When the Gemini astronauts brought back the first color pictures of the Earth from space it had a profound effect on mankind. It was our first glimpse of how beautiful and fragile our little planet is. It got people thinking about how to preserve the Earth. It's been an ongoing struggle ever since. Preserving Earth's priceless resources while still having enough food, energy and land for more than six billion people to live is no easy task.
   
Awareness of how what each of us do to affect the planet is the first step in environmental conservation. It's the first step in becoming a green member of society. There are many ways each of us can help conserve resources and keep our planet clean and healthy for generations to come. To be an environmentalist you first have to understand how the environment works. Read about our Earth's ecology, atmosphere, habitats, and resources and how we affected them. This will give you a better understanding of this amazing blue ball on which we live!