Dear Mr/Mrs President:

This letter will most likely not be seen by you, and it may not even reach past my English teacher’s hands. But I am writing it anyways because I truly believe in the changes that we as humans need to make. So here it goes.

Our environment is in trouble. And the only way to get it healthy again is for everyone to lend a hand. There are so many solutions and so many people around the world who can do something everyday to help save what is left of our beautiful planet. These changes can include the eradication of littering, using less fossil fuels on a daily basis, and making small donations to conserve wildlife.

We humans have destroyed so many rain forests every year to only help our own needs. Approximately 78 million acres of rainforests are destroyed every year and only 20% of the world's natural forests remain. If we do not do something about it soon, this number will only decrease. The process of deforestation and urbanization has led to many problems for animals all over the world. There are currently 41,415 species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species List and 16,306 of those are endangered and nearing extinction. Approximately 150 billion animals were slaughtered by humans in the past year. These animals cannot speak for themselves, they are losing their homes, resources, and lives because of the selfishness of humans. It is important for our earth to have an abundance of different species and this cannot happen unless we stop destroying them and their resources. The wildlife of the earth is in dire need for serious help in order to live.

One major problem all over the world that we struggle with everyday is our trash. This year it is estimated that 2.6 trillion pounds of trash will be produced. This is the same weight as about 7,000 Empire State Buildings. Small changes of everyone pitching in to help keep our streets and wildlife clear of trash can dwindle that number down immensely. Other problems we face all over the world is air pollution from fossil fuels. If more people walked, biked or carpooled to work and school we would all save the air from a serious amount of pollution. Other solutions may include switching to renewable energy rather than natural gas and reducing the amount of factories which cause major damage to our atmosphere. In these factories over 50 billion plastic water bottles are produced and 38 billion of those plastic water bottles end up in landfills and incinerators each year. That's enough plastic to stretch around the whole Earth four times. This amount of industrial production needs to be slowed down or our planet will be filled in trash. Cleaning up the Earth not only helps wildlife but helps ourselves in having a happier and healthier planet.

There are so many small things that everyone can do to make a huge difference in saving our home. Prevention of littering could save hundreds of acres of parks, forests, and cities. Using different methods of transportation like biking, walking or taking the bus could prevent our air from an immense amount of pollution. Using reusable water bottles instead of plastic water bottles everyday could save us money and could make the planet cleaner.

I want to make a change. But I know it is not possible to do this if I am not joined by the people of the world. Our planet is in huge trouble and if we do not do something about it now, it will soon be too late. We only have one home and we might as well keep it in the best shape possible not only for ourselves to be healthy and happy, but for the plants, animals, and people around us too. Thank you for your time, and I hope that my words may have helped you see what we as people need to do and are capable to do to help our environment.

Sincerely,

Marielle S.