The Beautiful Outdoors: By Thomas Schottland

  

    From the vastest of ocenans to our most arid deserts, the world is truly a remarkable masterpiece. It is in fact, our perfect, "Goldilocks Planet". The abundance of life on Earth is not comparable to anything we've studied in the outer regions of space. Think about how many species there are among us, and how much compelxity exists within our environment. There is such much value that it is absolutley necessary to treat our habitats and the habitats of others with the highest quality of care. I personally love enjoying the great outdoors, whether its soaking up the sun at the beach or enjoying the peaceful, country farmland, where most of our daily foods come from. Many people enjoy the scent of fresh air and the warm caress the sun provides in those summer months. Oh, and not to forget that magical winter wonderland feeling in the snow!

             But with the expansion of human activity across our globe involving high-polluting machinery and complete neglect for environmental rules, we have already seen harm done to the habitats of countless species in almost every climate. Those cute Koalas in Australia? Their Habitats have burned to the ground. The Coral Reefs in the Pacific? Worn away from rising concentration of Carbonic acid in our oceans. Those Polar Bears in the Arctic? The Ice Caps they call home are melting away faster than ever before. These are not just animals, they are living beings. The do not deserve to suffer due to our wasteful ways, and yet they provide us with signs. Signs that if we don't change our ways we'll end up exactly like them: lacking shelter, food, and basic necessities for life. While the greedy individuals looking to profit on their self interests rather than the contribute to the good of all, I and many others choose to respect our fellow species by respecting the environment in which we live. Simple tasks such as recycling, not literring, and using alternatives to wasteful plastic can go a long way. I care about the fate of these animals as if it were my own. I care about the conditions I want to grow up in, start a family in, and uultimaetly contribute to society in. I love the sense of warmth and calmness in those summer months, and the frigid temperatures while skiing in the winter. I love the blooming flowers of the spring, and the wonderfully colored leaves in the fall. I acknowledge the beauty of this world, and I understand that I will defend its right to prosper to the very end. No matter how much alternative value presented to me, I will never disrespect our planet for greed. Because there is nothing worth more than this 7,917.5 mile diameter sphere that we call home. In the words of Ghandi, "A good man is a friend of all living things".  :)