Saving the Environment

 My beloved friend Dr. Helen Neville is not only an incredible inspiration to everyone she meets, but also one of the kindest, most compassionate and generous people I know. She brought me wonderful gifts from the United States that I was already ecstatic about and as if that was not enough to blow me away, to my delight she told me that the wrapping paper they came in had seeds in them and would grow plants when put in soil!

How wonderfully environmentally friendly and uplifting that is! Now you can get all manner of paper, such as wrapping and coffee cups, that is biodegradable and embedded with seeds.

This innovative product is unfortunately not yet available in Tanzania, but here is a list of 19 practical ways you can help save the environment:

1.    Use reusable bags: A wonderful new development in Tanzania has been banning plastic bags. Wherever you are in the world, opting for reusable, biodegradable bags is a good idea.

2.    Use reusable beverage containers.

3.    Buy a water bottle: You can always refill your water bottle and will not have to buy plastic bottles frequently.

4.    Invest in a filter: By boiling water and using a filter you can avoid using plastic containers, and it is in fact more convenient as well as economical.

5.    Save water: e.g. Try not to leave a tap running.

6.    Save electricity: e.g. Switch off the lights if you are not using a room.

7.    Avoid using cars or carpool (shared transport).

8.    Recycle.

9.    Use organic trash as compost.

10.    Do not litter.

11.    Print less if you can.

12.    Use both sides of a page: When writing on paper, try to make full use of a page in order not to waste paper.

13.    Choose products that are eco-friendly: By examining the label on a product, you can find out whether it is environmentally friendly or not.

14.    Use energy efficient light bulbs.

15.    Use rechargeable batteries.

16.    Try to keep the use of air conditioners to a minimum if you have to use them at all. Also, make sure all windows and doors are firmly closed when the air conditioner is on.

17.    Never leave the fridge/freezer door open when the refrigerator is on.

18.    Put recycling bins in your home, office, school, etc.

19.    Plant a tree or more!