Natural and Sustainable

I mentioned before on September 11 about some of the many species that are disappearing due to the rising temperatures and the warming world around these particular animals and breeds. The rise in temperatures in the Rocky Mountains will make it harder for certain species to migrate in a timely fashion in order to survive. Here are some species that will die off slowly if global change is not made soon.

• American Pika: This mammal survives in the Rockies and the Sierra areas and can not tolerate heat and this mammal is running out of high-elevation areas in order to survive. Because of global warming, this little animal could be the first to be extinct because of global warming. In the past 40 years, the pika population in the Great Basin (the area between the Rockies and the Sierra) have disappeared completely. And as the temperatures raise so will they existence in other areas as well.

• Wolverine: The rise in temperatures on this planet is causing this mammal to become an animal of the past. Their sanctuary is in the Rocky Mountains as well with the American Pika and they depend on deep snow pack to survive. They are one of the many mammals that are being affected by global climate change and they depend on wide open spaces in order to survive. As winters become milder, this mammal will soon become a thing of the past.

• Marmot: This animal is coming out of hibernation 38 days earlier in the spring than it did 23 years ago. When it does wake up, it is meet with more snow cover, about 22 inches deeper, and in turn has lack of food and can be forced back into hibernation. When it rises the second time from hibernation is burns muscles this time instead of fat, which makes it susceptible to starvation.

• Thrush: This song bird migrates from the Caribbean to the northern Appalachians. As global warming rises, so does the choice in their nesting trees, the conifer trees. A temperature increase of 1.5 to 6.3 degrees by 2100 could thin out the balsam trees in New England by 96 percent as some hardwoods like beeches and yellow birches crowd out their nesting trees one by one.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Boundary waters are disappearing as well. One by one. The Minnesota North Woods could go up in smoke if the Boundary Waters diminish. If this trend continues, more and more trees will disappear. To find out more, click here.

With climate change come changes within our animal species. Some species could become endangered or even extinct by the year 2030. Here are seven that could disappear forever if climate change isn’t controlled.

1. American Goldfinch: These little yellow and black birds could disappear entirely from 33 states depending on the CO2 emissions.

2. Bull Trout: Since they thrive in most glacier-fed streams, unless they are transported physically they won’t be able to survive and may be gone from the lower 48 states by the end of the century.

3. Warbler: Due to the hotter summers, the warbler has shifted its breeding to the north about 65 miles in order to survive in the last 24 years.

4. Sonoran Pronghorn: This desert antelope is already endangered and will be completely gone if situations continue, by 2050, due to lack of food, water and even thermal stress on the animal.

5. Cutthroat Trout: This fish survive in cooler waters and with the warming streams it will send this trout north out of Utah and the mountain streams around. 10 percent of the U.S. trout habitat will be gone by 2030.

6. Moose: Today there are fewer than 400 moose roaming the northern areas. Warmer summers cause the moose to be prone to parasites and due to this it will cause lower birth rates of the moose overall.

7. Bighorn Sheep: Lack of rainfall and temperature increase has caused a 37 percent decrease in the bighorn population. The bighorn sheep will disappear if the temperatures continue to rise in the next 60 years.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Growing grass helps to prevent the buildup of gasses. Switchgrass, which has been looked into for Biofuels production lately, helps store large amounts of carbon within the soil itself. This prevents in from being released into the atmosphere where it can cause even more damage.

Can a chocolate bar be two things at once? Say for instance; good for the environment and good for you as well? With the Endangered Species Chocolate it can.

They have many flavors and products that contain this world-changing chocolate, from baking chocolate to all-natural and organic and they not only carry chocolate that’s healthy and planet-saving but they are also apart of the Fair-Trade.

Their many flavors of chocolate bars include:

• Organic Dark Chocolate with Goji Berry, Pecans and Maca ($3.69)

• Organic Dark Chocolate with Goldenberry and Lucuma ($3.69)

• Organic Dark Chocolate with Cacao Nibs, Yacon and Acai ($3.69)

• Organic Smooth Dark Chocolate ($3.69)

• Organic Smooth Milk Chocolate ($3.69)

• Organic Health Collection ($10.00)

Endangered Species Chocolate also has selections in the bite-sized chocolate category as well as wedding favors and hot cocoa. All of their chocolate, no matter what selection you choose there is a 10% of the net profits are donated to help support species, their habitat and humanity of that species and their future.

The next time you are in the mood for chocolate, or you are just craving a chocolate fix, make sure you are making a good purchase and not just a quick purchase that doesn‘t really benefit anything. Calories are the main ingredient that causes guilt in most of us, so the Endangered Species Chocolate purchase will counter-act the guilt. Trust me, while you eat Endangered Species Chocolate you will feel a lot better than just the added guilt of calories that normal and everyday chocolate brings.

To learn more about Conservation and Endangered Statistics, please click here.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Re-Use, Reduce, and Recycle; Mulch your food waste. It’s the best thing you can do for the earth and your very own garden. Encourage your friends and even your own family to recycle. Pretty much everything can be recycled. And if you buy articles an food products in recyclable containers, you can put them right back into the recycling bin to become something else you can purchase again and again.

Become a Family of Conservationists:

To get your children involved in saving endangered species, begin by educating them about the cause. First, look for learning tools that present the facts in a kid-friendly way. There are many books focused on threatened species. The books out now are ideal for reaching children how they can help protect wildlife and preserve the earht’s ecosystems. Kids can also play the trading-crad game Xeko, which features endangered animals such as th Javan warty pig and the hairy-eared dwarf lemur. And the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has many programs where children can learn more about endangered species on their website. THey have videos, slideshows and even quizzes children can take to educate themselves more on what animals are endangered and how to protect all animals from making the list to begin with.

Facts to know about endangered species:

#1) Six out of seven species of marine turtles are listed as endangered or critically endangered.

#2) Today, only around 61% of the panda population, or about 980 pandas, are under protection in reserves.

#3) Two-thirds of the world’s polar bear population may be lost by 2050, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

According to the World Conservation Union, 7,859 non-plant species are threatened with extinction. Representing just a mere fraction of this number, here are six creatures from around the globe that are in dire need of conservation efforts:

• Giant Pandas: Habitat: forests in southwest China. Only about 1,6000 giant pandas remain in the wild today, estimates the World Wildlife Fund. Population growth and unsustainable use of natural resources have broken up their habitat into fragments, leaving pandas with far less flexibility in finding new feeding areas.

• North Island Brown Kiwis: Habitat: Forests and farmland in New Zealand. Covered in shaggy feathers and bestowed with an outlandishly long bill, the kiwi has been declining in population ever since humans arrived in its native New Zealand more than a thousand years ago. Predatory animals (introduced both accidentally and intentionally by settlers) have wiped out most of the brown kiwis, with short-tailed weasels responsible for killing about 60% of all chicks hatches each year.

• Great Apes: Habitat: Forest in Africa and Asia. Without an increase in conservation efforts, the animals most closely related to humans could become extinct in the next few decades if not sooner. In Africa, gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos contend with habitat loss, hunting and the spread of the Ebola virus. Meanwhile, in Asia, the orangutan is threatened with deforestation by the agriculture and oil palm industries.

• Marine Turtles: Habitat: Open water and coastal habitats worldwide. Marine turtles have roamed the ocean since the time of the dinosaurs, but hunting and pollution are now driving many into extinction. Amonf the critically endangered species is the leatherback turtle, which can grow up to nine feet long and weigh 1,100 pounds.

• American Pikas: Habitat: Alpine regions in the western U.S. and southwestern Canada. This small furry creature may be one of the first North American mammals to be wiped out by global warming. With temperatures rising in the alpine regions where they make their homes, the rabbit-like animals are having a hard time migrating to more suitable habitats.

• Jaguars: Habitat: The rainforests, swaps and savannahs of Central and South America. The jaguar is classified as “near threatened”, but many conservation groups consider this spotted cat to be endangered. Agricultureal expansion and hunting are two of the top threats for the jaguar, whose name means “the wild beast that can kill its prey in a single boungs” in one ancient language. (Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Federation)

** Along with the endangered species the grey wolf should be added to the list for the U.S. Over at Globally Green Living, Sandra Williams tells about how the grey wolf is being tracked from Idaho to Oregon and she also tells of ways to keep this wonderful and fascinating creature from becoming extinct.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Think BIG picture.