Humanities Impact on Nature
by Ben James
Introduction
Humanity has done a lot to harm nature. So much in fact, that finding a natural habitat is a rare experience. The nature we do see are either a national park, or a protected habitat. A true natural habitat, almost doesn't exist. We need to restore the damage that we have done to the natural world; and once we do, we then need to let it grow.
Our Negative Impact
Trash Find #1
The plastic wrap that was once around a bottle of gatorade.
Trash Find#2
I think this is a vinyl bag that use to hold dirt, or maybe it held rocks.
Trash Find#3
A used Mtn. Dew bottle. Just thrown in the tall weeds.
Littering
We humans make a lot of trash, and the typical way of dealing with trash is to throw it away. However not all trash we throw away ends up in a landfill. Some people throw it on the ground or in the river, which damages the plants that are growing there. It can also end up is some animal's mouth, which will make it sick. Sometime the trash they eat can kill them by suffocating them. Trash that ends up in the landfill is not good for the natural world either, because it pollutes the air when the trash decomposes.
Car Pollution
The cars we dive to get from place to place burn fuel. That fuel is harmful to the atmosphere and is also harmful to plants and animals. The fumes that cars emit, which are invisible to the naked eye, are one of the main causes for global warming. Even though gas companies decline this information. These fumes can cause breathing problems for the animals that inhale it. These fumes also can block carbon dioxide from entering the plants, which is one way they make energy.
Factory Pollution
Pollution dose not come from just cars, it also comes from factories of every kind. Factories spew more harmful chemicals into the atmosphere than cars do. They also do it in larger volumes. This makes factories the number one polluter, and that's not a good thing. Factories also pollute more often than cars do, because they don't stop production. You can easily turn a car off, but turning a factory off is a different story. The kind of chemicals that factories spew out do even more damage to pants and animals than the chemicals that cars emit.
Construction
In order to build buildings, you need to clear away the plants and animals that live there. With humanities growing population, we will be making even more buildings. Which means we will be clearing away more of the area that plants and animals need to live. Those plants and animals will never be able to go back to their homes because there is now a building there. The humans that now go to that building will scare away animals even farther from what was their home. Most animals don't know were else to go, so they end up dead. Either by being run over, or by starving to death.
What we can do to help wildlife
Plant a Tree
Planting a tree will help regrow the forests we have cut down. When a tree is all grown up, it produces more seeds. Which will eventually fall down and then become another tree. After a couple cycles of this process, there will be an entire forest. Alot of animals live in forests; so by planting one, you will bring back animals that had once lived there. Planting a tree will also improve air quality, because trees filter out carbon dioxide and provide us with oxygen.
Pick Up Trash
Even though we can't eliminate the trash we produce, we can at least put it all in one place. That way animals will be less likely to eat it and git sick from it. So if you see trash laying on the ground, pick it up and put it in the landfill. It's that simple; just put the trash where it belongs, in the landfill. If you can't put it directly into a landfill, then give it to trash companies to do it for you. It's not that hard, just do it.
First Fill
When I bought this cup from Hardies.
Drinking It
Reusing It
Reuse It
Don't throw that cup away! You can reuse it by filling it back up. Don't be wasteful and throw it in the trash. When you can't reuse the cup, then throw it away. Don't just use it once, use it more than once. Make it worth having instead of discarding. You can also reuse the straw you got with the cup by washing it and then drinking out of it again. However, most cups can't be reused forever; but you should still reuse it as much as you can.
Recycle It
Some of the trash we throw away can be recycled. When that trash is recycled, it is melted down and then used to make other products. That way we don't waist any materials. So the next time you are about to throw something away, check to see if it can be recycled. If it can be recycled, don't throw it away. Instead you should put it in your designated recycle bin for the recycle truck to pick up. However if it can't be recycled, then you can throw it away.
Make Art Out Of It
You can create artwork out of trash instead of throwing it away. My example may look silly, but you can make amazing artwork out of the trash in the trash can. Let your imagination run wild as you make your piece of art. The artwork you make might make other artists make their own artwork out of trash. Soon there will be a big community of artists that make trash into art.
Forest Enterance
This is the beginning of the trail I went threw.
Forest
I took this shot as I was walking threw the trail.
River
Conclusion
Like I stated in the beginning, humanity has done a lot of things to harm the natural world. However, we are not powerless to stop it. It may take some time, but by ether: planting a tree, picking up trash, reusing cups, recycling materials, and making art out of trash. We can reduce the negative impact we have on the natural world. If enough of us work together to reduce our negative impact, we will eventually eliminate it.