Kids Saving the Rainforest
By Karma Imagine Casey
Hello fellow Quepolandia readers! This is Karma Casey, the Kids Saving The Rainforest spokeskid! If you are new to my articles, Kids Saving The Rainforest is a wildlife rescue rehabilitate, and release program. We also plant trees, put up wildlife bridges, and educate the public about how to respect our rainforest home.
We also have a sanctuary that is home to about 50 amazing animals including sloths, five species of monkeys, parrots, kinkajous, toucan, and more! If you’d like to come visit us, we offer tours every day except for Tuesday at 9 am. Go to kstr.org to make your reservation!
This month I am going to tell you a little bit about a VERY special holiday that has just passed. Can you guess what it is? Earth Day!! I hope you did something great to celebrate. At Kids Saving The Rainforest, Earth Day is very special because we are all about helping the earth, as you know.
This year, Kids Saving The Rainforest celebrated Earth Day by planting trees! Way back in 1999 when those two amazing nine year old girls, Janine and Aislin, founded KSTR, they were working hard to save the rainforest one tree at a time. KSTR has come a long, long way since then, but we are still dedicated to planting trees!
This Earth Day, we invited the whole community of Quepos and Manuel Antonio out to join us! A big thank you to everyone who pitched in! Everyone headed out to our reforestation project just north of Quepos in Parrita.
Back in 2016, this property which is nearly 300 acres of land that used to be a teak farm, was donated to KSTR. When Jennifer Rice, the president of KSTR, first drove out to see the property she sadly saw a Titi, or Grey Crowned Squirrel Monkey, that had been tragically killed.
KSTR has been working hard for 20 years now to save the Titis, and she took this as a sign that her help was needed in this area, so she took on the project.
Kids Saving the Rainforest has a goal of eventually planting 94,000 trees at the reforestation project. That’s a whole lot of trees!! Eventually, the property will hopefully become a safe haven where we can release animals back into the wild, and scientists can even go there and study them!
One of the main ways to help the earth is to plant trees. Trees are homes to so many different types of wildlife, and also the trees purify the air we breathe. Without trees we could not be alive! You can plant trees yourself, or you can donate a tree to Kids Saving The Rainforest for only ten dollars! And twenty dollars for three! Just go to kstr.org to sponsor a tree in our reforestation project, and to learn all about us.
Big companies that want to give back to the earth can even donate 500 trees for $500! Think what a big difference that many trees can make! One of these companies is EPR, and they donated the trees used in the Earth Day tree planting. In fact, they donated an incredible 9,400 trees to be planted this year! Wow! Thank you EPR! If you want to learn more about them, you can see their website at eprsiepac.com.
So many people love to do good stuff on Earth Day because it is such a wonderful, inspiring day, but Earth Day only comes once a year. Lucky for everyone, EVERY day is a good day to do amazing, fun things for the environment! If you missed out on doing something to celebrate Earth Day, never fear! You can do something good anytime.
Here is a list of twenty two easy things you can do to help the earth every day of the year!
Go on a beach clean-up.- Plant a tree.
- Buy a reusable bag.
- Have indoor plants.(they filter the air)
- Walk or ride a bike instead of driving.
- Shop at a local farmers market.
- Buy a reusable water bottle or container.
- Stop eating meat, or at least reduce it. KSTR has meatless Monday!
- Be mindful of what you throw into the trash can.
- Don’t use plastic straws, plates, cups, cutlery, etc.
- Start a compost pile/bucket.
- Don’t leave the sink, lights, fan, etc on.
- Recycle more.
- Take shorter showers.
- Don’t leave the water running, when you are brushing your teeth, washing the dishes etc.
- Use longer lasting light bulbs.
- Grow your own fruits and vegetables.
- Use biodegradable products.
- Volunteer at places like Kids Saving The Rainforest.
- Get solar panels.
- Cut the plastic rings on packs of soda cans, so the wildlife will not become caught or choke.
- Last but not least, spread the word and inspire others to help the Earth!
Well, those are my ideas to help the planet. Can you think of anymore? The world is in danger, and we are the ones who need to save it. Be the change!! I hope this inspired you to help save the Earth! Life is good, but life is even better when you are in harmony with, nature, and the planet.
Don’t forget! If you find injured, or orphaned animals send a WhatsApp message to 88-ANIMAL. This emergency line goes straight to our veterinary clinic team, and they can help come to the rescue.
Bye readers!