As human beings, one of our greatest flaws is selfishness. We tend to make decisions that ultimately benefit us or we make decisions to feel better about ourselves. Now a days, it appears that nothing is taken for granted more than the environment, for it is just an aspect of everyone’s life that never changes. Yet, it goes without saying that we are the greatest threat to the environment, for we have the choice of conserving it or destroying it. At the Rose Café this past Wednesday, it was interesting to hear about the various issues that occur globally such as fracking and extreme climates. Although I was aware of what both concepts were, I realized that it hardly was of a concern to me because it is not something that I am constantly worried about, nor seems to be a prevalent issue when in fact it is. That is not to say that it should be an issue to cause paranoia, but it would not hurt anyone to become more educated about the threats that our planet is facing as time progresses.

There has been great improvement regarding the sustainability in our environment over the past few years. I recall that as a child recycling and reusing were never a big issue that schools and neighborhoods worried about. But now there are various recycling, composting, and landfill options for where to place one’s trash. Also, more reminders are being communicated regarding conserving water and saving electricity whenever possible. The environmental concerns are being addressed by certain government policies; for instance, there are restrictions on fishing in particular areas, more nature reservations are being created, and construction regulations are being reinforced with more consequences. We only have one Earth as far as we now, so it is critical to preserve and appreciate the various resources that are available to us currently because once they are used, it will take a long time before we get them back again.