The Price of Progress

As the world’s population grows our planet's resources become scarcer. Sounds like a pretty obvious statement - right? But does anyone really think about the impact we, as a human race, have on the overall health and well-being of the planet? Yes. As a matter of fact, more and more jobs are being created in what is called the "green sector” of business.

New government regulations to protect the environment have been created and have created new corporate positions called the Sustainability Officer. Along with their teams, their sole purpose is to find ways to reduce a company’s carbon footprint. As the overall population’s awareness of the finite resources this planet has to offer grows, more and more businesses are “going green” and finding new ways to save resources which in turn is creating new technologies which in turn are creating new jobs.

What are we running out of and why? Here's just a small portion to consider.

Fossil fuels are just that - the fuel created by millions of years of decayed fossils which turn into energy sources such as oil and coal. It took millions of years for the Earth to turn this matter into the oil and coal we use today. At the rate we are using it, it will disappear. It's not a matter of if but when. This revolution over the years has created a new industry surrounding the use of "renewable" energies like solar and wind.

The planet is a little over 71 percent covered in water and yet there are regions of the world where water is scarce. Potable water, or drinkable water, is even less. We use this resource and it is not renewable. The water that is here is the water that has always been here - same amount, just gets moved around the planet as it evaporates and reforms into liquid again. Saving water is always a big eco-concern. We have water saving toilets, showerheads, faucets and more just to help us save water. New items are surfacing every day to help us conserve our water supply.

Are we running out of trees? Many researchers say no and yet we see the devastating results that over-foresting can do to our land. Mudslides in California and other states have been attributed to over-foresting in some cases. The question is why are we running out of all these resources?

It’s easy. More people needing more and more space and more and more stuff. Tell me you don't have a TV, or maybe a cell phone, or a computer, a car, a place to live etc. Not to mention all the other stuff you have; I know, I have it too! And it takes a lot of resources to make all that stuff. Right now my computer is on and my light is on next to my desk (it is nighttime). My cell phone is charging its battery. In a short time the heat will be coming on as winter approaches. All these things, these comforts and tools, come with a price. It's the price of progress.

According to Google, we are approaching 7 billion people on this planet. And they all want their own stuff.

If you do not already, you should start to think about the impact you have as one person on this planet. What is the price of your progress? Can you make changes to lessen the impact or even reverse it? Yes - I said reverse!

In some cases you can actually give back to the planet by making conscious eco-friendly choices. For example, using eco-friendly, non-toxic cleaners help to protect the water supply. Solar and wind energy can be harnessed and actually create excess energy so more people can benefit. Replanting two trees for every tree cut down helps not only sustain our forests but also clean our air.

There is so much that can be done and some of it is so easy to do. It just takes an awareness of the things you use. For the sake of everything around us...please take a moment to consider your impact on the planet.