Below is a list of ways that you can help prevent the tigers from becoming extinct. Whether your contribution is big or small, it matters so make it a goal to do one of the following things: 

1. Donate money to the Save the Tiger Fund (www.savethetigerfund.org).

2. Report tiger abuse or poaching to the Tiger Crime Hotline (019 356 4194).

3. Tell a family member or friend that the tigers need our help.

4. Pursue a career in wildlife conservation and specialize in tigers.

5. Adopt a tiger at www.WildlifeAdoption.org for yourself or as a gift for someone else for $25.

6. Volunteer your time at a wildlife sanctuary that houses tigers.

Regardless of what type of contribution you make, realize that it is important to step up and address the problem rather than just watching and waiting for the tigers to disappear.

Because of the excessive poaching, tigers in India are on the verge of extinction. It is predicted that these tigers will become extinct “within a handful of years”.  China and India’s governments have not enforced any laws or consequences to reduce the rapid decline of tigers. In 2006, the U.S. National Geographic estimated that 5,000 to 7,000 Bengal tigers existed in the world and about half of their population resided in India; however, conservationists believe that maybe 2,000 or even several hundred tigers reside in India.

Although trading endangered species is banned under the U.N. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), tigers skins and parts are bought as souvenirs. The only action taken to decrease killings was the Dalai Lama’s denouncement of using tiger skins for Tibetan ceremonial dress. However, researchers found a ceremonial tent that was made out of 108 tiger skins. The tent was several hundred years old, but it had been recently repaired with new skins.

The excessive desire to have tiger skins for décor and souvenirs reminded me of affluenza (the addiction of overconsuming). It is disgraceful that the Chinese and Indian governments are allowing the excessive slaughter of an animal that is already designated as endangered. This excessive poaching connects to how people are depleting natural capital too fast for it to reproduce, and as a consequence we are destroying the world’s biodiversity. I think drastic action needs to take place to stop the increasing decline of Bengal tigers and hopefully the release of CNN’s article will cultivate a change.

The extinction of an animal has consequences to the food chain and the environment. Every animal has something to offer, which supports every living things survival on this planet. The tigers are apart of this delicate balance. These cultures need to take a moral and aesthetic approach and simply allow the tigers to exist for their beauty and purpose.

I would like to share the following in hopes of inspiring you to be who you are meant to be:

A gift is a natural ability that one possesses, and I feel that I have been gifted with the ability to write. As a child I wrote and illustrated my own books, and when I got older I focused on writing poetry and keeping a daily journal. I keep all of my work, because it represents who I really am. Expressing my thoughts and feelings on paper has always come easy to me, and it is something I enjoy. Writing is apart of me. It is when I feel most comfortable being myself, because I have time to think and formulate my opinions and thoughts. 

When I first started college I was confused about what I should major in, because I knew that a career in writing would not make me rich. But my heart told me to stick with it, because I new nothing else would make me happy or fulfilled. Plus, I do not want to pretend to be something that I am not.

 Find something that you feel passionate about and go after it with all you have. Fulfill your true purpose.

While driving on the highway, I found myself alongside a Waste Management truck. The side of the truck stated, “Last year we recycled enough paper to save over 41 million trees.” While this is an outstanding achievement, I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the people who helped make it happen.  

 So if you are an individual who dedicates him/herself to the management of waste (hazardous, solid, liquid, gas, etc.), I want to say thanks…thanks for all of your well-spent time and effort. We cannot preserve the health of the environment without you and all of your recycling efforts.

Use Your Cell Phone to Text

A computer uses 30 times the electricity to send each e-mail.

Buy 100% Recycled Toilet Paper

Five million trees a year would be saved if every household bought 12-roll packs of recycled toilet paper.

Go Paperless

Do not print ATM receipts and sign up to receive bank statements online.

Start a Paper Recycling Program

Go to www.epa.gov/osw/students/school.pdf to find out how to start a program at school or work.

Reuse-a-Shoe

Nike’s program turns old shoes into running tracks, basketball and tennis courts. Go to www.Nikebiz.com to find a drop-off site near you.

Limit Water Usage

Turn off water when you brush your teeth and take shorter showers. Every minute of running water is equivalent to 5 to 10 gallons.

Earth Day is held annually, but every day should be considered Earth Day. Below are some books that might inspire you to live the green life:

 Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh

There isn’t a better role model and teacher than a Buddhist Zen Master. Hanh’s simple yet powerful advice helps one find inner peace and a sense of fulfillment. Life is suffering if you let your desires control you.

 Promise Ahead by Duane Elgin

Elgin’s book puts environmental concerns into a digestible format. Want to understand why certain issues like water shortages and income distribution matter? Want to know ways in which you can help? This is the guide that puts everything into perspective.

 Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin

Vegetarian is the way to go if you want to lose weight and be the healthiest person you can be. The tell it like it is prose make this book enjoyable to read. Discover why being vegetarian can make all the difference for your body and the world.

Have you every wondered what happens to your old computer? Besides collecting dust in your basement, old computers—like paper or glass—can be recycled. There are numerous companies that specialize in recycling such technology. 

Computers are just one of many materials that fall under the category of electronic waste (e-waste). As technology advances and grows on a daily basis, the number of e-waste materials grows with it. Companies who update their computer systems every few years may not dispose of these materials properly, thus escalating the problem.  

If materials are not treated properly, they can be a major source of carcinogens and toxins, but they are valuable for a source of secondary raw materials. These mentioned toxins can lead to land, water and air contamination. 

Computer manufacturers like Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Apple all accept old computers that have become obsolete. So don’t forget to recycle your old computer when you spring clean this year.

Turn off the television or put your paperwork away—basically, stop doing whatever you are doing that is preventing you from enjoying the coming of spring. From April 19 to April 27, the National Wildlife Federation sponsors National Wildlife Week. This celebration memorializes Jack Miner, a Canadian naturalist, who started a bird sanctuary in 1909.

The purpose of this week is to appreciate and reconnect with the natural beauty that surrounds us. Take your friends and family on a picnic or walk in the park. Or download the Wildlife Watch lists from www.nwf.org and make a game out of trying to spot the different animals and plants.

 Your participation will inspire others to protect and preserve the world’s wildlife.

The world does not contain endless resources. Left to our own devices, we have been destroying our habitat. Forests are disappearing with increasing speed; rivers and lakes are becoming more and more polluted; and landfills are encroaching upon our neighborhoods. Recycling is a simple, easy way to help us use less of these resources.  

By reusing old materials, we reduce the amount of new materials we need. Old paper and cardboard, for example, can be turned into new products, saving oxygen-producing trees in the process. Aluminum and other metals can be recycled, lowering the amount of natural resources used to produce new metals. 

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “50 percent of all paper, 34 percent of all plastic soft drink bottles, 45 percent of all aluminum beer and soft drink cans, 63 percent of all steel packaging and 67 percent of all major appliances are now recycled.”

 Although individual efforts help, communities must work together to reap the full benefits of recycling. From corporations, to small businesses, to schools and homes, everyone can do his or her part to recycle. The possibilities are endless: recycling brings benefits both regionally and nationally. The more we recycle, the less waste we generate, which means the less dependent we become on making new landfills in our communities.  In addition to waste, we also have to purchase raw materials needed to make plastics, metals and other products. By reusing these materials, we save money as a country, because we do not need to purchase new raw materials.  

Recycling also helps use less energy, because turning recycled material into new material takes less energy than turning raw material into new material.

Typically once a week we stroll our garbage cans down the driveway and leave them at the curb without a single thought about where it all will go. Out of sight out of mind, right? Well, this garbage that we think we are getting rid of never really becomes nonexistent like we all hoped it would—at least not for some time anyway. Instead, it adopts a new home to clutter. 

The BFI Carbon Limestone Landfill in Lowellville, Ohio is a 500-acre landfill that serves 22,000 local homes, runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can accept up to 6,500 tons of waste per day. Landfills such as this is the final destination for our trash, where it is dumped into plastic lined quarries and compacted by a bulldozer with spiked tires.

Six inches of soil is added to cover the garbage and prevent odors. The process of putting down liner, compacting garbage and adding soil is repeated until the hill has reached its height limit. To complete a phase, the final layer is topped with plastic lining and covered with 4 feet of clay and a layer of topsoil. The topsoil is seeded and a large grassy knoll is created, appearing so simple and peaceful. However, happening underneath these deceiving hills is a crucial process to waste management. 

As biodegradable wastes (such as paper and food) break down, gases such as methane (50-55%), carbon dioxide (40-45%) and non-organic gases (0-5%) are produced as a result of the oxygen free environment. Extraction wells, which are monitored regularly, help in preventing these harmful gases from contaminating groundwater and polluting the air.

The most shocking sight at landfills is the large mounds of trash waiting to be processed. High among the heaps, seagulls and other birds hover and scavenge off the decaying remnants of our lives. It makes you wonder if we are all suffering from affluenza (the addiction to over consume)? There’s so much trash and so little land to sacrifice for waste management. There are better solutions for some of our trash, only if we are willing to put forth the effort to reduce, reuse and recycle.