The world population has been increasing at an alarming rate according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In the 1800's the world population reached 1 billion; by 1922 it had reached 2 billion; and by the year 2000 it was well over 6 billion. By 2050 the estimated world population will swell over 9 billion. There are only a finite amount of natural resources the Earth can provide per capita. The more the population increases, the less resources are available per capita. By 2050, people will only have 25% of the resources per capita that people in 1950 had.

Some of these finite natural resources have already been depleted. So as population growth stains our finite resources, fewer and fewer resources are available. Acres and acres of the Amazon rainforest are being destroyed; fossil fuels are being depleted by the minute; and to top it off we are destroying our ozone layer with harmful fumes from burning these fossil fuels. We save money for college, to buy a house, and weddings, but what about conserving water, saving our fuel sources, our clean air, and soil for future generations?

Some of the greatest threats to the Earth are the things we think of as harmless, and throw away every day. Household batteries, computers, and other electronics contain dangerous chemicals which may leak through and pollute our groundwater. Since water is essential to life, it not only contaminates our drinking water but can affect everything from the soil which our food grows, to the animals that we consume. The health risks are innumerable, and tremendous.