It is easy to become discouraged when faced with the disappearance of our natural heritage or to feel apathetic and overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problem. But everyone can contribute and make a difference. Here are some ways, big and small, how you can do your part:

1. Reduce your impact on the world by using less, re-using and recycling. Take the Ecological Footprint Quiz to see how you're doing, and to get ideas for improvement.
2. Direct Your Democracy: Write a letter, send an email, or phone an elected official today. If enough of us do it, we can't be ignored. We list contact information for some of the major government ministers.
3. Vote with your wallet: buy certified wood and 100% recycled paper. we list a few directories and databases of certified wood and paper in our resources.
4. Join and/or support a conservation/environmental organization. Get involved. There are numerous groups and organizations, at the local, provincial, national and international level.
5. Study ecology and conservation; become aware of the problem. Read up on it. If you don't know what to read, we have suggestions, and more suggestions.
6. Educate others, children particularly - they are tomorrow's decision makers.
7. Set an example by managing your own land for nature conservation and protection (live in the city? landscape your backyard with native plants).
8. Plant a garden, grow your own food, buy food in bulk without packing whenever possible. This is one of the simplest and most powerful forms of direct action we can all take.
9. Consider alternative housing such as straw bale, which uses much less wood to build and is far more energy efficient to live in. Live with other people if possible. Living communally reduces your impact on the planet and the forest; fewer houses need to be built, less fossil fuel used to heat homes.
10. Live with compassion and remember: we're all in this together. Encourage fair trade with other countries by influencing your political system and watching what you buy.

Here are a few more good suggestions from the Greenhouse Gas Miser Homepage

• Reduce paper consumption. The average Canadian uses 193 kg of paper each year compared to 1 kg for the average Chinese.
• Reuse paper. Share the daily newspaper. Circulate reports instead of making 1 copy/person. Read magazines and journals at the library. Use scrap paper for note-taking and in your printer (recyling bins near photocopiers are often full of one-sided copies).
• Recycle paper, and always buy recycled paper. Recycled paper requires up to 50% less energy to produce. Every ton of recycled paper saves up to 19 trees.