There are many ways to be a "lover and defender" of the wilderness. The most important of which is to get yourself and others out into the natural world. If you have not already managed to get out there you will be amazed by what you have missed. You do not need to undertake a long journey to have these experiences. A walk in your back yard or a nearby park can be an eye opening experience when approached with an open, watchful eye and mind. Believe me it is much better in person than on any screen or page.

Once you have discovered what is out there you just might share the worlds growing sense of concern and feeling of responsibility towards saving the great treasures that are left as well as restoring some of the ones we have already lost. Please act on these feelings and do whatever you can to help.

Write your government representative, vote on important environmental issues in your community or volunteer for the conservation organization of your choice. If, like many people in today's society, you do not have the time to act personally on these issues then you might consider giving your financial support to some of the organizations that are working hard on the issues that are most important to you.

Regardless of the amount of time or money we can afford to devote to these issues, there is one thing that each and every one of us can do. Live Simply! Do you really need that new car, vacation home or another pair of jeans? Americans and other western countries are using up the vast majority of our planets resources. If everyone who already had  more than their fair share of the true necessities in life could learn to live with a little less, imagine how truly rich all our lives could become. 

It is estimated that with the additional expenditure of about $13 billion a year we could provide basic health and nutrition for the hundreds of millions of people on this planet who currently have neither, including the millions in our own borders. This is an almost unnoticeable fraction of the USA's annual budget and less then the amount we Americans spend on pet food every year.¹  It always amazes me how little most people actually need to survive and how happy they can be when able to secure these barest of necessities while not being constantly barraged and tempted to lust for more. 

Visit the links page if you are interested on finding more information on the topics of conservation and simple living.