Ecologists, environmentalists, and conservationists alike have said that much of the problem with our technological society and how it fits in (or does not fit in) with nature results from our attitudes. Aldo Leopold once said, "We abuse the land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."
Discuss this topic with your students. How do they view the soil, plants, and animals surrounding them? It could be argued that we have the inherent right, like every other living creature, to use other organisms to provide enough food for our health and survival and our shelter--but do we have the right to use other creatures, or their habitats, to fulfill superfluous desires? As an example, it is one thing to own a small rowboat or canoe and a fishing pole but quite another to have a houseboat with a 300-horsepower inboard motor.
Discuss with your students possible solutions to some of the world's great environmental dilemmas. It is so tempting for each of us to think that we are individually only one person whose actions are inconsequential. But that is not so. If each of us stops polluting in many small ways, for example, the sum can make a significant difference.
What are ways that each of us can reduce waste, stop polluting, and recycle? Suggestions include the following (Source: G. Tyler Miller, Jr.,1990, Living in the Environment, 6th edition, Wadsworth Publishing Company, Belmont, CA):
Incidentally, these suggestions save resources and money. If one reason is insufficient to alter behavior, perhaps the other is more convincing. These changes are not painful and can make a big difference.