Panthers are often thought to be dangerous and fierce creatures who only care for their own survival.
However, Dr. Mark Elbroch, lead scientist for Panthera’s Puma Program and ecologist who spent 15 years studying panthers, found that there is actually a compassionate side to big, carnivorous cats.
There is even an instance in which one of these fierce animals helped raise a baby baboon after its mother died!
The point is, we Panthers like to help each other out.
We care about each other.
Altruistic acts, doing things for others simply out of a desire to help, have been shown to activate important reward centers in the brain and relive negative thoughts and feelings within ourselves.
We often attempt to be empathetic and help each other out when we can, but sometimes we may not know exactly what can be done, or how our efforts can benefit most people.
With Earth Day on our minds, there are many simple ways to help both our environment and those around us.
Here are some ideas for expressing our gratitude for Mother Earth and our fellow Panthers:
Keep Our Beaches Clean!
We at Florida Tech are lucky to have beautiful beaches so close to us! Let’s do our part to keep it that way! Whether you volunteer for the many local “Adopt a Beach” cleanup efforts, or even just pick up that empty bottle from the sand and place it in a proper recycling bin, we can help make our beaches that much cleaner and safer for ourselves and the lovely creatures that call the beach home.
Be an Environmentally Conscious Consumer!
There are a number of ways we can help our environment just by changing our day-to-day consumer behaviors. For example, consider reducing your plastic use as many animals can die as a result of getting entangled or starve by consuming plastic they mistake for food. Cutting the plastic rings around soda bottles and cans before throwing them out and using paper bags or bringing your own reusable bag to your local grocery store, are some ways to help keep our environment safe just by slightly shifting your daily routine!
Simple Acts of Kindness!
Helping out our neighbors doesn’t have to be a grand gesture; even small, random acts of kindness can be something that immensely brightens someone’s day. Paying for the car behind you in the drive thru is a simple act that can help make someone’s morning just a little bit better. The best part is that these efforts are often contagious! When we offer a helping hand, it inspires others to do the same. Some other examples include leaving change in a vending machine, letting someone in front of you in line, or even just giving a nice compliment to a someone you know or a stranger!
Whether it’s something large or small, simple or more challenging, every act of kindness can help you better our world in your own way.
Caring about each other and the world around us makes everyone feel better, including ourselves.
The more people who choose to partake in this kindness, the more benefit for our world as a whole.
We at CAPS and the overall Florida Tech community want to make the world a better place, so let’s work together and be the change we wish to see!