Why should you care about the environment?

We (humans and wildlife) all live on the same planet and share natural resources. We all breathe the same air, drink the same water, and eat food grown in shared soils. Essentially, we are all connected to each other and dependent on the same resources. Therefore, we should all consider the Earth and its environment our home. We should feel connected to the resources we use and depend on instead of disconnected like the majority of us feel. If we begin to view the environment as our home, we may be more incline to keep it clean and thriving. Often we feel disconnected from the environment around us. We buy food from the store instead of working the land ourselves. We turn on the tap for clean water taking for granted that 783 million people worldwide do not have access to clean and safe water (Water Project, 2016). A more sobering fact is that in 2014 1.6 million Americans reported not having access to running water, a toilet or a tub/shower (Riggs, 2018). Let us not take for granted our access to clean and safe running water. You can do your part to keep our watersheds clear of pollution and conserve water to ensure that future generations have access to clean water.

We all need clean air to breathe and as such should do our part to keep the atmosphere healthy. Whether you believe in human caused climate change or not the facts are our plant is getting hotter. This is not a discussion of the legitimacy of the climate change yet a call of action to reduce your carbon footprint. Each of us can take steps to reduce the amount of carbon we put into the air. Simple things like using reusable containers instead of disposable ones and reducing the number of trips we take to the store each week. Traveling by motor vehicle and airplane is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Although it is impossible to stop travel, we can learn how to reduce waste while traveling. Additionally, if you must fly, you can purchase carbon offsets that help fund positive conservation projects. Another major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions is excessive energy use. You can save energy, save money, and improve air quality by weatherizing your home.

Soil resources are the easiest natural resources to forget about and one that most people do have not a connection to at all or so they think. We are all heavily dependent on our soil resources. The food we eat doesn’t come from a store, it comes from a farm where it was grown in soil. We can do our part to help improve soil quality by not wasting food. By wasting food, we cause unnecessary stress on the food production industry. And as such, farmers are pressured to increase production. This increased production comes with a cost – excessive fertilization and water consumption both of which are bad for the environment.

We are all in this together and as such should do our part to keep the environment healthy not only for us but also for the wildlife. If we do not take care of our home, its natural resources and natural beauty then who will? It is our responsibility as stewards of the land (and wildlife) to ensure that future generations have the same opportunity to have clean air, water, and soil. Not to mention, natural places to visit and view wildlife. Please, consider your actions and how they affect the world in which you live.

Lastly, consider the actions of our government. We do not want to return to the days of burning rivers like the Cuyahoga River in Ohio that was so polluted with chemicals it caught fire in 1969 (OHC, n.d.). Take the time to write your congressional representative and express to them your care and concern for a clean environment.

I’ll leave you with a quote from John Muir, “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world”.

Resources:

Ohio History Central. (n.d.) Cuyahoga River fire. Retrieved from http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Cuyahoga_River_Fire

Riggs, E. (2018). Clean water access challenges in the United States. UNC Chapel Hill. Retrieved from http://efc.web.unc.edu/2018/02/13/clean-water-access-challenges-in-the-united-states/

Water Project. (2016). Facts about water: Statistics of the water crisis. Retrieved from https://thewaterproject.org/water-scarcity/water_stats