For a thorough list of what is/is not recyclable please click here.
I recently returned from a trip to the Galapagos Islands, located 600 miles off the west coast of Ecuador smack on the equator. These islands are teaming with wildlife varying from the usual, to the strange and to the downright, 'what the heck are you doing here???' (We spotted killer whales....on the equator).
Although tourism and human use on these islands has been regulated for decades, the isles are not impervious to the effects of world climate change. One impact of climate change is causing dramatic ocean temperature fluctuations. This is causing animals to become confused. Fish flee to deeper waters and fur seals (pups in particular) who depend on fish closer to the surface as a food source, are almost wiped out. Aside from climate change much of the destruction the islands undergo are caused by humans. People on the islands have either migrated from the mainland or they are tourists. This brings the usual and burdensome impacts of limiting natural resources, increasing garbage, growing landfills, introduction of invasive species like rats who threaten endemic species...you get my point.
With these negative human impacts to our global environment so evident in the Galapagos it encourages me to continue the changes I have made in my personal life; hanging my laundry outside to dry, not leaving lights on, driving less, reducing my consumption of disposable products, being more conscious of how my daily life impacts the natural environment. I wonder what will happen if 'green' living proves to be a passing trend. What if the masses never embrace a simpler, less wasteful life? Could this American life of excess spell doom for the human race?
Wouldn't these simple Eco-friendly changes get us in the best shape for survival?
Click here for more information about 'Darwin's Islands'
"Survival of the fittest isn't about who is the smartest or strongest, it's about who can adapt to change the quickest."
-Charles Darwin