SnapSpaceSolutions

Monday, November 7, 2011

  America’s Conservation Issue













By Elysia Walton, SnapSpace Solutions Staff
November 7, 2011

     Conservation is something that America, and the whole world, struggles with. We need to put the brakes to overusing our resources—well, at least ease up on the gas. A lot of people don’t realize how many trees are actually chopped down a year—how many trees it really takes to build a house. Something that we may not guess is this: over half of all the trees harvested globally are made into products for Europe and North America. [1] We are material-hungry people, and the above act alone demonstrates so. According to a survey by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, more than 8,000 tree species are threatened with extinction. This represents nearly 10 percent of all tree species. [2] We may take our maple, oak, and other trees for granted, but in reality, no matter how hard we try to push this fact to the back of our minds, it’s still there: someday it is likely many of our beloved tree species will disappear. We need to take stock of our priorities and realize that our resources are limited.
     The number of trees actually used for the frame of a 2000 square foot home is approximately 40-60. [3] Think about it. Every time you look at a house, not even one that is incredibly large, you are seeing 40-60 trees that were chopped down and processed. This is a substantial number, and one that we can’t simply ignore. Forests and trees are disappearing, and most times are not being replanted as they should be. In actuality, 3-6 billion trees per year are cut down. [4]  
     These facts are not just disappearing either, they are relevant today, and can affect our children and grandchildren’s lives if we continue to do nothing about it.
     Trees add oxygen to the earth’s atmosphere and remove carbon dioxide, but when they are cut, the result is poorer air quality, species extinction, displaced wildlife, and soil erosion. [5]
     Though these facts look grim, we can do something about it. This deadly process does not need to continue. Our forests and the wildlife that live within them can be preserved. We can live on this earth, and keep it green. We can preserve this wonderful planet and its forests and trees for generations to come. This does not mean that we have to move onto the streets to avoid more houses to be built, or stop harvesting trees completely, we just need to consider the trees and the re-growth. We have to give the forests a chance to re-grow, and ease up on deforestation. SnapSpace Solutions offers a unique way to do just that; by using recycled shipping containers, the amount of lumber used for a house is monumentally decreased. We can make a difference, and SnapSpace Solutions wants you to join with us in making that difference!





[1]  http://www.ehow.com/facts_6105385_tree-conservation.html              
[2]   http://www.gardenguides.com/114375-tree-conservation.html      
[3]http://cadlab6.mit.edu/2.009.wiki/anchor/index.php?title=Number_of_trees_used_to_build_an_average_stick-built_US_home
[4]  http://understory.ran.org/2008/04/22/how-many-trees-are-cut-down-every-year/
[5]   http://www.ehow.com/facts_6105385_tree-conservation.html

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