8 tips for World Forestry Day

CELEBRATE World Forestry Day on Friday, 21 March by listening to Harry the Hominid, Maropeng’s ‘spokeshominid’ and adopting habits to reduce your paper use all-year-round.

“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,” said Harry.

World Forestry Day brings to light the vital role trees play in combating 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.”

Maropeng, the visitor centre for the Cradle of Humankind, is doing its bit to preserve the Earth through recycling and ensuring the area is waste-free and by conserving water.

Follow these eight tips from Harry to help lessen the extent of deforestation and the loss of trees:

· Use both sides of a sheet of paper when writing, drawing, photo-copying, faxing, etc.
· Recycle paper.
· Read the newspaper online.
· Buy paper products made from recycled paper.
· Use pencils until they are stubs.
· Buy furniture and wood that is certified – 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.