There are an extraordinary amount of ways to help wildlife. In this post, we have narrowed down five ways that you can personally have an impact. Read through, decide what fits best with your life and start acting upon it. Together, our small acts will create big change.
1. Clean
While you’re outside, pick up any trash you see on the ground and dispose of it properly. I can’t explain how many times I have seen trash left behind on beaches here in Florida or on the streets anywhere else I have lived. One day, I finally realized that even picking up one piece of trash that I see outside is helping the wildlife in that environment.
So, I no longer go to the beach without picking up one left behind piece of trash and throwing it in the garbage or recycling it. You can do the same! Wherever you are in the world, if you see that fast food cup or plastic bag or whatever you may find on the ground, pick it up and properly dispose of it. Yes, it is gross. It will never not be gross. But, if we think it’s gross, can you imagine how harmful it is to wildlife?
2. Educate
The more you learn about any species of wildlife, (their habitats, their characteristics, their overall ways of life) the better understanding you will have of why they are important in this world. Our world works as an ecosystem, meaning everything interacts with one another and we all need each other in order to survive and thrive.
There are a million ways to do this, but here are some of my personal favorites:
- Watching National Geographic or Animal Planet shows. *We have no affiliation with these channels, I just admire their ability to educate anyone who will listen. *
- Doing research online into one specific animal, a region of animals, climate change, etc. Whatever floats your boat.
- Going to a bookstore and buying/renting books about wildlife or the environment. Then, reading bits and pieces each day so I don’t overwhelm myself with facts.
3. Volunteer
There are soooo many places in the world that you can volunteer at to help wildlife! There are local animal shelters, wildlife centers, environmental organizations, conservatories, and so on. If you do a bit of research online, I am sure you can find somewhere to volunteer that you will love. This is not as time consuming as you may think either. Obviously, you can dedicate as much time as you want to volunteer, but if you’re on a bit of a time crunch this is still an option! Even if you only do one hour on the weekend, that’s one more volunteer helping the world than there is without you!
4. Donate
Find a cause you care about and donate towards it. This is one of the easiest ways to help wildlife as it takes about two minutes (once you have decided where to donate to) and your donation is going directly to organizations focused on saving wildlife. There are a variety of organizations out there that help wildlife, so investigate your options and find one that you truly believe in. If you love the research they have done, they ways they are helping wildlife, the educational aspect of their website, and/or the plans they have to continue saving wildlife, then make a donation to their organization. It doesn’t have to be huge, literally any amount helps them continue their work!
5. Mindful Purchasing
It is becoming more common every day to find companies that give to a cause in need with each purchase made. Home of the Wild is proud to be one of these companies. We create clothing collections centered around a cause that we care deeply about and then donate a portion of our proceeds to a conservation organization dedicated to this cause. Essentially, every purchase made here will be a small act in helping wildlife.
However, we are definitely not the only company doing this! There are companies for soaps, shoes, breakfast foods, other clothing stores, water bottles, bracelets, and on and on and on that give back to the world with every purchase that is made. All of these companies are uniquely amazing, and we encourage you to go find them. Buying items feels so much better when you know they are not just for you but helping something/someone else as well.
Hopefully, if you didn't feel it already, you now know you can choose daily to help save wildlife.
With Love,
WildUs