In the 1930s and 1940s there were between 3 and 5 million elephants in Africa. Today, there are only around 470,000 left.

Elephants are killed for their tusks and used in the illegal black market for ivory. China, Hong Kong, Thailand and the United States are among the largest markets.

Because they are threatened with extinction, the elephants are protected from international trade by their listing on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 1989. Sadly that didn't stop poachers from going out there and killing these animals.

The US, China and other countries are allowing the legal trade in ivory that dates back to before the 1989 international ivory ban. The problem with that is that it’s nearly impossible to tell the difference between pre-ban ivory and illegally poached ivory.

Ivory can be substituted with ethical, sustainable alternatives and the only way to save Africa’s remaining elephants is to end all ivory trade.

WildAid's goal is to end the ivory trade once and for all.

What can we do?

1. WildAid has launched the Year of the Elephant, a campaign call to action to end the ivory trade for good and ensure a kind future for elephants. When you #JoinTheHerd, you help to make this the first-ever “Year of the Elephant.” The year we stop the ivory trade. And the year when more elephants are born than killed by poachers.


Visit: yearoftheelephant.org where you can make a "Join The Herd" picture and share it to raise awareness.

2. We can sign the pledge and promise to spread the word to save Africa’s remaining elephants and to never buy or accept ivory. To support government actions to end the ivory trade and to be part of the solution.

Here is the link for the pledge: Take The Pledge

3. Today, on Saturday, April 30, Kenya Wildlife Service will host the largest ivory burn in history to serve as a statement against elephant poaching. You can watch the event live. It will be live on Periscope at 5 AM in PDT (New York: 8AM, London: 1PM, Beijing: 8PM).


For more information, visit WildAid and follow the organization to stay updated with upcoming actions.

And let's not forget: When the buying stops, the killing will too!

On the 22nd April was the annual Earth Day, an event created to promote environmental protection. Earth Day started in 1970. This year, an important agreement called "Paris Agreement" was up for signing and 171 countries signed it. The Paris Agreement is an important step towards helping the whole world deal with the issues that we face because of climate change.

What can we do in our everyday lives that can help our planet?

I think when you start changing something, it's best to start small and work your way up to bigger things. I have read about some tips we all can start implementing in our lives that will in the long run affect the environment in a better way.

1. Save Water

Using unnecessary amount of water is one of the main things that affect our environment. Simplest thing where you can start saving water is when brushing your teeth or washing the dishes. The water shouldn't run all the time. Make that everyday routine work with the water turned off as much as possible. Another thing to have in mind is to check if there are any water leaks in the house, which can be a source of water waste. It's more economical to use the washing machine when you have a full load of clothes than less. Turning off the water supply of the washing machine when not in use is also a good thing that saves water. When watering your lawn, don't use more water than it's necessary. Also, installing water-saving devices on the faucets and toilets is a good way to save water.

2. Use Less Electricity

Changing light bulbs from standard ones to the fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) will use 2/3 less energy. Look out for the ENERGY STAR products when buying appliances. They meet EPA and U.S. Department of Energy guidelines for energy efficiency. Turn off lights, TV's, computers when you are not in the room and when you are not using them.

3. Use Paper Wisely

When buying notebooks/printing paper/toilet paper look out for the ones that have the eco stamp. Like the FSC stamp. Check them out: Forest Stewardship Council

4. Plant Trees 

We all know that without trees there would be no life on the planet. Trees also help filter pollution from the air. A good thing to do is research what trees would be most beneficial to plant in the area where you live.

5. Don't Use Plastic Bags

You can use a cloth bag when shopping. Plastic is non-degradable and in many cases when it gets out there it can be fatal for various animal species. They can choke on them or get tangled in them.



There are many more tips and ways to help the environment, but i think this is a good starting point. Fact is the climate is changing in what seems a fast paste and we should really start doing our part to help protect our planet, cause you know, it's the only one we have and can live on.

Do you have any other advice? What do you do to protect the environment? Feel free to share, the more we learn and start doing the better. :)


A Beautiful Lie 2.0 (subtitulado) 30 SECONDS TO MARS from Producciones Matt on Vimeo.

Greenpeace launched 2012 a campaign called "Save The Arctic" with the goal to spread awareness of the problems the Arctic and its habitants are facing. The Arctic faces threats from oil drilling, seismic blasting, industrial fishing and climate change. It is warming up at twice the rate of the rest of the planet. Experts warn that polar bears could disappear completely from the Arctic in the next 100 years. Luckily, we can prevent this. With the help of over 3 million people the campaign helped force one of the world’s most powerful oil companies to leave the Arctic and moved the Obama Administration to close the door to Arctic oil drilling for the next two years. The next step is banning oil drilling forever.

There are 11 causes: Children, Rainforest, Big cats, Breast Cancer, Seals, Oceans, Animal rescue, Primates, Global Warming, Violence and Wolves. There is also a 12th option which is "Daily Action".

Check it out:

Care2 Click to Donate

Also, another site i like to visit and help by clicking is the Greater Good site. It has 10 causes: Greater Good, Hunger, Breast Cancer, Animals, Veterans, Autism, Alzheimer's, Diabetes, Literacy and Rainforest. It works the same way as on Care2. You click and the sponsors help by donating.



Check it out:

Greater Good Click to Donate

I must admit, i haven't been doing this for a long time now, but i am going to try my best and get frequent again. It's really easy and if it helps, why not? :)

I can't even count the number of times i have stumbled upon a post about wolves or a petition to continue an anti hunting law or to put a certain wolf species on the endangered list. Their number is decreasing and we need to change the laws, educate the public and protect these amazing animals. They need our help.

One organization i love and think is great is Wolf Haven International. It is a wolf sanctuary which has rescued and provided a lifetime home for 200 captive-born animals since 1982.

'“Conserve and protect wolves and their habitat.” 

We rescue and provide sanctuary for displaced, captive-born wolves, offer educational programs about wolves and the value of all wildlife, promote wolf restoration in historic ranges and work to protect our remaining wild wolves and their habitat. We are a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that has worked for wolf conservation since 1982.'

What is a sanctuary? Wolf Haven Is A Sanctuary

Their educational program offer various presentations to groups of 10 or more. Every program is age-appropriate to the visitors’ learning level and is presented in Wolf Haven’s education room or off-site at your venue.

Conservation is also a big part of their mission. Dispelling false informations about wolves like for example that they make good pets, which is a common misinformation.

There are many ways you can support this organization and help:

You can become a member: http://wolfhaven.org/membership/ It is a paid membership. You get a quarterly magazine issue of 'Wolf Tracks' and guest passes to visit the sanctuary.

You can adopt a wolf: http://wolfhaven.org/support/adoption/ By symbolically adopting one wolf or even more you can concentrate on helping him/her and stay up to date with his/her life. Every adoption lasts one year and you can then choose to renew it if you wish.

You can make a donation: http://wolfhaven.org/support/make-a-donation/ There are number of ways you can donate: you can help check items of their Wish List. You can donate and an organization will match the donation etc.

You can make a planned giving: http://wolfhaven.org/support/planned-giving/

You can become a volunteer: http://wolfhaven.org/support/volunteer/

Are there any wolves where you live? Is there any organization which goal is to protect them? You can inform yourself and see what you can do to help them.