HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT

Influence

Write that letter

Don't expect the government to take the lead. Even in sympathetic administrations, governments rarely take the lead. The most innovative and creative ideas come from we, the people. Write to your member of Parliament or Congress and let them know you want your tax dollars going to the protection of great apes in Africa.

Spread the word

The number of humans born each day is greater than the number of chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and bonobos left in the world. Many people aren't aware that great apes are endangered -so spreading the word is critically important. Tell people that without our intervention, today's children could come of age in a world without chimpanzees and other great apes living in the wild. But its not too late to make a difference.

Visit Great Ape Ecotourism Sites

Ensure the site you are visiting is being run in a sustainable manner. That is supports the local communities as well as the local government authorities who are mandated to manage and protect these areas. Ensure your visitation does not harm the apes that are living there.

• Help protect them by ensuring you stay 10m away from the apes, even if the guides says you can go closer.
• Disease transmission is one of the biggest threats to great apes with tourism. Do not visit them in the wild if you are sick.
• Ensure you are fully vaccinated before you travel to a great ape tourist site

Other things you can do to help:

Live Greener

Shut off the water when brushing your teeth.

This is one of Jane Goodall's most frequent suggestions to her audiences when she's on the road. Did you know older faucets release 3 to 7 gallons of water per minute? That could add up to more than 5,000 gallons per year flowing down the drain while you brush!

Wash your clothes in cold or warm water, not hot.

If you wash two loads per week this way, the reduction in carbon dioxide is as high as 500 pounds per year, according to the Greenhouse Network.

Cut down on your meat-eating (or better yet become a vegetarian).

Even cutting out one meal of meat per week can have an impact!

Learn more about solar energy!

The earth receives more energy from the sun in just one hour than the world uses in a whole year, according to SolarBuzz. Here is a fun resource: http://www.eere.energy.gov/solar/educational_resources.html#science

Join an online community for sustainable living!

This site links to forums on everything from hybrid cars to 'tightwadding' to wind power.
http://www.ecoforums.com/

Make an organic flowerbed!

http://pennsylvania.sierraclub.org/northeastern/organic.pdf

For The More Adventurous

Landscape Sustainably!

Learn how to landscape your home to be 'Fossil Fuel Free'!
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/greenacres/smithsonian.pdf
http://www.sustland.umn.edu/

Install a compost toilet!

Composting toilets have been an established technology for more than 30 years!
http://www.epa.gov/owm/mtb/comp.pdf

Shop Ethically

Buy fair-trade coffee and other 'fair food'.

Fair-trade coffee protocols guarantee farmers a decent price so they can earn a living wage. According to US certifier Transfair, participating farmers can avoid cost-cutting practices that sacrifice quality. Global Exchange offers a list of retailers including Starbucks, Trader Joe's and Safeway, plus a list of outlets by state (not all states included).

Branch Out

Turn the tide

Join a remarkable program endorsed by Jane Goodall, 'Turning the Tide'. It features nine personal actions to protect the environment -- complete with calculators that tally and track individual and collective impact right away! This program comes from the Center for a New American Dream.

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