A Massive Undertaking

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Save the forests

Hello citizens of the Earth, we are losing our forests.

What you should know:

Water covers about 71% of the Earth, leaving only 29% to be covered by land. A third of that land is covered by forests. Forests are home to most of the world’s endangered animals and provide benefits on which 1.6 billion people rely. But every year between 46 and 58 million square miles of forest are lost.

Why you should care:

Forests are often cleared is for agricultural purposes, but removing trees causes soil erosion and the plants used to replace the trees cannot hold on to the soil. With this a forest was just destroyed for no end. More readily importantly to us are the benefits that forests provide such as shelter, fresh water, clothing, food and medicines. And paper. Paper is such a small thing, and no one ever really thinks about it. But look around the house and see how many things are made of paper. The number is countless on my desk alone. Paper alone is so very important in day to day life even though with modern technology it could be obsolete. Moreover, forests are powerful carbon sinks with the ability to filter and re-oxygenate the air we breathe--which seems a little more choking as the years go by.

What you can do:

The World Wildlife Fund has suggested that in order to help you should only buy wood marked with an FSC label, this wood was gained legally and cuts back on the amount of illegal loggers, therefore the amount of deforestation.

You can also stay Connected by following the WWF

You can also become a paperless member of theirs, or take steps toward becoming paperless yourself by using PDFs, digital copies of papers and photos, online bank transactions, (as well as online applications and tickets), getting off of the junk mail circuit by visiting Catalogue Choice, actually making use of the list-making app collecting cyber dust on your phone... These kinds of tips are everywhere. Like here. And Here.

Another tip? R-E-C-Y-C-L-E.

(Please read that as you would R-E-S-P-E-C-T).

Don’t forget: this is possible.

Deforestation information source

[amassiveundertaking]

Good morning, Vietnam!

I actually don't know what time it is in Vietnam, but here it's two minutes past midnight. I'm sitting in my cozy little room in my cushy little air conditioned house and I'm getting really sick of myself reading a book called The Help and not actually doing anything smart, kind, and important like Aibileen and Missus Skeeter Phelan or helping anyone. Right now, I'm a little bitter; and if you must know, positively itching to get out there and do something with my life.

I think it might be cabin fever, Doc.

In all honesty, I get this way sometimes. Call it wanderlust or freerunning (the psych principle, not the cousin of parkour) or whatever, but sitting at home and doing what really amounts to nothing in the cosmic scheme of things while I watch philanthropists go out among the people who need assistance give it to them. I have to do something. I have to do something or I'll rip out my hair and lord knows the shower drain can't take all that.

To do something, I need your help.

What do you do when you're squirming in your seat and pushing down the scream that's rising in your chest? How do you face a problem that you can't tell from which direction it's coming?

Let us know. Now.

We can tackle whatever we come across, with enough momentum. This is possible.

[amassiveundertaking]

Adolescent Vagueness

By Maya Williams Many say we are young, So to speak. Our goal is to apparently grind and move As if we were weeds shaking To a sharp, gusty, musical breeze. Apparently, our sole purpose is to grind To a great beat with the vague lyrics of drugs, sex, and dance Until our loins can no longer take it. And with a great beat twenty minutes before dawn With others who like to do the same, What could be better? As the saying goes: “You only live once.” Right? Hashtag YOLO. … As fun as that sounds, that is NOT our sole purpose In life. Maybe for some, and that’s fine, But most definitely not all of us. Not everyone of us can quote Drake and Lil’ Wayne Like Scripture. Not all of us consider clubs as fun. Revealing your body may be presented as confidence; But it is also a form of insecurity. Swear words make a statement for us; But it also pressures us into the “out there,” mainstream slang assumed as “cool.” We never wanted to be called “less educated” or “Mindless” or “Foolish.” What we want most of the time is “cool.” However, there is an exception for the tiny spark in us left that isn’t “cool;” But it is right. The tiny speck of a gas ball of us, Which is most likely bigger than we think, Strive for change. As overdone, drawn out, cliché, And many other similar adjectives as it sounds, We crave for it. We drool for it. Hell, we’ll crawl for it if we have to. The vision may not be clear enough. It may be vague now; But it won’t be that way forever. We’ll move to great music of protest And not offense. The pigment of our skin won’t be questioned of our actions But viewed as a beautiful rainbow. The only thing that would be “so gay” Is being cramped up in the closet in the first place. The spirit of youth should not die away Like a cigarette being stepped upon to stop the flame. We don’t want our little magic star Hidden in the media that advertises the split Between the double edged sword of prudence and lechery That would become something crazy; Using bright colors to make it look appealing. We don’t want the monetary issues to override The social issues. Many say that it all starts with us To be better… Don’t they?

[amassiveundertaking]

Save the bees

Citizens of earth, your honeybee is in danger.

What you should know:

Most likely, through contact with tumblr or otherwise, you have heard about the plight of the bees.

In Britain, the number of bee species has dropped to half its level in the 1950s.

The Portland Tribune reported the deaths of 50,000 bumblebees in Wilsonville, Oregon after the spraying of dinotefuran (a pesticide) in a Target parking lot.

Elmwood, Canada recently found 36 to 37 million dead bees soon after the planting of corn, the production of which uses neonicotinoid insecticides banned in the EU.

The Midwestern United States uses these on nearly all corn crops today, despite their known toxicity to honeybees.

Why you should care:

Bees are some of the most important plant pollinators on earth--Albert Einstein is even thought to have said that "if the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left."

Hundreds of varieties of fruits, vegetables, cottons and pasture grasses depend upon the honey bee not only for pollination, which increases biodiversity therefore protecting against disease, but to ensure that these crops develop flavor and stay fresh long enough for consumption--which could cause gastrointestinal discomfort.

This means vegetables, fruits, livestock, and cotton clothing could be things of the past. Or at least things strictly for the extremely wealthy.

What you can do:

A British organization dedicated to the conservation of native bumblebees posted a to-do list which details ten things you as an individual can do to promote the health, longevity and spread of bee colonies.

Buy organic products if fiscally possible.

Ask your congressman or local authority to work on dinotefuran and neonicotinoid bans in your state.

Don't forget: This is possible.

[amassiveundertaking]

Calling all... Well, calling ALL.

Artists

Writers

Vloggers

Musicians

Photographers

Journalists

Tech-savvy individuals

Researchers (which can mean "I surf the internet for interesting things") 

Anyone interested in helping with our project, please be sure to send us a message! If you'd like to fill out an application, please click here!

[amassiveundertaking]

Welcome to A Massive Undertaking

We're a multimedia, (hopefully) bi-weekly blog focused on what's important globally and why you should care. Our aim is to make "saving the world" more than a dramatic statement, but an achievement made possible.

We plan on having our tag system up to date and highly organized from the get-go, so be sure to keep up with our tag index. Please make sure you also have a look at our (under construction) FAQ/Rules page.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Thank you, and remember: This is possible!

[amassiveundertaking]

Maybe it’s the books. Maybe it’s the movies. Maybe it’s a Messiah complex fueled by a superhero obsession. Who knows? You do. This is a mission to prove wrong every doubt in the mind of the individual that they cannot save the world. What you find here is minuscule as compared to what you do with it.

This is the story of every knight you’ve been told of, and of those you’ll never know.

Every knight has a quest. We want to go about open minded, like a humble knight with a pen for a sword, trying not to grovel and not go gloating to anyone else. Have you heard of a truly noble knight who bragged about himself? They go off and fight dragons with no qualms, and without becoming arrogant. And if you can fight a dragon with words, maybe you can kill it more definitely.

Every knight has a quest, but the tasks and trials along the way are often unknown. Make your quest ambiguous and broad, so that you might not be limited in your smaller victories and learnings on the way. Our quest is to leave a mark. To make things better. To pull people of their groveling stupor, get them to stand on their own. We want to change the world. We can try, at least. Maybe we’ll impact one person in a positive way. Maybe we’ll save the world one person at a time. That’s all we can ask for. You see, it only takes one to make a stand, and maybe the one will help someone else.

This is a massive undertaking. This is possible.