It all began with a planet, billions of years in the making, finally ready to carry life. A swaying and oxygenated ocean served as home to microorganisms. The basis of our family history began to thrive and expand. Photosynthesizing organisms morphed through the generations into eukaryotes and multicellular life. Those brave creatures become puppets to a great experimenter and were lured from the depths of the oceans to coastal lands. Life was no longer bleak, grim and grey. Millions of prosperous years went by, the Earth began to see thinking animals and comingling species. Everything was balanced and it all made sense.
After a while, the mammals grew smarter. The puppeteer must have been abashed by their existence, flicking each of their heads so that they might feel dull, glum and sulky. Disrespect replaced carefulness and war replaced tranquility. The Earth that once knew peace now cries through its tides rippling for someone to change a cursed trajectory course. Many people today don’t know their home, they don’t feel their nature. Ripples have turned into quaking hurricanes. Our planet screams through the mouths of the lives it takes, but with insignificant effect. We can feel the effects today – strange weather patterns and cancer rates soaring.
What do we do when our home is begging for help? We stomp it out of our minds, pushing it away with our trash. Every day we consume products that were produced by the use of oil, we emit carbon into the atmosphere. About one quarter of that carbon is absorbed by land, plants, and the rest by the ocean. As our carbon emissions lower the pH of the seas, we make it more difficult for calcium carbonate-shelled life to produce shells thick enough to protect them. Those shelled creatures include phytoplankton, our ancient ancestors. We are killing our family, and seem to be ok with that.
A majority of humans remain unfazed by our drying, dying planet and the fact that we are wiping out the basis of our food chain. A major problem with our water system is the toxic contaminations by putting harmful products down sewage drains. Avoid using pesticides in all cases. Pesticides used near homes are often washed away into sewage drains, where they may drain into local ponds and streams. Pesticides used on flowering plants have wiped out scores of bees.
Taking a step in an earthly direction is not a difficult feat to make. Next time you need to head to the store down the street, ride a bike. Do this twice a week and in one month, you will save at least 40 gallons of gasoline. Instead of purchasing a new plastic water bottle every day, invest in a reusable glass, metal or ceramic one. Properly compost your food scraps, and you can recycle tons of organic matter. We can all be proactive to help our home, and make Earth a better place for all. Small every day habits are what define us in the long run, we should let our impact be remembered as righteous.