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Ways to Help the Ecosystem

Earth's environment is made of up complex ecosystems that represent a set of relationships between the plants, habitats and people of a particular area. The concept of thinking globally and acting locally is the cornerstone of caring for the environment by protecting the delicate ecosystem in your own neighborhood.

Recycling and Reducing Packaging
- Recycling helps protect ecosystems.
  
  Everyone knows how to separate paper and metal into recycling bins once a week for pick up. But recycling goes deeper than that. Recycling gets more involved when you plan to reduce your waste up front. When grocery shopping, consider the effects of product packaging. For example, buying yogurt in larger containers rather than individual cups reduces the number of plastic cups you put in your recycle bin at the end of the week. Buying in bulk is another way to reduce packaging waste. Being mindful of the packaging on any given product is the first step in effective recycling.
Xeriscape Landscaping
- Using native and seasonal plants reduces water usage in your garden.
  
  Maintaining a lushly landscaped yard can be ecofriendly if you install xeriscape landscaping, using plants and practices that minimize water consumption. In fact, using local and seasonal flora in your yard and/or garden can reduce water usage by 50 percent. Conserving water is one of the primary ways to teach children to care for the ecosystem, and it goes beyond turning off the water when they brush their teeth. Let children see caring for living resources in your own backyard can help conserve water in large quantities.
Animal Breeding Projects
- Successful animal breeding programs protect animal species from extinction.
  
  A family visit to your local zoo, animal preserve or aquarium can help the ecosystem by providing funding for endangered animal breeding programs. Part of your price of admission goes directly toward funding programs that strive to repopulate ecosystems with the valuable animals needed to maintain the delicate balance in any particular ecosystem. When a species becomes extinct, the ecosystem changes forever and will eventually die out. Preventing extinction of native species is the ultimate ecosystem-preserving endeavor.
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
- Riding your bike instead of driving a car can help the ecosystem.
  
  Reduce your carbon footprint by walking or riding a bike to school or work. If the distance is too great for either, you can take public transportation in virtually every major city in the country. Implementing a carpool with co-workers is also a wonderful practice with a high pay-off for very little effort. Often the small things you can do on a daily basis will have the greatest impact on ecosystems. Teaching children this lesson will help ensure future support for efforts to preserve the ecosystem.

Nature