Ultimate Environmentalist: Giving Back

Welcome to the fourth and final edition of Ultimate Environmentalist! My past articles have touched upon Recycling, Smart Consumption and Activism. This final article is more about what you can do as a human (biologically) to help create a sustainable earth.

These suggestions comprise a short list but together they represent a great shift in thinking and understanding about how our species impacts the planet.

The ever increasing human population threatens to tumble the natural balance of give and take with the earth, and there are ways to fix this. Human life is also very valuable and with the help of modern medicine and technology we can prolong our lives and the lives of others.

1. Organ Donation - I like to call this Ultimate Recycling. There are many many people on lists waiting for an organ that can be transplanted into them. This is a pretty serious subject to talk about. Now, I don't want to promote a future like the ones envisioned in Repo Men, because that would be pretty screwed up. But I would like you to consider signing up for the option of organ donation if you die in an accident of some sort. In Ontario, organ donation is recorded on our Health Cards, so paramedics can know quickly what to do in an accident.

2. Give Blood/Plasma - The prospect of having needles stuck in you and sucking out a sizable proportion of your blood doesn't seem all to pleasing but it is very important to consider this. Like Jackie Chan said "Blood, it's in you to give". Look up the nearest Blood donation center in your town and get tested. You may be a great candidate to give the gift of life.

3. Use Birth Control/Contraceptives - Using these items is essential in lowering the population of our species on earth. Not only do you get to have sex without the prospect of having annoying kids, but you can feel proud about being earth friendly :P Using condoms and The Pill are great ways to achieve this.

4. Adopt a Child - When it comes to make the decision about raising a family, think about adoption. There are many children out there that are without parents and are being tossed around in Foster homes. Take this chance to offer a kid a safe home and caring parents. You can also have your own kids through natural birth, but keep in mind that it is possible to decrease our species population through adoption. Reduce the human population, reduce consumption.

5. Cremation - At the end of your life, you will be struck with a decision about what to do with your body. For generations, people have opted for burials in cemeteries. Cremation is not a new concept and it is an interesting one. By being cremated, you decrease the amount of space that would be needed for your burial and make it easier for the nutrients locked in your ashes to be distributed back into nature.

Controlling our population and caring for one another is essential in creating a sustainable planet. I have led you through recycling, smart consumption and activism. Now, it is your choice to do something. Even taking a couple of suggestions from each article would have a great impact on this earth, our communities and you as a person. We are all faced with tough decisions and no one but us can make them. Join with me in protecting our planet for future generations, before we lose the ability to do so.

Part 1: Recycling
Part 2: Smart Consumption
Part 3: Activism
Part 4: Giving Back