It’s about time humans take care of what they started.

For years humans have been taking advantage of the abundance of resources provided by nature. The overuse of resources is slowly showing its effect on the planet. 

One natural resource used by humans many know to be a dangerous cause of the current state of the planet is fossil fuels. In today’s society, everything needed to provide heating and electricity to transportation are reliant on fossil fuels. It’s almost as if the normal human can’t run away from damaging the earth, even if he or she wanted to. Elkhart High School Natural Resource teacher Mr. Eric Jantzen speaks about what he thinks is to blame for the changes in the planet. “There are two main causes: lack of understanding and apathy,” he states. “Some people genuinely don’t know what is happening around them. That’s where teachers like me come in.” Continuing, Jantzen adds, “Lack of caring is harder to deal with. Some people know that the damage is being done and don’t care.”

Even small, everyday things many humans don’t even think about are altering the course of planet life. Plastic use is a huge problem often not dealt with. Many people use plastic more than they might think. When someone goes grocery shopping, many of the containers are composed of plastic. And, even when bagging their groceries, it is being put into another plastic bag. The growth and popularity of fast food is also a main component of this plastic use. Everyday, around 84.8 million people rely on fast food in the U.S alone. The plastic consumption from this daily food consumption has put a big dent in the environment. 

The main reason plastic is such a dangerous component to the environment is how many years it takes to decompose, running up to around 500 years. This means the plastic is lying around in earth’s soil and waters. This plastic then releases toxins into the soil and, when burnt, releases toxins into the air.

Now, 70% of the earth has been directly altered by humans alone. The next step to stopping the percentage of alteration in the earth to rise is educating those not informed. Even as climate change has been a dividing topic for some, with many denying its existence, informing those around can always help make a difference. “I really believe that environmental education needs to become more widespread at every age and every setting. This is one reason that the School of Natural Resources exists,” expresses Jantzen.

With the accessibility of the internet, people’s education on the subject is steadily improving. Even inventions such as Tesla developing electric cars are making breakthroughs, creating a green happy way of transportation. Solar energy is also a current topic being made. Some places have even implemented them into their everyday lives. Now the question is this: How effective are all these alterations? Jantzen has his own thoughts about it. “I think that steps that are being taken are effective; they’re just not happening fast enough, or widely enough. This means that not enough people are taking the necessary steps.”

Helping the environment isn’t just to do it for the sake of doing it, but for the things and people it’s effecting. This planet is for humans, animals, and other creatures to share and take care of. When humans are damaging the environment, it puts all living things in danger. “The most important thing to remember is that we are borrowing this planet from children,” voices Jantzen. “We need to leave them a planet that is in better shape than the one we received from our parents.”

The planet was here to provide humans with food and shelter, and it’s about time humans give back to it.