Squirrel

  I was going for a walk outside the other day and came across a deceased squirrel on the side of the road (pictured below). I decided that I would write my blog post about the squirrel this week, in part because it made me think about the impact that humans have on the environment, even on a small scale. We tend to jump to the big picture and associate our impact with climate change and other large-scale, overarching issues. This squirrel reminded me that our impact on the environment starts with everyday actions.

        The decisions we make each day influence our collective impact on the environment overtime. Squirrels are hit by cars seemingly all the time, approximately 41 million squirrels are killed by cars each year. For an animal with a common presence, we often overlook the impact that killing “one squirrel” has on their population. Because in this case, killing “one squirrel” adds up to many when basing it on the entire world population.

        While the example of hitting squirrels may not be entirely representative of our impact on the environment, I think there are at least a few parallels. Our impact on the environment is profound and it starts with seemingly small, everyday actions (like hitting squirrels). If we can find ways to change out everyday actions to make them more environmentally friendly and less invasive, our overarching environmental problems will shift in the right direction.