"Biosphere" Reflective Response

https://www.waca.associates/en/growthhacking/kit-how-mother-nature-has-been-destroyed-by-the-human/

“A system is an integrated whole, made up of parts… In any system, energy is constantly being transferred and matter is constantly being moved around.” (Robertson, 2017, p. 26)

This quote immediately made me think of our planet and the different continents that make it up. We all work in a symbiotic nature, essentially needing the other parts to contribute in some sort of manner so that they are able to all function together like a well-oiled machine. A lot of goods are created and made overseas and then imported here to the US, where we use the goods or capitalize on them. For example, I’m Italian and I make it my goal to I buy only noodles that are imported from Italy, as it not only provides profit to the country I’m purchasing from (a place where my family has deep roots) but I also think they taste drastically better.

The manner that nature works is very much the same way. The plants and animals rely on us in the same manner to get the proper things that they need to thrive and survive. But instead, we aren’t doing that. We’re making mistakes that trickle down and negatively affect them… like oil spills, plastic ending up in the oceans, littering, deforestation, the list can go on. We’re using our energy to do things that, in turn, are negatively affecting what the environment takes in for survival, and what we, as humans also need to survive.

It’s actually kind of maddening. Just think of the changes that could happen if we redirected that energy into caring. Caring about how our actions would affect more than ourselves. It’s honestly the worst part of human nature–selfishness. Only taking care of ourselves, lacking empathy and only focusing on our needs and wants.

Resources

Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability Principles and practice. Routledge.

*Photo Reference is captioned beneath the photo*