Natural Resources

I am the cool water you drink on a hot day and the strong wood that makes up your house. I am the soft cotton in your favorite shirt and the shiny metal parts of your bicycle. You can find me in the rich, dark soil where yummy carrots grow and in the invisible air you breathe in and out all day long. I am all the wonderful gifts that nature provides for people to use and enjoy. You can call me Natural Resources, and I am all around you.

For a very, very long time, people have been discovering all the wonderful things I can do. Way back in the Stone Age, about 2.5 million years ago, the first people learned how to use me. They found my sharp stones, like flint, and carefully chipped them to make the first tools for building shelters and finding food. They used my wood to build crackling fires that kept them warm on chilly nights. Then, a huge change happened around 10,000 BCE when people learned to be farmers. They used my fertile soil and fresh water to grow their own food. This meant they could stay in one place and build villages. As people got smarter, they found my special rocks hidden in the ground. Around 3300 BCE, they figured out how to mix two of my metals, copper and tin, to make super-strong bronze for even better tools. Later, around 1200 BCE, they discovered iron, which was even stronger.

For many centuries, people used my power in simple ways, like using wind to push sailboats and water to turn mill wheels. But then, starting in the 18th century, something incredible happened called the Industrial Revolution. People discovered that some of my resources, like black, rocky coal, held a secret power. They learned that burning coal could create steam to power giant engines. Suddenly, big factories could make things faster than ever before, and powerful trains could zoom across the land, connecting towns and cities. Later on, they found another one of my treasures, oil, deep underground. This oily liquid could be turned into gasoline to power cars, trucks, and even airplanes. I was helping the world move and grow in brand new, exciting ways.

I love helping people build amazing things, create art, and explore the world. But some of my gifts, like coal and oil, are special because they don't last forever. Once people use them all up, they are gone for good. That’s why people are learning to be extra smart about how they use me. A special day was created to help everyone remember to protect our planet. On April 22nd, 1970, people celebrated the very first Earth Day to show they cared. Today, people are finding brilliant new ways to use my gifts that never run out, like the bright sunshine for solar power and the strong wind to turn giant windmills. By taking care of me, you are taking care of our amazing planet for everyone for a long, long time to come.