Before we start -

1. What are Natural Resources and why are they important?
   1. Natural resources are materials that are naturally produced by the Earth that we can use to create the things we need.
   2. They are important because many things we use in our daily lives are made from natural resources - from the homes we live in to our phones, to the paper and pencils we use, to the gas we put in our cars.
2. What is a civilization? Why are they important?
   1. A civilization is a collection of organisms that have a culture, similarities, and/or some kind of language they use to communicate and relate to each other.
   2. Civilizations are important because without these, we would not be able to create and invent the things we have made. We would not be able to live the way we do. We would not be able to survive, or at least, survive as easily as we do.
3. How are natural resources and civilizations tied together?
   1. Civilizations use the Earth’s natural resources to create things they need, such as tools, energy, food, etc. Without natural resources, we would not be living the way we are now and may not have survived.

Learning Objectives -

1. What does responsibility mean to me and my field and how can I apply this definition to my life/career to become a well-rounded citizen?
   1. To me, responsibility is almost like a duty you have. When you have a responsibility towards something/someone, it is your duty to fulfill whatever requirements you have towards that thing/person. It is your job to take care of/take action towards that responsibility.
   2. In my field (Earth and Environmental Science), I think responsibility is the obligation we have to create a healthy, clean, living world around us in the most ethical and sustainable way possible, and to educate others about our cause and why the Earth is important. It’s our job to keep our environments clean and healthy. It’s our job to educate others on different processes on how our world works and what they can do to help.
2. What is sustainability and how does it relate to natural resources and civilizations?
   1. To me, sustainability is the practice of making the most beneficial and useful choices when it comes to our environment. For example, recycling, reusing/repurposing items, using less energy, walking instead of driving, etc. Sustainability is being smart about the choices we make in regards to our environment and trying to make the best ones to help our environment and do as little damage as we can. This could also include using different types of natural resources, not taking as many resources from somewhere, replenishing resources when we can, etc.