store -- think about other purchases, too, like beauty products or items made of wood and leather.

Look for products that are certified sustainable by FSC (https://us.fsc.org/en-us). Also visit Supply Change (http://supply-change.org/) for a list of businesses that have made a commitment to helping deforestation and support them.

At the grocery store watch out for palm oil as it's one of the most popular products grown/ produced on cleared lands. If you can't avoid it completely at least look for sustainably grown certifications. This goes for coffee, soy and meat, too.

You should know: Palm oil and soy can both be found in cosmetic and beauty products so keep an eye on those purchases, too.

Bonus: Bring your groceries home in reusable bags.

LET'S GO ALL IN:

what elseCAN I DO?

GIFTS THAT GIVE BACK

KeepCup This company set out to create an alternative to the highly wasteful disposable coffee cups. They're not the only company out there offering this type of product, but we love their unique style and their efforts to reduce their environmental footprint. Check them out at http://keepcup.com.

Reusable Chopsticks There's quite a crisis revolving around disposable chopsticks in China, where they're using 20 million trees each year to fill the demand. Let's learn from their example and hop on the reusable chopsticks bandwagon. We happen to love these stainless steel ones from Williams Sonoma. http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/stainless-steel-chopsticks-set/

WHO WE LOVE

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) This independent, global nonprofit (https://us.fsc.org/en-us) is protecting forests for future generations. They are setting standards by which forests and companies are certified. Look for their logo on products to know that they come from responsibly managed forests.

Arbor Day Foundation Not only can you get 10 free trees by joining this nonprofit (https://shop.arborday.org/memberships-ten-trees.aspx?st=m), they are also conservation- and education-focused with programs to help replant our forests, improve communities and educate children. They're going strong with over one million members, supporters and partners.

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hmmmWHAT'S NEXT?

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Thanks for checking out this week's action plan list!We're excited to continue making it easier for busy people with big hearts to make a difference.

The content provided here is intended to provide helpful information and ideas on the subjects discussed. References and suggestions are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute endorsement of any websites, products,

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Copyright © 2017 by The Giving Back Society While we would love for you to share this booklet, please do not resell it or alter it in any way. Thank you!

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