Water: Water is one of our most precious resources, without this or the air, we couldn’t survive. Toxins, raw sewage, industrial waste, and run-off pollution continues to damage all waterways.

If it were not for the Clean Water Act of 1972, water would have been unfit for human consumption. It has helped, but untold damage to the all rivers still result in loss of wildlife, impaired functioning of ecosystems, and increasingly perilous human health threats.

River pollution, especially run-off, is generated by all of us and its solution requires the help of all citizens. We can’t always rely on our federal, state, or local governments to police all of our water resources. There just isn’t enough to check out all the rivers, lakes, and yes, even our ponds.

Air: Air Pollution is everywhere. We breathe it in everyday. It is caused by burning fossil fuels in our cars, industries and the emissions of toxic chemicals in manufacturing processes, these account for most of the pollution released into our air, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, ash, benzene, smoke, and soot, just to name a few.

Smog and acid rain are the visible results of these poisons commingling in our atmosphere.

But with proper monitoring and regulation we can limit the pollutants and their effects to our air. With doing away with leaded gasoline in the 1980’s decreased the lead emissions by 90%. Industries also started using filters, to clean the air, thus eliminating the dark clouds of smoke and smog.

Again, we must be the eyes and ears for our government officials. Remember they can’t be everywhere. Biodiversity is threatened by continuing, uncontrolled and unsustainable development. Urbanization, agricultural pesticides, timber production, hazardous wastes dumped onto the land and pumped into the ground, have irreplaceably altered the natural landscape.

Widespread habitat loss and species extinction will continue without responsible urban planning and development, designations of critical habitats and endangered species, and the mitigation of agricultural and industrial activities that poison and erode the soil.