Sound advice on health, computing, and sustainability.

Somewhere on planet Earth, four or five children are born, on an average, every second.  One or two other people die in that same second.

The United States Census Bureau points out that we are adding close to 79 million people to this planet every year.

Human beings are one of the most numerous vertebrate species on earth.

We also have the greatest environmental impact on this planet.

For the most part, each birth in a family is a joyous occasion worth celebrating and cherishing.

However, in the long run, is the exponential growth of humans beings good for the planet?

Overpopulation and Our Environment

There are many people advocating that overpopulation is detrimental to the environment and other species.  They claim there exist environmental degradation of ecosystems, ecological life, and depletion of natural resources like water, trees, air, oxygen, and fossil fuels, etc.

They fear that our fertility rates are too high and global birth control programs should be implemented to minimize the number of humans on earth.

On the other hand, others believe humans are capable of creating and establishing technological advances, through their ingenuity and enterprises, to save and expand our carrying capacity.

They concur that larger populations will bring about more people in the workforce, more hands to work, more geniuses, and economic growth.

In addition, there are people that suggest that there are enough resources for everyone.

They claim that the wealthy are unjust, in that they are the root cause of environmental degradation because the distribution of power and wealth is not equal.

They offer their perspective that if nations were more democratic, empowering women and minorities to help them live better lives; to providing education on healthy habits, the world would be more sustainable.

Nonetheless, the human population is growing at an alarming, exponential rate.

We are presently using up more resources than the earth is capable of providing in future generations.

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute; fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever. http://storyofstuff.org

Overconsumption and Healthy Habits

In the last three decades, humans have used up more than one-third of the earth’s natural resources.

We are trashing, hauling, mining, and cutting many places on earth at a rapid pace.  For instance, in the United States 40% of the waterways have become undrinkable; the U.S. has less than four percent of their original forests.

The U.S. has five percent of the world population but uses 30% of the world’s resources—creating 30% of the world’s waste.

Eighty percent of the world’s natural forests are gone.

In the Amazon, over 2,000 trees are cut down per minute.

75% of global fisheries are fished beyond capacity.

There are over 100,000 toxic chemicals used in today’s commerce.

What can we do about making sure we don’t overextend ourselves?

Who is responsible for watching over our overconsumption?  For that matter, are we over-consuming?

There are a number of healthy habits we can do as individuals.  Recycling is not enough.

What are you doing to reduce your ecological footprint?

Create something new!  Help us in creating a new method in reducing our consumption.

What can you share with us in helping to sustain our environment and reduce our consumption?

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