Why Should We Conserve Our Resources?




What is Conservation?

Conservation is the prevention of excessive or wasteful use of a resource.



Waste

In 2012, Americans generated about 251 million tons of trash. Of this, only 87 million tons was recycled, which is about 35%. 

EPA. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/



Waste Management

About 32.5 percent of trash in the U.S. is recycled or composted, 12.5 percent is burned and 55 percent is buried in landfills. The amount of trash buried in landfills has doubled since 1960.

Freudenrich, C. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/landfill2.htm



Landfills

There are two ways to bury trash:

  • Dump - a hole is dug into the ground and trash is buried. Many different animals (rats, mice, birds) surround the area.
  • Landfill - thoughfully planned structure built on top of the ground or into the ground. Trash is kept separate from the environment (groundwater, air, rain). 

Trash does not decompose much in these two ways, unlike composting.

Freudenrich, C. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/landfill3.htm



Resource Depletion

If we continue using our nonrenewable resources at an excessive (or fast) rate, we will run out of them. Conservation of these nonrenwable resources will allow us to find alternative resources that are renewable, as well as to prevent waste by recycling or reusing nonrenewable resources.