The ecosystem (all the communities of living organisms found in a specific place, their habitats and their interactions) in which we live provides natural services for humans and all other species that are essential to our health, quality of life and survival. For example, our forests remove carbon dioxide and other pollutants from the air we breathe and also cool our air temperatures, reducing the formation of ground-level ozone, a pollutant that can cause heart and lung problems to worsen; our wetlands store storm water, filter and make harmless storm water pollutants, and recharge our aquifers (where most of us get our drinking water) with these filtered waters; and the dune systems on our beaches form natural barriers to storm waves and provide important habitat and travel ways for wildlife.
Below are three environmental goals that are critical to achieving sustainable societies and being good environmental stewards, some of their economic, social and environmental benefits, and some of the actions we can take to achieve these goals.
GoalBenefitsAction to Achieve GoalsExcellent Water Quality
Economic - boost tourism, provide catch for fishing, shrimping, oystering industries, decrease health care costs, provide environment for ecotourism industry
Social - use of surface waters for recreation, decrease prevalence of water-borne diseases, increase quality of life, increase quality of water entering aquifers
Environmental - preserve diversity of water dependent animals and plants, preserve various natural services of aquatic ecosystems (flood control, aquifer recharge, etc.)
Use more pervious surfaces on all built sites to decrease storm water volume and increase infiltration
Prohibit direct discharge of storm water to water bodies
Increase storm water retention time in treatment ponds
Use upland buffers around all surface water bodies to treat runoff
Use series of treatment ponds before storm water enters water body
Use native plants in all buffers and treatment ponds to provide pollutant breakdown and nutrient uptake
Healthy Air Quality
Economic - boost tourism, decrease health care costs, decrease erosion of buildings and pavement
Social - decrease prevalence of circulatory and lung-related disease, increase quality of life for residents
Environmental - preserves water quality by reducing acid precipitation/deposition, preserves aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity
Develop efficient, low/no emission public transport system
Use more pervious surfaces on built sites
Use efficient, coordinated traffic control systems to reduce idling time
Continue to develop efficient pathways and encourage residents and tourists to use them
Maintain and augment the urban forest to uptake and store carbon, filter pollutants, produce oxygen and prevent ground-level ozone formation
Preservation of Biodiversity
Economic - boost nature-based tourism, preserve food webs that support our economy via fishing industries
Social - provides for natural services, increase quality of life
Environmental - preserve water and land-based ecosystems that provide natural resources and natural services, preserve energy flow throughout the biosphere
Preserve natural habitats
Provide safe travel ways for wildlife between habitats
Encourage builders and residents to preserve and /or augment habitat during site development
Discourage use of non-native, invasive plants in the landscape
Design roadways to calm traffic and provide wildlife refuges in medians
Use wildlife-friendly curbing or no curbing along roadways
Encourage residents and businesses to use integrated pest management
How Can I Live a More Sustainable Life?
There are so many easy ways to become more sustainable. We are all creatures of habit, and changing our behavior takes some time. Small steps are key, and once you find how easy each is, you will be surprised how quickly you can make a positive difference in protecting our environment for your family and your planet. Please explore our webiste for tips and information on sustainability.
Great article...it is very informative article....we can learn many things from your article.. The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally, meaning in this case not artificial. The term is most often applied to the Earth or some parts of Earth.... Environment is a place where different things are such as a swampy or hot environment. It can be living (biotic) or non-living (abiotic) things. It includes physical, chemical and other natural forces. Living things live in their environment. ... The environment affects the growth and development of the person... Environment mainly consists of atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. But it can be roughly divided into two types such as (a) Micro environment and (b) Macro environment. It can also be divided into two other types such as (c) Physical and (d) biotic environment... the circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded. 2a : the complex of physical, chemical, and biotic factors (such as climate, soil, and living things) that act upon an organism or an ecological community and ultimately determine its form and survival....environment plays an important role in the healthy living of human beings. it matters because it is the only home that humans have ,and it provides air, food and other needs. Humanity's entire life support system depends on the well -being of all the environment factors.