KSTR – February 2022

Hi, This is Dani – your spokeskid for Kids Saving the Rainforest—or KSTR! 

First of all, I want to wish a very Happy 23rd Anniversary to KSTR! It was started in February 1999, by two 9 year old’s, Janine and Aislin, and Janine’s mom Jennifer.

Next, I want to wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today I am going to tell you about why the rainforest is so important for our planet, and our animals—and not JUST the ones in the rainforest. In addition to all the beauty that exists, and animals that live in the rainforest, the rainforest also does a lot to help our environment stay healthy and clean.  

The rainforest has many big trees and lots of plants that take in tons of Carbon Dioxide and put out clean air. If the earth’s atmosphere contains too much Carbon Dioxide, it will raise the temperature of the earth by changing our greenhouse gasses, and will harm animals that rely on the temperature, like Polar Bears, Penguins, and other animals that live in cold environments.

I’ve talked about this before, how we can limit our carbon footprint—like eating less meat/dairy, walking, biking, or skateboarding instead of driving, and not using so much energy by turning off lights when you’re not using them. The rainforests we have now absorb about 50% of the Carbon Dioxide we make—and it’s important that we keep the rainforest trees and plants healthy so they can help save the environment and the temperature on earth stay great for all its inhabitants!

Did you know that KSTR has planted over 17,400 trees over the past 22 years? Pretty amazing, right?

Here is a picture of 2 of the Co-founders Janine and her mom, Jennifer, planting a tree. It was taken 17 years ago!
At KSTR, we work hard to keep all the trees and to build our sanctuary around them—for example, we use natural fallen wood for the enclosures we build and the enrichments we put inside them! We’d love to see you at the sanctuary for a tour and we can tell you all about what we’re doing to save the rainforest.

Check us out at kstr.org.