As the world’s population grows, more natural resources
are needed for food, housing and technology. Natural resources
are any non-manmade resource used by humans. This includes
the obvious water, air, plants and animals as well as sunlight,
space, fossil fuels and soil.
Many of these resources are renewable or sustainable, when managed correctly. To ensure a healthy ecosystem that supports both wildlife and humans, the goal should be to only use resources in a sustainable way; from the food we eat to way we live our lives.
The United States generates more garbage, per capita, than any nation. In the last twenty years, recycling rates in this country have risen to nearly 24 percent. This is a good start, but can definitely be improved. Recycled waste is diverted from landfills and incinerators and put to economically productive use, creating new industries and jobs along the way.
In order to maximize the benefits we can achieve from recycling, we need to renew our commitment to it in Washington, D.C. and across the country.
Over one billion pounds of garbage are generated each day in the United States. Although we have only five percent of the world’s population, we generate over 50 percent of the world’s garbage. United States industries have the lowest recycling rate of any industrialized nation in the world.
—U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Reduce, Reuse & Recycle Campaign
An average American uses more energy than a citizen in almost any other country. We use roughly 70 times the energy used by a Ugandan or Laotian, 20 times that of a person in India, 10 times that of a person in China, and about twice that of a person in Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden or Australia.
—Paul R. Ehrlich and Anne H. Ehrlich, The Healing Planet
Energy mainly comes from non-renewable resources, such as oil and coal. Until we find alternative sources, such as solar energy, we need to conserve for the future.
The world has enough water—if people use it wisely—to
satisfy demands. We need to strive to use water more efficiently.
In 1980 the United States water withdrawals were substantially
greater than withdrawals for nine other major nations. For
example, we used almost twice the amount per capita than did
Canada.
—The Global Tomorrow Coalition, The
Global Ecology Handbook
