How Can People Conserve Resources?

Content Goals ~ Students will learn what conservation is. ~ Students will learn how people can help in conservation efforts.

Conservation Conservation is preserving or protecting natural resources.

Reduce Reducing is cutting down on the amount of resources used. Cutting down on water use or not using major appliances as often are examples of reducing.

Reuse Reusing is when you use items again that might have been thrown out. Reusing often means using items for new purposes. Using milk cartons or juice bottles as planters or bird feeders are examples of reusing.

Recycling Recycling is when items are changed into a form that can be used again.

Soil Conservation Contour Plowing: planting of crops along the sloping land, not down the slopes. Crop Rotation: the changing of planted crops from year to year to replenish vital nutrients in the soil. Intercropping: planting of different crops near each other to keep harmful insects from spreading since many eat only one type of crop. Sometimes wind and water carry away unprotected soil and leave land unsuitable for farming.

Water Conservation Farmers have started growing crops that do not require much water. Drip irrigation slowly drips water onto the ground. As a result, less water is lost through evaporation. Other ways to conserve water include taking shorter showers, do not leave faucets running, using landscaping that requires little to no water (xeriscaping). For much of the country, fresh water is a precious resource. Drought is a constant threat in the Western U.S.

What is conservation? What are some ways people can conserve resources?