WATER : China and India ‘water grab’ dams put ecology of Himalayas in danger

More than 400 hydroelectric schemes are planned in the mountain region, which could be a disaster for the environment

The Guardian reports: The future of the world’s most famous mountain range could be endangered by a vast dam-building project, as a risky regional race for water resources takes place in Asia. NAEE_UK sees this as a huge discussion issue.

New academic research shows that India, Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan are engaged in a huge “water grab” in the Himalayas, as they seek new sources of electricity to power their economies. Taken together, the countries have plans for more than 400 hydro dams which, if built, could together provide more than 160,000MW of electricity – three times more than the UK uses.

In addition, China has plans for around 100 dams to generate a similar amount of power from major rivers rising in Tibet. A further 60 or more dams are being planned for the Mekong river which also rises in Tibet and flows south through south-east Asia.

Most of the Himalayan rivers have been relatively untouched by dams near their sources. Now the two great Asian powers, India and China, are rushing to harness them as they cut through some of the world’s deepest valleys. Many of the proposed dams would be among the tallest in the world, able to generate more than 4,000MW, as much as the Hoover dam on the Colorado river in the US.

The result, over the next 20 years, “could be that the Himalayas become the most dammed region in the world”, said Ed Grumbine, visiting international scientist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Kunming. “India aims to construct 292 dams … doubling current hydropowercapacity and contributing 6% to projected national energy needs. If all dams are constructed as proposed, in 28 of 32 major river valleys, the Indian Himalayas would have one of the highest average dam densities in the world, with one dam for every 32km of river channel. Every neighbour of India with undeveloped hydropower sites is building or planning to build multiple dams, totalling at minimum 129 projects,” said Grumbine, author of a paper in Science.

China, which is building multiple dams on all the major rivers running off the Tibetan plateau, is likely to emerge as the ultimate controller of water for nearly 40% of the world’s population. “The plateau is the source of the single largest collection of international rivers in the world, including the Mekong, the Brahmaputra, the Yangtse and the Yellow rivers. It is the headwater of rivers on which nearly half the world depends. The net effect of the dam building could be disastrous. We just don’t know the consequences,” said Tashi Tseri, a water resource researcher at the University of British Columbia in Canada.

“China is engaged in the greatest water grab in history. Not only is it damming the rivers on the plateau, it is financing and building mega-dams in Pakistan, Laos, Burma and elsewhere and making agreements to take the power,” said Indian geopolitical analyst Brahma Chellaney. “China-India disputes have shifted from land to water. Water is the new divide and is going centre stage in politics. Only China has the capacity to build these mega-dams and the power to crush resistance. This is effectively war without a shot being fired.”

According to Chellaney, India is in the weakest position because half its water comes directly from China; however, Bangladesh is fearful of India’s plans for water diversions and hydropower. Bangladeshi government scientists say that even a 10% reduction in the water flow by India could dry out great areas of farmland for much of the year. More than 80% of Bangladesh’s 50 million small farmers depend on water that flows through India.

Engineers and environmentalists say that little work has been done on the human or ecological impact of the dams, which they fear could increase floods and be vulnerable to earthquakes. “We do not have credible environmental and social impact assessments, we have no environmental compliance system, no cumulative impact assessment and no carrying capacity studies. The Indian ministry of environment and forests, developers and consultants are responsible for this mess,” said Himanshu Thakkar, co-ordinator of South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People.

How the Himalayan rivers are being used for hydropower.

China and India have both displaced tens of millions of people with giant dams such as the Narmada and Three Gorges over the last 30 years, but governments have not published estimates of how many people would have to be relocated or how much land would be drowned by the new dams. “This is being totally ignored. No one knows, either, about the impact of climate change on the rivers. The dams are all being built in rivers that are fed by glaciers and snowfields which are melting at a fast rate,” said Tsering.

Climate models suggest that major rivers running off the Himalayas, after increasing flows as glaciers melt, could lose 10-20% of their flow by 2050. This would not only reduce the rivers’ capacity to produce electricity, but would exacerbate regional political tensions.

The dams have already led to protest movements in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Assam and other northern states of India and in Tibet. Protests in Uttarakhand, which was devastated by floods last month, were led by Indian professor GD Agarwal, who was taken to hospital after a 50-day fast but who was released this week.

“There is no other way but to continue because the state government is not keen to review the dam policy,” said Mallika Bhanot, a member of Ganga Avahan, a group opposing proposals for a series of dams on the Ganges.

Governments have tried to calm people by saying that many of the dams will not require large reservoirs, but will be “run of the river” constructions which channel water through tunnels to massive turbines. But critics say the damage done can be just as great. “[These] will complete shift the path of the river flow,” said Shripad Dharmadhikary, a leading opponent of the Narmada dams and author of a report into Himalayan dams. “Everyone will be affected because the rivers will dry up between points. The whole hydrology of the rivers will be changed. It is likely to aggravate floods.

“A dam may only need 500 people to move because of submergence, but because the dams stop the river flow it could impact on 20,000 people. They also disrupt the groundwater flows so many people will end up with water running dry. There will be devastation of livelihoods along all the rivers.”

Rhino Poaching Crisis Expands

Three Indian Rhinoceroses (Rhinoceros unicornis) grazing in the Kaziranga National Park in the soft afternoon light. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

India Monday lost its ninth rhino to poaching so far this year within the northern state of Assam. ENN reports

The greater-one horned, or Indian rhino, was found shot dead with its horn removed in Kaziranga National Park. Seven other rhinos have already been killed in the park during 2013, and an additional rhino was poached last month in Manas National Park.

Officials are concerned about the increasing use of sophisticated weapons by poachers. Many of the Assam’s rhinos have been gunned down by Kalashnikov rifles. The state has approximately 2,500 rhinos remaining after losing 21 to poachers last year.

The use of high-powered weapons enables poachers to kill the rhinos quickly, cut off their horns and flee before the forest guards can get to the scene.

The proximity of Assam to India’s porous international borders with neighbours such as Bangladesh and Myanmar is believed to contribute to availability of arms and also enables poaching gangs access international criminal syndicates engaging in wildlife smuggling.

The primary destination for rhino horns is Viet Nam, where new medical and social uses have emerged in recent years. According to a recent TRAFFIC report, consumers in Viet Nam are willing to pay extremely high prices for medicines made with rhino horn in the mistaken belief that it can cure a number of diseases.

Rising illicit demand for rhino horn has pushed poaching of African rhinos to crisis levels. Poaching statistics released recently by the South African government reveal that a record 668 rhinos were killed across the country in 2012, an increase of nearly 50 per cent from the 448 rhinos lost to poachers in 2011.

Related articles

• Kaziranga National Park begins promised rhino survey (wildlifenews.co.uk)
• Poachers already killed 15 rare rhinos in northeast Indian preserve in 2013 (rawstory.com)
• Poachers kill rare rhinos in India’s remote northeast (dawn.com)
• Poachers kill rare rhinos in India’s remote northeast (terradaily.com)
• Assam national park fails to protect rare rhinos from poachers (thetimes.co.uk)
• Horn Please! Rhino on the horizon (thehindu.com)
• Poaching to Cause Fall in Rhino Population within Two Years (scienceworldreport.com)

WILDLIFE UPDATE : Seabird atlas shows 3,000 key ocean conservation hotspots

English: Range map of Zapata Rail Source data from Raffaele, Herbert A ; Wiley, James; Garrido, Orlando H; Keith, Allan R; Raffaele, Janis I (2003). Field Guide to the Birds of the West Indies, 58, Christopher Helm. and Zapata Rail – BirdLife Species Factsheet. BirdLife International. Mapped on CIA map (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Black-browed Albatross hooked on a long line. Low res version provided by Birdlife International (which retains copyright of high res version). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

A new atlas of the world’s oceans issued on Tuesday shows more than 3,000 sites important to seabirds as part of a drive to improve conservation. The Guardian reports

The free online atlas could help governments plan, for instance, where to set up wildlife protection areas at sea or where to permit offshore wind turbines or oil and gas exploration, they said.

The atlas, showing areas vital to birds including pelicans, sandpipers, cormorants and skuas, was compiled by BirdLife International, drawing on work by 1,000 bird experts, government ministries and secretariats of UN conventions.

“Seabirds are now the most threatened group of birds. They present unique conservation problems, since many species travel thousands of kilometres across international waters,” BirdLife International said in a statement.

It identifies more than 3,000 important bird areas (IBAs) worldwide, such as breeding grounds and migration routes, covering in total 6.2% of the world’s oceans.

“Our initial target is to encourage governments to use this tool and use this data in their national planning,” Ben Lascelles, BirdLife’s global marine IBA co-ordinator, told Reuters.

He said that Japan, for instance, had recently consulted BirdLife about where to site offshore windfarms to avoid damage to migratory birds. The atlas was unveiled at a UN conference on biological diversity in Hyderabad, India.

Areas such as off the tip of South Africa where or the Pacific off South America were among the most important “hotspots” for birds.

The atlas might also lead to the development of other global marine maps, for instance for turtles, whales or sharks, and encourage governments to identify where to site marine protected areas.

Governments have set a goal of protecting 10% of the entire area of the oceans by 2020.

“People have often cited a lack of data as a reason for inaction for protection and management of sites, particularly on the high seas,” Lascelles said. “This is showing that there is a lot of data out there.”

Links :

Related articles

• Seabird atlas shows 3,000 ocean sites key to conservation (reuters.com)
• Seabird atlas shows 3,000 ocean sites key to conservation (vancouverdesi.com)
• Cost of saving endangered species £50bn a year, say experts (guardian.co.uk)
• Easing the collateral damage fisheries inflict on seabirds (guardian.co.uk)
• Pssst! Humans Could Save Endangered Species for a Fraction of Soft Drink Costs (treehugger.com)
• Easing the damage fisheries inflict on seabirds (guardian.co.uk)

Durban climate change talks – the final day

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South African president Jacob Zuma officially opens the United Nations COP17 climate change talks in Durban, South Africa, Photograph: Elmond Jiyane /EPA

11.11am:
John Vidal has more on Tosi Mpanu Mpanu’s statement to the Guardian yesterday that “chequebook diplomacy” had started with African countries being offered bilateral deals:

When I saw Chris Huhne last night he denied that money pledged by rich countries for developing nations to adapt to climate change were bribes, and he was proud that Britain would be the first country in the world to meet its target of giving 0.7% of GDP for development aid.

But NGO the World Development Movement is not too sure. Policy officer Murray Worthy said, “It is outrageous that rich countries are now resorting to bribery to try to force Africa to accept a bad deal here in Durban. These are exactly the same strong-arm tactics the US and EU used to try to force developing countries to accept a bad deal in Copenhagen.”

More from Fiona:

UK energy and climate change minister Chris Huhne is in a cafe deep in conversation with his negotiators and advisors – and with Michael Jacobs, the former Downing Street special advisor who was Gordon Brown’s right hand man at the Copenhagen climate talks.

Subject of discussion – how to avoid a Copenhagen style meltdown, perhaps?

11.01am:
Word from Fiona Harvey on financing:

Finding the money from rich countries and the private sector to be invested in helping poor countries cut their emissions, move to a green economy and cope with the effects of climate change – is a huge issue at these talks, but has been eclipsed by the prospect of a new phase of negotiations.

Lord Stern reminded delegates of its importance, in a report previewed by the Guardian earlier this week:

“Rich countries can and should fulfil their commitment, despite the current economic crisis, to provide US$100 billion a year by the end of the decade to support action against climate change in developing countries, according to a new report published on Friday by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science.”

10.53am:
More from John Vidal on India’s position:

India is now clearly got its gander up. Environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan is keeping up her assault on the EU, laying down the red-lines and demanding that Europe clarifies its position. On this may hang the whole deal.

(From L to R) : Brazil’s climate negotiator Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, India Environment and Forests Minister Jayanthi Natarajan and China’s climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua Photograph: Jenny Bates for The Guardian

“We had a meeting today of BASIC countries [Brazil, South Africa, India and China], and we are together. I have repeatedly said that I have come with an open mind and we would want to know the content of the binding agreement and in exchange if they are ready to give us a ratifiable KP [Kyoto Protocol] and how other issues of equity, CBDR [Common but Differentiated Responsibilities], IPR [Intellectual Property Rights], trade figure.

Even today BASIC are on all the same stand. Our demand has been extremely reasonable and we want to wait for result of 5th review of IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]. I have a feeling that earlier they wanted to bury Bali Action Plan but now I think they want to bury Cancún agreement also. We want answer to our questions before we agree to anything,” she says.

A thermal power plant on the outskirts of Nagpur. Photograph: Arko Datta/Reuters

10.32am:
Many in the NGO community at the talks believe that the diplomatic pressure being put on large developing countries to accept a deal that would commit them to legally binding CO2 cuts is wrong. They argue that it is the countries that have created the problem with their historical emission that should shoulder most of the burden for sorting it out.

Sunita Narain argues in a blog for the Guardian that large developing nations are already doing more than their fair share:

…many countries, including India, see this EU move as a ploy to remove the differentiation between the contributors to the problem of climate change and the rest. (This distinction formed the basis of the climate convention and set the principle that countries responsible for the bulk of emissions had to take action first, make deep emission cuts to create space for the rest to grow.) They see surreptitious moves to rewrite this agreement. So, distrust has grown deeper, even as we know that the agreement to cut emissions cannot work without global cooperation.

This is not to say China, Brazil and South Africa, or even India, should not take action to combat climate change. When negotiations began over 20 years ago, it was well understood the industrialised world – contributor to 70-80% of the stock of emissions in the atmosphere – had to vacate space for the emerging world to grow. The deal was this enriched world would reduce emissions drastically, for they had thrown the climate system out of kilter. The deal also was that money and technology transfer would enable emerging countries to avoid future emissions growth. But none of this happened. Meagre targets were set; the US and other big polluters walked out of the agreement. The funds never came.

10.22am:
India is making allegations of dirty tactics. John Vidal reports:

The Indian environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan is clearly angry at how India is being treated by the EU, and has just put out a statement:
“I participated in the ministerial meetings [last night ]and suggested how to move ahead at Durban. Much after I had reached my hotel, to my surprise, I was informed that on the recommendations of certain parties like the EU, a meeting was again called by the chair. My senior negotiators participated on the country’s behalf along the brief I had given them earlier and raised specific issues in the late night discussions.”

India appears to be implying that it was deliberately not told in advance about the meeting and was therefore put at at a significant diplomatic disadvantage. This is a tactic that Bolivia and others accused Europe of using last year in Cancún, and in Copenhagen 2009.

10.15am:
News from the UK delegation from John Vidal:

We are told energy secretary Chris Huhne is too rushed to answer more than one question from the British press. Our meeting is switched from the British delegation’s underground car park bunker to another room, and then another. Here’s all that he would say to the obvious question, “Mr Huhne, what is happening?”:

Chris Huhne: Dominic Lipinski/PA

“I think we’re at the point when a number of developing countries must decide if they want a treaty with environmental integrity. It is clear that the EU is speaking for the vast majority of parties in the Cop, and we have some fundamental political changes. There is a very visible high ambition coalition that stretches across the developed world in Europe and developing countries, and the real issue is whether those who until now have been reluctant to join the high ambition coalition are actually prepared to do so.”

“There have been some hints of movement before the conference and here. The key thing now is to look in detail at what people are prepared to do on the page. We have just had a co-ordination meeting. The EU is united, and standing firm.”

Connie Hedegaard, EU environment commissioner Photograph: Don Emmert/AFP

10.09am:
Connie Hedegaard, the EU environment commissioner has tweeted:

LDCs, AOSIS and the EU united in the desire for an ambitious outcome in Durban.

Here’s the statement:

The least developed countries, the Alliance of Small Island States and the European Union are united in their desire for an ambitious outcome in Durban.

We believe that the world has had a lot of time to think. What we need is not more thinking. What we need is more action.

The gap between our ambitions and the current pledges is simply too wide. And we need not to remind anyone of the scale of climatic threats facing the most vulnerable countries in the world as a result of climate change. The facts are clear and we are still too far from where we need to be to secure the most vulnerable countries’ right to sustainable development.

The chance to reach our objective is getting smaller as time passes and we need to start this process today. For many countries, this is a matter of survival and this process should be able to deliver an answer to meet their worries.

We need to deliver in Durban. We are ready to operationalize the Green Fund and the other Cancun institutions; to deliver what we have already agreed in Cancun. But higher ambitions on mitigation action are crucial. What we need is to effectively stop climate change. And that can only happen if all parties to the UNFCCC process will be committed to concrete efforts.

Hence, we need firm and clear decisions mapping out next steps that deliver the ambition we need. This includes agreeing an amendment of the Kyoto Protocol for the second commitment period together with a robust mandate and roadmap for a legally binding instrument. Under this instrument, all parties to the UNFCCC need to commit, respecting the principle of common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities.

The price of buying time is rising. Durban must deliver. The EU, LDCs and AOSIS are ready to undertake concrete obligations to manage the climate change challenge. We urge others to join.

10.03am:
Overnight, the US state department in Washington issued a statement clarifying its position on the EU’s “roadmap” proposals. Emily Cain, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State:

Todd Stern said in his press conference [thursday] that the United States could support a process to negotiate a new climate accord. He did not say that the United States supports a legally binding agreement as the result of that process. The EU has supported both a process and the result being a legally binding agreement.

Here’s what Todd Stern said in his press conference yesterday.

9.57am:
From our correspondent Fiona Harvey:

Nick Stern, the former World Bank chief economist and author of the landmark 2006 review of the economics of climate change for the UK treasury, just told me his advice to the EU negotiators hoping to sway India behind a deal: “Talk sensibly and quietly to India – they are a very important country.” Lord Stern has spent many years working in and with India.

View of earth’s weather on July 11, 2005. Photograph: MODIS/Terra/NASA

9.50am:
Our interactive graphic pulls together a huge amount of data on current and historical carbon emissions. China is the world’s biggest emitter at 6.83bn tonnes per year, followed by the US at 5.2bn tonnes.

In per capita terms China is still some way behind the US (with 5.14 tonnes per person compared with the US’s 16.9 tonnes). However, China is fast approaching the European average. The UK’s carbon emissions per person are 7.54 tonnes for example.

Historically, the position is very different. Per person, China has emitted 80.4 tonnes CO2 compared with 1127.2 tonnes per person for the UK and 1125.7 for the US.

9.36am:
Here’s a quick catch up on where the negotiations stand.

120 countries, including Brazil, Japan, Canada and many African nations, have lined up behind the EU’s proposal for a roadmap towards a new global agreement. The plan would involve the major emitters from both the developing and developed world to sign a deal in 2015 which would come into effect in 2020.

There was some confusion on Thursday when the US lead negotiator Todd Stern appeared to endorse the EU’s position (he used the term “roadmap” approvingly twice in a press conference). He later rowed backfrom that though and seems to favour a more flexible time-table.

Meanwhile, India has been strongly opposed to any plan that would mean it and other large developing economies should take on legally-binding cuts to carbon emissions. China’s position is ambiguous. It has made some warm noises about the EU plan but appears also to be some way from accepting legally binding cuts.

9.16am:
Negotiations went on late into the night yesterday at the UN climate talks in Durban. The countries are still a long way from any kind of deal (they don’t even have a specific text to wrangle over yet) but last night there was hope that an agreement could be reached. A tentative coalition was forming behind the EU’s proposal of a “roadmap” to a global, legally binding deal to be signed in 2015 and come into force in by 2020.

Much is at stake. After the excitement, expectation and ultimatedisappointment and farce of the Copenhagen summit in December 2009, the credibility of the entire UN process has been under great scrutiny. The 2010 conference in Cancún restored some faith, but as things stand there is still no legally binding international framework for cuts in carbon emissions beyond 2012. That is the point at which the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol comes to an end. The future of the Kyoto Protocol has been a major sticking point for years – and at these talks.

So what can we expect today? If previous “Conferences of the Parties” are anything to go by, we are in for several hours of increasingly intense behind the scenes negotiations. John Vidal and Fiona Harvey, are in Durban and will be attempting to find out what is really going on. If there is to be a deal, the talks may well spill over into Saturday – and there are even rumours that delegates are preparing for the talking to continue into Sunday.

We will have live updates here throughout the day. You can send me a message on twitter at @james_randerson.

Source : http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/dec/09/durban-climate-change-talks-cop17-live?intcmp=122

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Ecology in Action : Sunday is World Environment Day…What are YOU doing?

Image via Wikipedia

Some ideas and resources from around the globe…

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

FORESTS: NATURE AT YOUR SERVICE | 05 JUNE

Have you been meaning to start buying organic, to turn off your lights, or to start recycling but just haven’t gotten around to it?  Now’s the time!  This weekend, citizens of every nation will join together to celebrate World Environment Day.

India will host the 39^th annual World Environment Day (WED) on June 5, an international event aimed at global awareness that encourages political action and attention to initiatives.

The UN declared 2011 the International Year of Forests with this year’s WED theme “Forests: Nature at your Service.” In an effort to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and maintainable development of all types of forests, WED aims to develop green economies, conserve forests and insure that they will be around for generations to come.

India‘s 1.2 billion people have put a significant strain on the country’s forests, but the Indian government has continually worked to find solutions to combat the deforestation. They have successfully introduced projects that track the health of the nation’s plants, animals, water and other natural resources, including the Sunderbans – the largest deltaic mangrove forest in the world.

This Sunday, June 5^th, India will join together millions of people from hundreds of countries around the world to highlight environmental activities that can teach individuals, schools, communities, states and nations to clean up their act and start thinking green.

Beginning today, major events are planned in New Delhi and Bangalore and include a “Public Dedication of Tree Plantation to India for WED Legacy” in Juanapur, Mehrauli, Delhi. A Biodiversity Film Festival in New Delhi will showcase some of India’s best environmental and reforestation efforts, and viewers will have a chance to speak with environmental experts after the screenings.

25,000 runners will flood the streets of Bangalore on June 5th in the World 10K in support of WED. After the race, organizers and participants will inaugurate a ‘World 10K Forest’ at the Madiwala Lake complex in Bangaluru.

An organic and forest food celebrity cookout at the ITC Windsor Hotel in Bangaluru with goodwill ambassadors Gisele Bundchen, Don Cheadle, Bollywood’s Priyanka Chopra and Rahul Bose, as well as Chinese actress Li Bingbing and entrepreneur Wang Shi, will highlight the stars’ efforts for conservation. For every WED activity registered, you can pledge to Don or Gisele, Priyanka or Rahul, Li Bingbing or Wang Shi, depending on your location. For every pledged activity, the women will donate one tree.  Not to be rivaled, the men will donate two.

If you, your business, school, group or town want to get involved in WED you can register your green initiatives or pledge an action at http://www.unep.org/wed/aroundtheworld/

Put the world in good hands.

A number of other countries around the world are joining in to support the cause, including:

NEPAL: UNEP is supporting a clean-up expedition to remove an estimated 9 tons of litter in and around Mount Everest.  Enlisting some 60 climber volunteers, the long-term aim of the initiative is to develop more sustainable waste management facilities and recycling plants in the region.

CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE: A major international summit on tropical forest basins will be held from 31 May to 6 June. The event will focus on the sustainable management of forest ecosystems in the Amazon, Congo and Mekong Borneo basins.

CANADA: Toronto is the regional host city for World Environment Day celebrations in North America. Over 50 WED events have been registered including environmental workshops for students, a high-level consultation on the Green Economy with 40 environmental leaders, and a series of book readings for children.

COSTA RICA: A major success story in reforestation (having increased its forest cover from 22 percent in 1995 to 51 percent by 2010), Costa Rica will host participants from 15 neighboring countries for a training course on sustainable forest management.

Launched today, the ‘MudaRock Project’ – a free music download service in Brazil – will plant a tree in a reforestation area in Brazil for every song or video downloaded by users. The project aims to plant one million native trees within a year.

Plant a tree today!

You can also learn how to live a greener life year-round with simple actions like:

– Switching from plastic to a reusable cloth bag.

– Turning off the faucet when brushing your teeth (you can save as much as 3 gallons every time!).

– Green your office: print double sided, turn off monitors, start an office recycling program.

– Bike, walk, take public transportation or carpool to work or school.

– Jog outside to save energy that would be used on a treadmill.

– Plant a tree.

– Get a lunch box instead of brown-bagging or eating out of takeout containers.

– Start a compost heap.

– Buy local fruits and veggies, or start your own garden.

– Think outside of the bottle. Bottled water costs 1900 times more than tap water!

For more ideas on how to help the environment, visit http://www.unep.org/wed/A-Z/

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