Blog #17-Erin Holbrook

As juniors, we often wonder about the future. This year and next we will be making decisions about what sort of future we want to have. Soon enough we will be starting the rest of our lives, out on our own. Who can help but wonder what the not-so-distant future can bring. And so the questions pile on. What college will I go to? What major will I choose? Where will I live? What will I do? What does the universe have in store for me? Yet regarding future events there is one topic that no one seems to worry about enough. The future health of the planet we live on. I know, I know: environmentalism is a topic that has been done to death. Indulge me a few more minutes of your time to hear just a little bit more about it, and about what you can to reduce your carbon footprint.

Progress is a good thing. It brings us civilizations buzzing with activity. The human race is mighty. Even those of a mediocre economic status have access to once unimaginable wonders such as televisions and computers.  The progress of the human race is astounding. Our process of obtaining Nitrogen- which is a chief ingredient in fertilizer- is most readily described as literally making food from air. Progress has surely led to good things- even for the environment in some ways. Certain species of plants- such as corn- and animal- chiefly domesticated pets- have thrived off of human development. In many ways, progress is a wonderful thing. But too much progress can have negative effects on the world we live in.

One example is destruction of habitat. Every day the human race becomes more and more populous. As our species expands, so too do our needs. We consume the land around us like wildfire, razing forests for lumbar, obliterating mountains for coal, and steamrolling plains for space. According to National Geographic, our demand for lumber is so much that “Swaths [of forest] the size of Panama are lost each and every year.” On top of that, habitat destruction has led to an extinction rate estimated at 1,000 times the normal rate. Pollution has become a major problem that plagues even humans. In Northern China, it is not uncommon for school to be cancelled because of toxic clouds of gas – a phenomenon called by the media an “airpocalyse”. Closer to home, water supplies in Kentucky have been contaminated by sludge from coal mines, leaving many small communities in a want of drinking water.

The greedier the human consumption, the more resources we deplete and the more of our planet we destroy. It may seem that there is not much that we can do. The problem here is bigger than any one of us. A single person’s effort makes little difference when giant corporations consume energy  on an incredible scale. What impact can any one person have? Upon first glance, one might say their impact is negligible. One would be wrong. When all of us work together for change, that impact becomes quite tangible. And by everyone I don’t mean everyone but you, for that is the free-rider problem in our society. “If everyone gets a vaccination but me, no one will be able to give me the measles.” One might argue. Then suddenly, ten, twenty, one-hundred people have this opinion. One of them goes to Switzerland, and comes back sick. Suddenly you have the measles. You are no more exempt from the responsibility of conserving energy than you are exempt from getting your shots.

What you can do is in fact rather simple. Next time you find yourself shopping, buy environmentally friendly appliances. Always turn off lights that you are not using. If you aren’t going to be home for a while, turn off the heat. Reuse old paper as scrap instead of wasting more sheets. Buying local produce is a big thing that you can do to help out. Factory food takes an incredible amount of hazardous resources to produce. First, plants are grown sprayed with pesticides that pollute the surrounding land and air. Animals are flooded with antibiotics that are not exactly healthy for you or for them. Once processed, preserved, and packaged, the production of basic foodstuff has already wasted an incredible amount of resources. And, of course, then comes the drive. In some cases- the flight. Gallons upon gallons of gasoline are wasted in the transport of such materials. All of this is avoided when you buy local products.

And so, as you are thinking of your future whether it be two miles or two-hundred miles away, I ask you to think also of the Earth you will be living on. Progress is a wonderful thing, but so is nature. And so wherever the future takes you, use CFL light bulbs. Take care not to waste water. Carpool while on your travels. Buy local food. Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Remember that conservation is preservation. Every drop of water that you don’t use is a drop of water saved. Every bottle you recycle is a bottle that doesn't suffocate the ocean. Just do what you can do to avoid the “airpocalypse”.