How can conserve resources

By Sara Cifani on July 25, Greener Living. Celebrated every year on July 28th, World Nature Conservation Day is a reminder that a healthy environment can only be maintained if we learn to use our natural resources sustainably. By consuming less and conserving more, we can leave behind a healthy planet for future generations. Get inspired to make the world a better place with these environmentally friendly habits in honor of World Nature Conservation Day.

According to Save the Water, the average American uses 2, gallons of water every day, while the average family in Africa uses only 5 gallons of water each day. Taking these steps to conserve water can make a big difference. From production to distribution, food eats up a lot of natural resources before it even finds its way to your grocery cart.

And once eaten, the leftover plastic wrappers, cardboard boxes and uneaten scraps find a more permanent home in the landfill, emitting greenhouse gasses as they slowly decompose. Skipping the straw is an easy task that most people can do to make a difference. Plus, it can spark other positive changes in our everyday lifestyle choices. Switching up your driving habits can make a bigger environmental impact than you think. Not only will you spend less money on gas, but you will also significantly reduce your carbon footprint.

Non-renewable and Renewable Resource Availability From the table above you can see that many of the resources we depend on are non-renewable. Non-renewable resources vary in their availability; some are very abundant and others are rare.

Materials, such as gravel or sand are technically non-renewable but are so abundant that running out is no issue. Some resources are truly limited in quantity: When they are gone, they are gone and something must be found that will replace them. There are even resources, such as diamonds and rubies, that are valuable in part because they are so rare. Besides abundance, resource value is determined by how easy it is to locate and extract. If a resource is difficult to use, it will not be used until the price for that resource becomes so great that it is worth paying for.

For example, the oceans are filled with an abundant supply of water, but desalination is costly, so it is used only where water is really limited Figure below. As the cost of desalination plants comes down, more will likely be built. Politics is also part of determining resource availability and cost.

Nations that have a desired resource in abundance will often export that resource to other countries, while countries that need that resource must import it from one of the countries that produces it. This situation is a potential source of economic and political trouble. Of course the greatest example of this is oil.

However, the biggest users of oil, the United States, China, and Japan, are all located outside this oil-rich region. This leads to a situation in which the availability and price of the oil is determined largely by one set of countries that have their own interests to look out for. The result has sometimes been war, which may have been attributed to all sorts of reasons, but at the bottom, the reason is oil. The topic of overconsumption was touched on in the Ecosystems and Human Populations chapter.

Many people in developed countries, such as the United States and most of Europe, use many more natural resources than people in many other countries. We have many luxury and recreational items, and it is often cheaper for us to throw something away than to fix it or just hang on to it for a while longer.

This consumerism leads to greater resource use, but it also leads to more waste. Pollution from discarded materials degrades the land, air, and water Figure below.

Pollution from discarded materials degrades the environment and reduces the availability of natural resources. Natural resource use is generally lower in developing countries because people cannot afford many products. Some of these nations export natural resources to the developed world since their deposits may be richer and the cost of labor lower.

Environmental regulations are often more lax, further lowering the cost of resource extraction. Besides obtaining resources, we also dump waste on these nations. Lower thermostat in winter and raise it in summer when leaving the house Avoid heating or cooling unused areas and rooms Avoid overheating or cooling your home Repair leaky ducts Keep furniture, carpeting, and curtains from blocking registers and return ducts Use shades, blinds, and drapes in summer to block the sun Close fireplace damper when not being used Try not to use the fireplace and central heating at the same time Turn off fireplace pilot during the summer Keep garage door closed, especially in winter.

Regarding Appliances: Discontinue using portable electric heaters Replace older and damaged appliances with Energy Star rated appliances Repair refrigerator door seals Clean the back of refrigerator regularly Keep freezer full as it uses less energy than an empty one Unplug phone charger when not in use Unplug appliances not in use such as coffee maker, toaster, microwave, etc. Use microwave or toaster oven to re-heat food instead of full-sized oven Use a power strip for electronics that can be easily turned off when not in use Turn off computer or use sleep mode Fill up dishwasher before running Turn off dishwasher heated dry setting and open door to air dry Wash and dry only full loads of clothes Wash clothes with cold water One soil conservation method is called contour strip cropping.

Several crops, such as corn, wheat, and clover , are planted in alternating strips across a slope or across the path of the prevailing wind. Different crops, with different root system s and leaves, help slow erosion.

Harvesting all the trees from a large area, a practice called clearcutting , increases the chances of losing productive topsoil to wind and water erosion. Selective harvesting —the practice of removing individual trees or small groups of trees—leaves other trees standing to anchor the soil. Biodiversity Biodiversity is the variety of living things that populate the Earth.

The products and benefits we get from nature rely on biodiversity. We need a rich mixture of living things to provide foods, building materials, and medicines, as well as to maintain a clean and healthy landscape. When a species becomes extinct , it is lost to the world forever.

Scientists estimate that the current rate of extinction is 1, times the natural rate. Through hunt ing, pollution , habitat destruction, and contribution to global warming, people are speeding up the loss of biodiversity at an alarming rate. Scientists discover thousands of new species every year.

For example, after looking at just 19 trees in Panama, scientists found 1, different species of beetles—80 percent of them unknown to science at the time. Based on various estimates of the number of species on Earth, we could be losing anywhere from to , species each year. We need to protect biodiversity to ensure we have plentiful and varied food sources. Some predator s are useful for keeping the populations of other animals at manageable levels.

Biodiversity is important for more than just food. For instance, we use between 50, to 70, plant species for medicines worldwide. If the coral reef dies, many of the fish, shellfish , marine mammal s, and plants will die, too. Some government s have established parks and preserves to protect wildlife and their habitats. They are also working to abolish hunting and fishing practices that may cause the extinction of some species.

Fossil Fuels Fossil fuels are fuels produced from the remains of ancient plants and animals. They include coal , petroleum oil , and natural gas. People rely on fossil fuels to power vehicles like cars and airplanes, to produce electricity, and to cook and provide heat.

In addition, many of the products we use today are made from petroleum. These include plastics, synthetic rubber, fabric s like nylon , medicines, cosmetics , waxes, cleaning products, medical devices, and even bubblegum.

Fossil fuels formed over millions of years. Once we use them up, we cannot replace them. Fossil fuels are a nonrenewable resource. However, there are other good reasons to limit our fossil fuel use. These fuels pollute the air when they are burned. Burning fossil fuels also releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. Global warming is changing ecosystem s.

The oceans are becoming warmer and more acid ic, which threatens sea life. Sea level s are rising, posing risks to coastal communities. Many areas are experiencing more drought s, while others suffer from flood ing. Scientists are exploring alternatives to fossil fuels. They are trying to produce renewable biofuel s to power cars and trucks. Everyone can help conserve fossil fuels by using them carefully.

Turn off lights and other electronics when you are not using them. Purchase energy- efficient appliance s and weatherproof your home. Walk, ride a bike, carpool , and use public transportation whenever possible.

Many mineral deposits that have been located and mapped have been depleted. As the ore s for minerals like aluminum and iron become harder to find and extract , their prices skyrocket.

This makes tools and machinery more expensive to purchase and operate. Many mining methods, such as mountaintop removal mining MTR , devastate the environment.

They destroy soil, plants, and animal habitats. Many mining methods also pollute water and air, as toxic chemicals leak into the surrounding ecosystem.

Conservation efforts in areas like Chile and the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States often promote more sustainable mining methods. Less wasteful mining methods and the recycling of materials will help conserve mineral resources. In Japan, for example, car manufacturers recycle many raw material s used in making automobiles. In the United States, nearly one-third of the iron produced comes from recycled automobiles. Electronic devices present a big problem for conservation because technology changes so quickly.

For example, consumers typically replace their cell phone s every 18 months. Electronic products contain minerals as well as petroleum-based plastics. Many of them also contain hazard ous materials that can leach out of landfill s into the soil and water supply. Many governments are passing laws requiring manufacturers to recycle used electronics.

Recycling not only keeps materials out of landfills, but it also reduces the energy used to produce new products. For instance, recycling aluminum saves 90 percent of the energy that would be required to mine new aluminum.

Water Water is a renewable resource. We will not run out of water the way we might run out of fossil fuels.