​How You Can Help
​
Part 3: In Your Community

Watch other videos in the series:

pART 1:
​What Everybody Everywhere Can Do

Personal choices

Watch the video to learn how >

​Part 2:
​What You Can Do

Using media

Watch the video to learn how >

HOW YOUR ACTIONS MATTER

7. OrganizING a Community Event or Fundraiser

Take action!

Your town library, bookstore, or community center are great venues to hold an event.

Get permission to hold an event that focuses on preserving and protecting endangered wildlife and their habitats. Use information found throughout NEPC’s website as talking points.

​Fundraisers are awesome ways raise money for organizations devoted to conservation and animal protection, like New England Primate Conservancy, or simply help spread the word about these organizations.

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8. ​BeING A Responsible Pet Guardian

Our pets are family

Take good care of your pets and make sure that any animal companions that you bring into your home are intended to be pets (cats, dogs, hamsters, etc.), and not monkeys or other wild animals.

Adopt your pets from rescues and shelters—never from a pet shop. The puppies and kittens you find in pet shops come from puppy and kitty mills, deplorable operations that exist to churn-out babies. The mothers of these babies are kept constantly pregnant and endure insufferable living conditions. In addition, millions of cats and dogs die in shelters each year because they cannot find homes. Be a hero and adopt. You will find no companions more loyal than those you have rescued.

Sharing your life with a pet can bring years of joy and unconditional love. It is also a huge responsibility. Your pet is a member of your family. Bringing a pet into your home takes planning to ensure that he or she is happy and healthy.
 
Here are some more tips on how to be a responsible pet guardian:
Think about the responsibilities of pet adoption before adopting your pet.

• Have your pet spayed or neutered.
• Keep your pet's inoculations against diseases, such as rabies, up-to-date.
• Provide your pet with nutritious food and fresh water each day.
• Spend time with your pet every day, walking, exercising, and giving love and attention.
• Be sure that your pet has an identification microchip, the registration information is current (update it if you move), and the identification tag on your pet's collar includes clear contact information, including name, address and phone number.
• Take time and patience to train your pet by using praise and attending training classes.
• Groom your pet regularly.
• Provide your pet with shelter and a comfortable, quiet, dry place to sleep or rest.
• Keep cats indoors to protect your cat and native wildlife.
• Do not keep dogs chained outdoors.
• Take your pet to a veterinarian for regular check-ups, vaccinations, and treatment for illnesses.
• Make sure your pet is taken care of when you go away for the day or on vacation.
• Make sure that you obey local pet ordinances, including licensing and leash laws.
• Make sure you can care for your pet throughout his or her entire lifetime.

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9. BeING a Champion of the Environment

Conserve resources

Not everyone is fortunate enough to have the things that we can take for granted, such as clean running water, heat, air conditioning, and electricity. And consider the needs of your local wildlife.
 

​Here are just a few conservation tips:

• Turn off running water when you are not using it
• Turn off lights when not in a room
• Unplug appliances when not in use
• Choose refillable water bottles to cut back on plastics
• Bring reusable shopping bags to the grocery store
• Recycle
• Plant a vegetable garden
• Plant a tree
• Plant an organic community garden
• In your yard, leave some wildflowers and plants for local wildlife. It's what they eat!
• Plant a pollinator garden. Learn how here!

• ​Compost. Some towns offer compost bins for purchase
• Use organic gardening products that do not harm bees and birds
• Build a Bug Hotel. Learn how here!
• Hang feeders and water for birds, especially during harsh weather conditions
• Put out a bowl of fresh clean water for land creatures, especially during extreme heat and cold, or whenever fresh water is scarce
• Choose cruelty-free cosmetic and household products, that is, those that are not tested on animals
• Try to select products that do not contain palm oil