Leaves were already browning on the trees and there was a faint chill in the breeze. It was the perfect day for a stroll in the park, and that was what my friend and I were doing. Chattering on about recent gossip, she sucked on a Blow Pop, crunching loudly to get to the bubble gum. Then she tossed the stick behind her. Seeing my curious look, she ecstatically said, "It'll biodegrade!"

Just like my friend, most people believe that Mother Nature will take care of herself. It's just like when we see litter in a park and consider it irrelevant to us. Let the rangers hired to manage the place clean up - after all, that's their job. We put our mistakes on others, thinking them responsible for our messes. That is how we treat our precious environment. All we see is how things can benefit us, not realizing that we only get one earth. It would take no more than seven seconds to walk that newspaper to the recycling bin instead of putting it in a trash can. To bend down and pick up a piece of litter would take less than seven seconds, also. Would we rather spend those seconds on ourselves or for a greater cause that one day could keep us alive? We all need to recognize our responsibilities to this planet.

The small things we do add up. Though the situation of retrieving the world may seem helpless, it is not. We should hold this one chance dear, so that years from now, our children will be able to behold nature's wonders.