by Anne StClair

Created on: January 21, 2007   Last Updated: July 29, 2009

The Earth is in trouble. With billions of humans spreading into every niche and habitat, with rivers, lakes and seas polluted, the air polluted, the climate changing, and with forests being bulldozed at an alarming rate, we all need to do what we can to help save the environment from degradation and loss of species and diversity.

There are many ways we can help the environment. Each of us can do only a little, of course, but millions (and hopefully billions) of people each doing a little, adds up to a lot. A good starting point for learning how to help is to visit

SEQL, the website of Sustainable Environment for Quality of Life, which has many pages of information on how you can help.

One of the simplest ways we can help the environment is by re-learning the difference between needs and wants. Much of our consumption and associated waste and CO2 emissions are concerned with satisfying wants we convince ourselves are needs. A prime example of this is the cell phone. Obviously nobody needed one of these 20 years ago, because they did not exist. There may be good reasons for having one now, but at ridiculously short frequencies new models are brought out, and everyone convinces themselves they simply have to have the latest version. So, while a phone that made calls and sent SMSs was all anyone needed a few years ago, now mountains of scrapped phones are growing around the world as people ditch perfectly good phones because they don't take pictures, or don't make movies, or don't have Internet access, or that don't send emails or have GPS. Who needs all this? And do we have to trash the planet just to have new toys all the time?

Another example is transportation. We convince ourselves we need a big gas-guzzling SUV because we have three kids and a dog and need the space for long drives when we go on vacations. Yet, we completely forget only a short time ago these vehicles were not available, and people went on long drives with three kids and a dog in a normal sedan. We ignore the fact that Europeans manage perfectly well with their tiny, more environmentally sensible cars. Many people don't need a car at all, especially where public transport is good. So, if you want to help the environment, the first thing to look at is your transportation. If public transport is poor where you live, write to your local politicians and demand changes.

Examine the other things you buy. Do you really need all this stuff, or are you just satisfying wants? Examine everything

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