Activity 3.2.1 – Natural Resources Review

 

Natural Resources Concept Map, made by Jennifer Mouser using Text2Map, https://tobloef.com/text2mindmap/, click to enlarge

Natural resources are things found on Earth that humans use to survive, ranging from the food we eat for energy, to wood we burn in a fireplace to stay warm in the winter. Natural resources are essential to life on Earth, without them life could not exist. There are two main categories of resources: renewable, which can be quickly replaced by natural processes (such as wind and sunlight), and nonrenewable resources, that are exhaustible and cannot be readily replaced by natural processes (such as fossil fuels and minerals). 


Although nonrenewable resources cannot be readily replaced, there are steps that can be taken to reduce the amounts that are used. As mentioned in the Exploring Natural Resources video, some companies, particularly car companies, are opting to use lighter, reusable materials in their manufacturing processes that are less taxing on the environment, such as aluminum and plastic, versus steel which was used more heavily in car manufacturing in past generations of vehicles. There is also the option to recycle materials such as plastic, paper, and glass, either by placing the materials in municipal recycling bins or by reusing them at home after they have served their original purpose (such as reusing a glass pickle jar for storage of food or other goods). 


There are many other creative ways to reduce and reuse the natural resources that we have (such as buying things second hand vs. new, reducing food waste, and repurposing or refurbishing things rather than throwing them away) and they can all help in the goal of avoiding overconsumption and managing natural resources so that they are not overtaxed or depleted entirely at an unsustainable rate.


Works Cited


Exploring Natural Resources. Anonymous Prod. Brian A. Jerome, and Visual Learning Systems. Visual Learning Systems, 2017.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Activity 3.1 – Human Population

Country: Afghanistan Birth rate: 32 Births per 1,000 population (in millions) Death rate: 6 per 1,000 population (in millions) Population growth rate (rate of natural increase): 2.6% Life expectancy for males and females: Males: 64, Females: 67 Fertility rate (average number of children per childbearing-aged female): 4.3 Gross National Income (GNI): 2,110 Population per square km of arable land: 511 Urban population: 24% Land mass: 252,071 mi² Percent of births to mothers ages 15-19: 11% Percent of births to mothers ages 35+: 14%  Country: Singapore Birth rate: 9 per 1,000 population (in millions) Death rate: 5 per 1,000 population (in millions) Population growth rate (rate of natural increase): 0.3% Life expectancy for males and females: Males: 81, Females: 86 Fertility rate (average number of children per childbearing-aged female): 1.1 Gross National Income (GNI): 86,480 Population per square km of arable land: 1,012,152 Urban population: 100% Land mass: 281.3 mi² Percent of birt...
Read more

Activity 3.3.3 – My Plastic Use

Image
  Caption: The preceding collages show the plastics that I use on an average day. Morning coffee, meals, snacks, hobbies, personal hygiene, clothing, chores, work, school, sleep, caring for pets, even getting in and out of my house, are all touched by plastic. Most of the items shown are one time use, or, are meant for longer use but cannot be fixed once they are broken (such as the plastic components of my vehicle’s bike rack.) Unfortunately, under our present system, there is a little incentive to change our consumption habits. Plastic is cheap and readily available, and our economic system is not conducive to the responsible usage of items that we purchase or even the ability to fix things once they are broken. Microplastics are plastic particles or fibers that are smaller than 5 millimeters in size (Haab) that are released from PCCPs (personal care and cosmetic products) as well as plastic debris and trash like single use plastics. Micro plastic contamination has been deemed a ...
Read more

Clean Coal? Myth, or Reality?

  In the last 15 years there has been a lot of debate - and confusion - over the term “clean coal.” What does “clean coal” actually mean? Is it better for the planet, or just as bad as ‘traditional’ coal… and for that matter, what’s the difference? Despite what coal industry leaders would have you believe, “clean coal” is something of a misnomer. There is no such thing as truly “clean coal” in terms of environmental protection, and the term is simply a buzz phrase invented to sway public opinion on how coal affects the planet.   The true difference between “clean coal” and traditional coal mining is in a practice implemented during the mining process known as carbon capture and storage. In this process, the CO2 emitted during the mining process is recaptured and sent via a pipeline down into the earth for storage, to prevent it from being released into the atmosphere (Grossman). Usually the locations that are chosen for CO2 relocation are areas that have already been excavated...
Read more