Take only as much as you can give

I’m in an introductory Environmental Science class this semester, and we are actually talking about waste in class right now. As the population grows with the help of technological advancements, we are giving off more waste, in the form of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and this is quickly eating away at the ozone layer. Toxic chemicals and pesticides and such used in the agriculture industry definitely are not helping as well. And with globalized trade becoming so open and wide now, the pressure to fuel this booming trade between nations has also increased, depleting natural resources. People are no longer treating the land as it should be treated, and people are exploiting the land for its products. Deforestation, overgrazing of fields and excessive tilling of land are also big problems that need to be regulated firmly.

However, this is not entirely globalization’s fault. This environmental problem is something that has been building up over decades and something that had not been brought to people’s attention. It was only until about several years ago when the environmental crisis was brought to the public’s attention, and with the help of Al Gore’s documentary, activism spread and the urgency of the matter was finally out. The earth needs to be treated with kindness and there needs to be less chemical usage, less pollution; less things that will harm the earth. You take only as much as you give, and people are definitely taking more than they will be able to return. But that is the challenge, to replenish our resources and change our negative habits into better ones that respect the environment as the ultimate giver.