This past week has been filled with important dates: Wednesday the 28th was World Wildlife Day, and yesterday the 29th was International Tiger Day. Two days dedicated to the protection of nature and wildlife, and to raising awareness about what we can do to stop the damage already done.

World Nature Conservation Day is a day that reminds us that a healthy environment is the foundation of a stable and healthy society. Conservation is the care of the Earth's natural resources in order to preserve them for future generations. These natural resources include water, natural gas, plants, trees, and wildlife.

Conservation focuses on the sustainable use of nature and its resources. As human beings, our efforts must be focused on conserving those resources that we ourselves are exploiting. Because although we think everything is infinite, many of these natural resources not only run out but are also non-renewable. That's why we must do everything possible to conserve what we have.

Our resources: what they are and how we can conserve them

Water

Water covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface and helps regulate the Earth's temperature. There are 326 million cubic miles of water on the planet, of which 97% is saltwater and only 3% is freshwater. Conserving water is important because it minimizes water scarcity, helps preserve the environment, and keeps the ocean clean.

Ways to conserve water

• Take shorter showers
• Collect rainwater in buckets to water your plants
• Fill your washing machine to have fewer loads to do
• Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth or use soap to wash your hands.

Natural gas

Natural gas is a fossil fuel used as an energy source for generating electricity, heating, cooking, and fueling vehicles. It helps power our household appliances, as well as the cars and trucks that transport goods from one place to another.

Ways to conserve natural gas:

• Find an alternative way to get around, such as cycling or taking public transport.
• Share the car with colleagues or friends to go to work
• Use ride-sharing services like Uber Pool
• Try using solar energy (provided by solar panels)
• Open the windows of your house or car instead of turning on the air conditioning.
• Turn off the lights when you leave a room
• Unplug appliances when not in active use

Plants and trees

Trees help clean the air we breathe, maintain a balanced ecosystem, and provide habitat for many of Earth's organisms. They also absorb harmful carbon from the atmosphere and help prevent soil erosion caused by water and wind.

Ways to preserve plants and trees

• Plant a tree
• Think before printing physical copies of a document
• Subscribe to the digital version of magazines and newspapers

Other ways to live a sustainable life:

• Recycle everything you can
• Use reusable plastics (see our article on Plastic-Free July )
• Buy sustainable brands like Momoc

Wildlife

Wildlife is important because it provides balance and stability to nature and the world's diverse ecosystems. Wildlife conservation works to ensure the survival of endangered species. International Tiger Day is celebrated on July 29th each year to raise awareness about tigers and their danger of extinction. One of the goals of this day is to double the number of wild tigers by 2022, the next Chinese Year of the Tiger.

Facts about the tiger:

• Tigers are now restricted to just 7% of their original range, in isolated forests and grasslands in 13 countries.
• It is estimated that only 3,500 tigers remain in the wild worldwide. While a century ago there were between 50,000 and 80,000 in India alone.
• Tigers maintain environmental health by balancing the ecosystem in the wild. Without sufficient numbers of tigers, herbivores could overgraze, damaging the land and disrupting the local environments on which people depend for food and water.

Learn more about tigers here: https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/wildlife/tigers#tigers

At Momoc, we focus on sustainability and ethically manufactured footwear. Our goal is respect for humans, animals, and the environment, helping our customers navigate the planet consciously, responsibly, and, of course, in style.

Start living sustainably and celebrate International Tiger Day with our Félin Noir Midi ballerinas, the 2.0 version of our classic Félin Noir ballerina - both embroidered with vegan thread on 100% cotton black velvet.