MEDIA RELEASE
March 2014
HARRY’S FAST FACTS FOR WORLD FORESTRY DAY
If trees keep being cut down at the current rate, the world’s rain forests will vanish within 100 years. This will affect our global climate and destroy the majority of plant and animal species on the planet, says Harry the Hominid, Maropeng’s spokeshominid.
“On World Forestry day this month, the 21st March, we celebrate the important role trees play in combatting global warming, Even though they help keep a balance in nature between oxygen and carbon dioxide, they are being cut down at an alarming rate, which is called deforestation.”
He points out that Maropeng, the official visitor centre for the Cradle of Humankind, is also doing its bit to preserve the earth – from careful recycling and consistently making sure the area is waste-free, to water conservation. “They also work hard to protect the plants in the area and use conference notepads and pencils made from recycled paper.”
Harry offers the following tips on what we can do to STOP or at least lessen the amount of deforestation and the loss of trees.
- Always use both sides of paper when writing, drawing, photo-copying, faxing, etc.
- Recycle paper
- Read the newspaper on-line
- Buy paper products made from recycled paper: notebook paper, paper towels, toilet paper, books, etc.
- Use pencils until they are stubs! Think of pencils as gold (you’ll never lose them if you do)
- Buy furniture and wood that is certified. That means the wood was legally cut-down
- If you buy a product and you notice they use wood chips to package it, write to the company and suggest they use another packaging material
- Trees get cut down for cattle to graze. Instead of eating meat, think of eating other sources of protein such as fish, soy, beans, whole-wheat, and nuts
ENDS
