The biggest problem facing the environment today is greed. The reason why greed has an effect on the environment is because people value money and production above the environment. This is true of big businesses like logging and oil. Greed also persuades factory owners to put money before the environment by pumping their waste gases like carbon-dioxide into the air we breath. In this world of money can we find a way for the environment to co-exist with big business?



Logging and oil companies often value money over the environment. Loggers often cut down entire hillsides of trees just because it takes more time to cut trees selectively. The oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico that exploded on December 24, 2009 has destroyed much of the environment and the quality of life surrounding the Gulf. The fracture in the pipe initially spread at least 21,000 gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This fracture is still causing the under-ground oil to leak out at a rate of 80 to 400 gallons a day. Evidence shows that they did not try to cap the oil for many weeks, because it was a valuable supply that if closed would cost British Petroleum a lot of money. This is why both of these subjects tie in to my idea that greed has a bad effect on the environment.


Many factories are releasing toxic gases into the environment. Some factories also have other radioactive or harmful materials as waste products. It takes many years for these products to reach a state were they are not harmful to us any more. Even more harmful to the environment are the green-house gases that heat the planet up. Most of this is because some companies do not either filter the gases so greenhouse gases can not escape into the atmosphere, or because some companies do not use green energy sources.


I think it is possible that business and the environment can co-exist. I think we can do this by becoming more environmentally friendly. This plan will only work if businesses agree to be less greedy. Logging companies should not be clearing entire acres of trees, we should be using the slower process of selective cutting or only gathering broken or burnt trees. I believe that oil companies should not be getting oil from places were we cannot fix or contain a spill. Factories should not be using any thing that makes unsafe material or gas. They should look to greener solutions for their problems like environmentally safe fuels and materials.


I think it may be possible for environment and business to co-exist in harmony. If the world was a team the environment would be the coach, because in real life and on a team their would not be a team without a coach.