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As human beings, we have become the predominant species on our planet. Through time we have grown and adapted to our world and used the resources to thrive, evolve, and grow. As a result, we have greatly impacted the amount of resources and condition of our planet.

I want to start by saying that this isn't an article about how bad our species is for this world. I want to focus on our evolution - how we have adapted to our surroundings and how we have started to change as we realize more and more how finite and limited our resources are. Our resources and even our planet is only temporary and delicate and we are learning to co-existent with our environment to preserve what we have left.

Throughout history we have learned a lot. That knowledge has led us to great inventions, amazing accomplishments, and even more amazing discoveries. Because Earth is our home and because we currently have no other planet to inhabit, we have seen a great shift in how we live our lives and evolve.

"What differentiates us from other species is our ability to greatly overburden our environment with very few limits put upon us." [Source] I wanted to use this article to showcase some of the amazing developments that have come out of our efforts to be more conscious of our environment. I want to demonstrate that Clean and Green can be beautiful too.

Transportation:

A study by researchers at the University of Toronto in Canada suggests that "25% of cars cause 90% of pollution." Cars are amazing inventions that get us from point A to point B and allow us to explore the world and get places faster. When it comes to automobiles, it is amazing how this invention has evolved.

Who wouldn't stop if they saw one of these parked in front of them? [Picture Source]
As technology continues to grow and as we learn more about renewable energy, so does our ability to improve in our designs of our transportation. I used to think environmentally friendly cars were "ugly" and lacked power, style, and design. Early designs such as the Prius were just not aesthetically pleasing to look at. In comes Tesla to prove that directionally, cars that are more environmentally friendly can be beautiful as well.

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That's not to say that these electric/hybrid cars are completely Green - There are arguments that still say that they still create pollution and carbon emissions, but it's a step in the right direction.

Homes, Offices, and Neighborhoods:

The building of Homes and neighborhoods continues to grow. With that comes more energy consumption, water usage, and waste production. Land and forests are destroyed as we need more space to live giving us less greenspace.

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New designs and neighborhood planning have led to more harmonious habitats and eco friendly structures.

Apple's New Headquarters [Picture Source]
Amazon's New Green Roofed Headquarters [Picture Source]
Amazing Home design's that compliment and incorporate nature [Picture Source]
Office Spaces that compliment and incorporate nature [Picture Source]

Cities:

As we expand our footprint and as the population increases, cities continue to grow as well and cover the earth.

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Because space is limited, the way we plan and build our cities in the future must change as well.

Paris of the future [Picture Source]
Eco Friendly Cities [Picture Source]
Future Habitats [Picture Source]

Our lives depend on the Earth, so as residents of this planet, we need to continue to take care of it. Every day we are given the option to make positive change for the future of our planet. One quote that stuck with me from the Conservation Society was that "for centuries it has always been the action of one person that inspires the action of many." Let's do our part to preserve our planet.

I Hope you enjoyed reading. Please let me know your thoughts by commenting below

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Images from: Apple | Amazon | Inhabitat | Greenbiz | UT | Gizmodo | MotorChase