Friday, December 10, 2010

Aimee Oman's view on Natural Resources

PHS 100 Environmental Studies
David Terrell Ph. D.
Warner Pacific College
December 9, 2010

When using natural resources it is important for us as a community to educate ourselves on what resources are available as well as the pros and cons of the different resources. Some natural resources that are available are air or wind, plants, animals, forestry, coal, soils, sun, and our water ways. As time goes by and we are using up one source it is becoming increasingly important for us to find new and creative way to create energy sources using other types of natural resources. Growing up in the 1980’s my family use to sale solar powered energy systems. At the time we were way ahead of the environmentally conscious community and the systems were too expensive for the average America to be able to purchase. However, many improvements have been made to make this natural resource more economic.
According to the website Alternative Energy News, “Solar power is produced by collecting sunlight and converting it into electricity. This is done by using solar panels, which are large flat panels made up of many individual solar cells. It is most often used in remote locations, although it is becoming more popular in urban areas as well.” In fact, even Wal-Mart is getting involved according to one of their articles. This website is full of useful information on many different natural resources and shares a lot of the most current information available. This website is just one of the tools that can be useful for our community to educate ourselves on natural resources.
The government’s involvement has impacted our lifestyle in many ways. For example, the majority of the states have enforced a litter law. Some states have fines while other states have possible jail time that can be enforced. In Oregon the fine is, “Class A misdemeanor. Fine not exceeding $6,250 or imprisonment not exceeding one year or both.” (NCSL, 2010) In establishing these fines, the government has reduced the amount of trash and helped to make our environment a friendlier, cleaner place. They have also played a major role in our parks and wildlife being maintained for us now as well as for our kids in the future. Without the US Forest service our parks would not be in the well maintained manner they are currently in. It would also make it so that they would not be sustained for our children to enjoy many years from now. Without the government we would not have laws such as the clean air act that regulates emissions and is helping to protect our ozone or the Clean Water Act that regulates pollutants in our waters.
It is important for us as a community to get involved and not simply wait until the government sets a mandate as to the different types of sources we are allowed to use. If we become more involved than we could possible stop the destruction before it happens. The easiest way for us to get involved is by being conscious of how we are using our resources. This includes conserving water, recycling when possible, and be generally conscious of the environment and our actions. While recycling bins are common in most schools and work places in Oregon I know that we are ahead of the curve when compared to the rest of the nation. If we all get involved we can help the government to accomplish the daunting task of preserving our environment and in turn our lives.

References
World Legal Directory (2010) Environmental and Natural Resources Law – US, Retrieved December 9, 2010 from http://www.hg.org/environ.html
National Conference of State Legislation (2010) States with Littering Penalties, Retrieved December 9, 2010 from http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=13215
Alternative Energy News (2010) Solar Power, Retrieved December 9, 2010 from http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/headlines

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