America, the motherland of capitalism, where the entire economy and our American way of life revolve around selling things, buying things, and throwing these things in the trash . It's our sense of entitlement to live in this country that people with money to spend have to spend because there's always something new coming out, so to feel important they have to get it. They see no problem with this because they throw out the old and bring in the new, but this causes a huge amount of pollution and ultimately harms everyone in more ways than one. I don't believe money is what brings happiness to people. I think it's helping others. I could have a lot of money in my pocket and not be happy until I have shared that wealth with the people around me. America has become selfish and wasteful. What's the point of being happy if everyone around you is sad? In the future we will worry about the condition of the planet, so I think we need to do something now. A healthy Earth is the best thing we can pass on to our children, so why wouldn't we want to do that? America must change its ways or no one will be able to live optimally when they have to worry about restoring the health of the planet. Americans represent 5% of the world's population, but generate 30% of the world's trash (http://students. arch.utah.edu). For only 5% of the population that's a lot of garbage, but that just goes to show the excessive amount of consumption Americans continually produce. Americans throw away enough trash every day to fill 63,000 garbage trucks that, if lined up, would go halfway to the moon (http://students.arch.utah.edu). This is a disgusting statistic to hear, but what could be even more difficult… middle of paper… forced to receive it all the time. This does not help poverty in America, so we must come together as a community and realize that it is time to change and become not only better people but also a better country as a whole. For me, leaving a healthy planet behind is the best way I can live an optimal life. By reusing products, recycling and reducing all the harmful products we buy we can really make a difference. The situation will not change overnight, but we must take steps in the right direction before it is too late. If I live an optimal life the way I want and help save the environment, I will also help future generations live their lives the way they want. I don't want to be the generation that sat while our Earth died, I want to be the generation that did something about it and by doing something about it I will live my optimal life.