Earth day. If you celebrate the Earth and take care of it as best you individually can you may be called a treehugger or a hippie. There are quite a few people I know that actually don't care that humans are harming the Earth and its become quite a problem. The Earth is our home, why wouldn't we want to take care of it?
The World Conservation Union is trying to find a way to preserve the Earth and make it livable in years to come for all creatures and plant life including, trees, humans, animals, and marine life. Everything is suffering because people want to build structures and use the Earth's resources without giving back to it. The WCU states that essential ecological processes and life-support systems must be maintained, genetic diversity must be preserved, and any use of species or ecosystems must be sustainable.
Taking care of the Earth in our everyday life isn't too complicated, actually. It's basic things like taking a shorter shower, recycling, using reusable dishes and not paper plates and plastic forks, and having a reusable to-go mug when you buy coffee. I also do understand that sometimes these things are unavoidable but when you can, do what you can.
The WCS states that "...the conflicts, famine, and strife that persist in an overstressed world show how essential it is to seek a new approach." There's so much life lost as a consequence of acting like everything is fine. No, we need a change and it needs to happen quickly or more animals and plant species will go endangered and extinct.
Every year wildebeest make a terrific migration that loops through the grasslands of Tanzania, through the hills towards Lake Victoria, and then to the Masai Mara National Reserve in southern Kenya. These are crucial stopping points for these two million or so animals and that doesn't even include the Zebra and the predators that follow their food source. Conservationists say that the population of the wildebeest is rapidly declining due to high human population, roads, and fences. The animals can't migrate naturally without going through or around these structures and obstacles. Climate change, change in land use, and cultural challenges also propose issues for this migration in eastern Africa.
See, it's not just in the United States that struggles with preserving the Earth. It's all around the world. I could sit here and tell you about things going on in each continent and even each country that is destroying the Earth, but that wouldn't help unless you would start caring. A good way to do that is going to a good and reputable zoo. The San Diego Zoo is the number one zoo in the world and it's massive. There are many exotic animals to see and learn about even going to a local zoo that had exhibits dedicated to the animals you're interested in learning about.
Educate yourself. Get online or read books about a certain cause you're passionate about and find causes that interest you and learn about them whether that be trees, climate change, or animals. The only way that future generations can continue to enjoy the Earth is if we take care of it now. We shouldn't be all about taking from this beautiful planet, but we need to give back to it for what it gives to us.