How to Practice Sustainable Giving in Your Community
By Victoria Smith

If you want to live your life peacefully, then the secret to it is giving. Nobody knows how long they would stay on the Earth; however, the time you spend here, make sure to utilize it in the right way. If you are planning to contribute to your local community, here are some tips that can help you contribute sustainably.

Homemade Products

So many of us have almost everything in our kitchens and sometimes the things we don't even need. You can utilize these things and make gifts for your community from the kitchen, and don't worry, as these gifts are always welcome. Everything made from scratch is sustainable yet heartfelt. Your effort and time, as well as your cooking talent, are just as valuable as that store-bought present that they may or may not require.

The time you spend in your kitchen is probably comparable to the time you spend shopping for gifts at the mall or online. Food is also a personalized present that has no bad effect on the environment and is also unlikely to go to waste. You can make jams and jellies in the summers and distribute them in your local community. Moreover, baked items are always welcome. Other than that, you can also make pickles and chutney.

If you have a home garden, then it’s good news for you; all you have to do is take a dehydrator and donate some sun-dried tomatoes, dried pears, free fruit leathers, and apple rings.

Pick Up Trash

Although it may appear insignificant, however, garbage and litter have a significant impact on a community, and removing them would definitely help the community sustainably. Garbage scattered in waterways or over a park is not only unattractive, but it also conveys the image that nobody really cares about the environment. And if an area is already littered, it virtually gives the green light for more trash to be thrown in. Volunteer to clean and pick up trash in your neighborhood if you want to make an immediate difference. You can start with picking up at least three things whenever you leave home. You could also participate in a scheduled clean-up activity once a month where you will gather trash in a group.

Donate to a Local Charity

It’s always a good sustainable way to help the community by giving items you don't use anymore - or, more precisely, trying to find new homes and owners for your old belongings. Other than the happiness of getting rid of your old stuff, the satisfaction you would feel for putting your share for the community would be amazing. The donation would give you a mixed feeling. However, most people just use charity shops to dispose of items they feel bad about discarding. Despite the fact that charity shops are overflowing with donations, only approximately 15% of what is donated is sold. If you're donating to your local community charity shop, make sure the item you donate is in the best condition. Ensure that it's not broken and absolutely clean and seasonally appropriate.

You can even contact them ahead of time to make sure what you're dropping off is what they really need right now. Although charity shops are a more convenient alternative, there are many other venues where you can give products to individuals in need. Look into joining a charity or donation group in your area. If you want to donate to kidney patients, you can head towards the national kidney foundation. It is a trustable charity for car donation in Utah.

How Can Donating Clothes Help the Environment?

You might be wondering how the donation of clothes can be sustainable. Recycling clothes, whether you believe it or not, helps the environment in an exact way as recycling plastic, bottles, or paper.

Giving of Your Time

If you don't have any money but have the passion for doing something for the community, then worry not, as you can also donate your time. Volunteering can take numerous forms, ranging from outdoor work to assisting with social media. It might be a long-term commitment or a one-time project as needed.

You can either assist in a well-established organization or work for a small local group; if not both, you can even work for an individual.

Conclusion

There are so many ways you can give and contribute to the community sustainably. You can start with the ways we have mentioned above!

4 Eco-Friendly Ways to Get Rid of Junk
By Regina Thomas

​Everyone needs to rid themselves of junk from time to time. You must be wondering how to get rid of things in a way that does not hurt the environment. Here are four ways to be friendly to the environment while still getting rid of old stuff. The paths to helping the planet while dumping junk are donating, selling, recycling, and reusing your old things.

Donate
Donating is a rewarding and honest path to getting rid of items you do not want to hang onto anymore. There is someone out there that desperately needs the thing that you want to toss in the trash. With a bit of extra effort, you can ensure that your junk makes it to that someone. You can do a lasting thing in someone's life merely by donating your used items to charity instead of throwing them away. Also, the environmental impact of this form of recycling can be tremendous.

Suppose you have a used car that you want to donate. You may be wondering how to find one of the reputable car donation charities. You do not want your car to go to a bogus charity. Donating a vehicle is both thoughtful and generous. It also saves you money on your taxes, which can be a boon. Still, the internet is full of false charities that will take your car without helping anyone. Do a little digging into the charity you are considering and consider the ramifications of your donation before you part with your vehicle. You need to ensure that you do not give more thought to getting rid of your junk than you do to your charity efforts.

Sell
Selling your old things can be a lucrative path to earning a little extra cash apart from work. Everyone has old items that they are not using anymore. The environment stands to gain from selling them to somebody who will still use them. You do not always need to spend more money to be friendly to the environment. Instead, you can sell your unused things to a home they deserve in this promising form of recycling. You might not know already, but reselling using items you are not using is a fantastic way to help the environment during this troubling time for nature.

Recycle
The most common idea people have about how to help the environment is also a fantastic way to get rid of your junk. Recycling helps the environment by reducing the number of new products that damage the earth going into circulation. You can do your part by putting your old junk items into the recycling system instead of the town dump. Many things you want to get rid of you can also recycle. If you put in an honest effort to learn about what you can recycle, you will find that you can get rid of a plethora of things while putting pollution in its place.

Reuse
You may feel it takes a herculean effort but reusing old things may be the most straightforward path to getting rid of old junk. If you have clothing that does not fit anymore, check if your family or friends have a home for it. If you want to remove clutter around your house, try putting some items into storage instead of the trash. You may find yourself nostalgic later for some of the things that you would dump today. Also, if you genuinely want to be rid of something, you may find that you know someone about to buy one at the store. You need to remember that one man's trash is another man's treasure.

You can make a fundamental change in the local and global environment by putting a genuine effort into positively rid of old things. Every little bit of help makes a difference to the state of the world, and helping the environment is no different. You can do your part to help the earth by donating, selling, recycling, and reusing old junk instead of parting with it. A bit of energy and effort into thinking about ways to get rid of things in an environmentally conscious way will help the environment more than you might imagine. If you actively try to help the earth, you will find that you have made a difference that lasts on it.

We are so honoured that our former intern, Brooke Novotky, and her TEAM UNLEASHED Suburban K9 has chosen KSTR as their charity to receive $1500 if they can win against the other teams in this STEP CHALLENGE!🏃‍♀️
It’s time to break out those walking shoes, the 2021 Suburban K9 Step Challenge is finally here!! 👟👟
The company has divided into four teams and these four teams are competing against each other for their non-profit organization. The team that has the most steps by the end of next 21 DAYS, will win the $1,500 check to donate to their organization!!!

HOW TO DONATE YOUR STEPS:
1. Screenshot Your Steps for the Day
2. Pick Your Favorite Team/Organization (TEAM UNLEASHED for KSTR)
3. Share That Screenshot and Selected Team in the Comments of their FACEBOOK Page!
4. Repeat!! (One Entry per Day, Each Day We Will Create a New Post for You to Submit Your Steps)

Thank you TEAM UNLEASHED for choosing KSTR! ♥️
Check out this great group offering amazing services with dog training.
https://www.facebook.com/Suburban.K9
https://suburban-k9.com/suburban-k9-gives-back

Does this photo look familiar?
Of course! They are the co-founders of KSTR, Janine and Aislin!
​
Aislin was so kind to answer Eli's questions. Not only are these answers extremely great to have in a senior capstone project, this educational information can also benefit anyone who cares and wants to spread the word about wildlife preservation. Share with your friends, your students, your families. The more we understand the impact we have on our world, the closer we can get to protecting our home, our environment, and our species.
​
Read Aislin's answers below!

​What is the impact of species going extinct?
The impact of species extinction is as diverse as the species themselves, and will be felt differently around the world. Individual species all play an important role in sustaining healthy environments. Depending on where an organism is on the food chain, species extinction can have a cascading effect far greater than the loss of one single animal. For example, the loss of a large predatory mammal could result in a population explosion among herbivores which could in turn lead to declines in forest cover. Because of the complex relationships between species in any given environment, the direct and indirect impacts of extinction can be difficult to predict but potentially catastrophic. We see examples of this time and again all around the world. Plus, without insects, plants, and animals that make up healthy ecosystems, our livelihoods and general wellbeing are also threatened.

Why should humans make efforts to protect endangered animals?
Simply put: because we can! And our lives depend on it. In almost all situations animals become endangered either directly or indirectly as a result of human activities. On the other hand, wildlife protection measures often have indirect benefits for human communities. For example, in Costa Rica, protecting and restoring mangrove habitat benefits the wildlife that lives there but also provides a barrier to coastal flooding, along with important tourism and recreation opportunities for local communities. For less pragmatic reasons, we should strive to protect endangered animals because they have a right to inhabit the earth without being threatened by human activities. Animals of all shapes and sizes are also a big part of many cultures and inspire a sense of wonder in the environment (which helps us be better stewards in our own backyards). I'm personally grateful to have lived in a place with such a huge diversity of insects, mammals, and birds!

How can we save endangered species?
This is a big question! One size does not fit all but we've had some big successes (and failures) and can learn from these to direct conservation efforts. Conservation does not happen in a vacuum. With thoughtful effort and collaboration, we can not only save endangered species, but prevent species decline in the first place. And, as I mentioned before, every organism has an important role to play in its environment. Saving endangered species sometimes means focusing efforts on lesser known organisms that are critically important for keeping habitats healthy.

At Kids Saving the Rainforest (as our name suggests!) we believe that there is huge potential for positive change when children and youth get involved with conservation efforts. But EVERYONE has a role to play. Saving endangered species means working together, taking action early, investing in proven solutions, and exploring innovative ways to protect wildlife.

Hi there rainforest lovers!
Above is the front cover of an educational coloring book written by Bibi LeBlanc. It was given to Jennifer, co-founder of Kids Saving the Rainforest and there was a colorful, personal shoutout to Jennifer written at the beginning of the book!

Not only are there wonderful drawings that can come to life through the colors of the imagination, there are also amazing environmental facts that you can learn as you flip through the book. There is even a section where you can learn about the story of Kids Saving the Rainforest! If you want to get your drawing and learning on, you can get the book on Amazon by clicking here!

Below is an excerpt from the book.

Hi Rainforest Lovers!
​
We'd like to give everyone an introduction to Loop Abroad! Loop Abroad is a student travel organization that began with a singular mission: provide the best hands-on study abroad for students pursuing careers working with animals.

There are groups of students over at Loop Abroad that have been or will be coming to visit Kids Saving The Rainforest. What's great is that one of the groups worked on a public education project and created  a website all about KSTR!

Sections of the website include: Myth vs Fact, Kids in Costa Rica, #StopAnimalSelfies, Don't Feed Wild Animals and more!

​Each student created a separate section of the website! Here's a sneak peek of one of them.

You can check out the website here:
https://wildlifeconservati48.wixsite.com/costarica

You can also check out Loop Abroad's website here:
https://www.loopabroad.com/

Thanks to Breezy Brock for creating the website and thanks to all who contributed. Help spread the awareness! The animals and forests need you!

​This classroom of Fifth Graders, led by Mrs. Cornelius at Carl Schurz Elementary in New Braunfels, Texas, put together an amazing collection of quotations about why trees and rainforests are important and should be protected!  We paired their inspirational quotes with photos of some of the special rainforest animals who have received help from our rescue center or sanctuary. We are so impressed by the thoughtfulness and passion of these kids, and the teacher who taught and inspired them! 

Music: Carl Storm - Young Me Dreaming

Fun Facts:

• Along with learning about building wildlife bridges to protect sloths, this project also taught Clark about soil, carbon sequestration in plant-root systems, and how plants enhance air quality.
• Ruth loves learning about creatures of all types. She enjoyed using a microphone to tell patrons all about Kids Saving the Rainforest and the need to help sloths during the plant sale.
• All the sloth decorations on the plant stand were reused from Clark’s sloth-themed birthday celebration. 
• Masks were used to keep the plant sale safe.

​Hello Quepolandia!  This is Dani :)

This month, I am going to tell you some stories about the animals in our sanctuary.  I hope you enjoy them!
 
We are taking care of a Cotamundi who was born blind.  In her living area, there are a bunch of obstacles, trees, jumps and ramps - and I think it’s really cool how she can navigate around the enclosure using just her nose.  We use the obstacles to make sure she gets enough exercise, and to have more fun!
 
In the sanctuary, a lot of the animals don’t like just eating out of a bowl every day - so sometimes we do a different method of feeding.  Sometimes, we put the food in a coconut, sometimes we put the food in jars, sometimes we use toilet paper tubes! 

In the sanctuary, we also have a Green Parrot, and on his neck he has no feathers - because he used to be a pet, and his owners had a dog.  One day, he got loose from his cage, and the dog found him and attacked him.  After that, the owners called KSTR, and we took him in with happiness and joy.  
 
KSTR is a great place and we try our very best to make sure the animals in our sanctuary are happy, entertained and well taken care of! If you live in the Quepos/Manuel Antonio area, I bet you’re not too far from KSTR.  Go take a trip there and volunteer, - you can meet lots of incredible animals, each with their own special story.  I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!
 ​