In today’s world, there is a lot of talk about our world and the toll that we are taking on it, by trying to survive. The truth is, each generation leaves their own unique footprint on the Earth. We all do things that impact the world, whether it is filling up landfills or filling our homes with cold air on a hot summer day using an air conditioner that has bad emissions. Along with that, each generation seems to use more of the resources that Earth provides us with freely and this is depleting the resources that we depend on. If we continue on the path that we are on, we may end up using up enough that Mother Nature cannot keep up with our demands. This is why conservation efforts need to be in place. Are you ready to help us conserve?
What Comes from Nature?
With all the talk about conservation, many people still ask what is it we are using? We should strive to conserve the things that Nature provides for us naturally. For instance; sunlight, water, oxygen are things that Earth provides. There are many other things as well though. In North America, natural gas, petroleum, silver, gold, iron, coal, zinc, and many more things all come naturally. Pretty much every continent provides something unique that we depend on. However, these things do not replenish quickly. They take years to form in some cases and our demands for them grow with each year. Could you imagine a world where there was not enough bauxite to create the aluminum that we need, enough nickel to provide us with steel, or natural gas to heat our homes?
Our Most Important Resources
The most important resources we have on earth are water, air, and coal, but there are also many others. All three of these are in limited supply. Only about two and a half percent of our Earth is fresh water. When it is gone, it will be virtually impossible to create more. Fresh air is provided by the trees and the flowers in our world. The more land we clear, the less oxygen we will have in the future. We also do things that damage the air quality with pollution. If all the air is of poor quality on our earth, we will not be able to survive here. Our coal supply is also diminishing quickly. It is estimated that in less than 200 years, coal will be something that we no longer have access to. According to some, there is only enough natural gas to last for another 60 years.
Help Us Conserve
Our world depends on us as much as we depend on it. You may think that conservation efforts are beyond your ability, but this is not true. Our Earth depends on us all to work together in caring for the environment and conserving what we can. Instead of driving your car in the middle of a city, why not walk to work, carpool, or ride a bike to cut down on pollution which damages the air quality? When you want to build a new home on a piece of land, leave the trees that you are able to and plant others outside of the area where you want to build. Fix leaky faucets, recycle things you no longer use, and more. There is plenty of information available at the Macomb Conservation District to help you learn how to help us conserve our world for future generations.