How People (everywhere) Can Help Aussie Koalas
The writer John Muir once wrote that ‘anytime you pick something up, you find it’s attached to something else’. Or words to that effect. In other words, what we do on this side of the world, has huge effects in Australia and other faraway countries.
Take koalas for example. These marsupials (they are not bears) spend most of their lives munching away on eucalyptus trees. However, western consumer habits are greatly affecting their welfare. Primarily in three ways:
Climate change is causing wildfires. There is no ‘magic bullet’ to solve this. But all of us trying to live simple, low-carbon lives is the first step in the right direction.
Eucalyptus trees are very flammable. So when they are planted en-masse as ‘monocultures’, again it can create wildfires. The demand for their use in Tencel fabric, ‘compostable packaging’ for chocolate and coffee (and even non-sustainable aromatherapy oils) is all have a negative effect.
And also in Australia, some companies just use chainsaws to destroy the forests to make money, even if there are koala families living inside them.
So it’s best to wear organic cotton, linen and hemp fabric (over Tencel). And try to find coffee and chocolate packed in tins, or even recycled cardboard if you can.
Ensure aromatherapy oils are sustainably-sourced (and never pour them neat down drains, this can harm aquatic life). Avoid essential oils during pregnancy/nursing and don’t use near babies or pets (perfumes etc). And choose unscented cleaning and laundry brands).
If as a worldwide population we:
Lived simply and sustainably and did not buy unsustainable eucalyptus products, futures for the koala bears would look a lot brighter.
Portugal and Spain have already made a start. Due to wildfires, they have already banned new plantations of eucalyptus trees in both countries.
