Hobbies And Interests
Erosion Control
Topsoil loss is an enormous problem in many areas, and is made worse by industrial practices such as clear-cutting and monocrop agriculture on inappropriate soils. Independent projects that help to reduce topsoil loss include berming of areas with steep slopes that are susceptible to erosion, planting of fast-growing trees whose roots help to stabilize soils and lobbying for changes in agricultural practices to reduce the damage to topsoil. In many poor countries, large numbers of trees are cut for firewood, leaving the ground vulnerable to erosion. Projects that work to offer cooking alternatives can help to reduce this problem.
Pollution Reduction
Pollution involves the introduction of foreign and destructive elements into an ecosystem. Industrial society creates thousands of different kinds of pollutants, many of which can be found in the bloodstreams of species around the world. Projects aimed at reducing this problem include changes on a personal level to reduce use of polluting products and larger projects designed to pressure the producers of polluting materials to change their ways. Ultimately, changes in personal consumption patterns and environmental cleanup projects are only stop-gap measures as long as the pollutants are still being produced.
Public Education
Anyone with an idea and the determination to make it happen can put together a public education program designed to help the health of a local ecosystem. Public education can happen in public schools, churches, universities and even on the street. It can involve speeches, films, workshops and written material that is disseminated to entire communities. Increased public perception of an environmental problem is one of the first and most important steps to take in making a difference. It only takes one or two dedicated people to put together an educational project that could have a positive impact on hundreds of people.
Wilderness Restoration
In addition to protecting existing wilderness, some concerned people work on projects to assist in the restoration of wilderness areas that have been damaged by industrial incursion. One of the most important aspects of this kind of work is road removal. In some cases, logging companies or the U.S. Forest Service have built roads into formerly pristine areas and then left them unused. Lobbying for permission to remove these roads, and then actually removing them, is a long-term and difficult project, but it can make an enormous difference in the health and viability of a wilderness ecosystem.