Love: it’s what makes the world go around. As humans, we are the world’s largest purveyors of the power of love. Sure, we know our animal friends like to spread the message of love as well, but until our furry friends start making piles of mix-tapes and sappy movies devoted to this feeling, we’re claiming it.

But for all the bizarre things we profess our undying passion for — our cell phones, pens with kitten toppers, Avocado Jalapeño Poppers, Jared Leto (the list could go on for days), we don’t even mention Mother Earth. Or at least not on a daily basis, which is a little bizarre when you think about it, considering we interact with the natural world all the time. And let’s be honest, nature is pretty incredible and deserves our love and respect a whole lot more than our usual objects of affection (sorry, Leto).

If you’re wondering WHY we need to show Earth some love, look no further.

1. Oceans Give Us Oxygen

The world’s oceans produce 70 percent of the oxygen we breathe and absorb around 50 percent of the carbon dioxide we emit. The oceans have created the perfect balance that allows us to have clean air to breathe while mitigating a ton of the Pollution we produce.

We could all stand to show how much we care about this enormous aqueous entity by lowering our carbon footprint, minimizing (ideally, eliminating) the amount of fish in our diet, and avoiding plastic whenever possible.

Jared/Flickr

2. Nothing We Create Could Achieve Such Balanced Harmony

There is no way that you can look at something as pristine as this image of Glacier National Park and not be instantly humbled. That’s nature.

U.S. Department of the Interior/Instagram

3. We’re Taking Advantage of Rainforests

Like the ocean, the world’s trees and forests are extremely beneficial to humans. Not only do trees provide us with much needed oxygen supplies, but they also regulate global climate. But the world’s forests are being compromised by human industry and deforestation. To show you care, minimize your consumption of animal products and always check consumer goods for palm oil. Think of it as a little love letter to the world when you do.

Alex Green/Flickr

4. Because Mother Nature Always Knows How to Brighten Our Days

No matter how terrible of a day you might have had, when you look up at the sky at the end of it … there’s no way you won’t smile.

U.S. Department of the Interior/Instagram

5. We Take More Than We Give

Humans might not be known for living “lightly,” but most people do not recognize the extent to which we overuse the world’s natural resources. Between the land we use, resources we take from the ocean, humans currently use one and a half Earth’s worth of renewable resources! So let’s all try a little harder to reverse this trend and be mindful of our consumption habits.

BlueForce/Flickr

6. Nature Gives Us a Home

You might consider your house as your “home,” but the natural world has created the perfect balance of resources and habitat for you to survive. While it might get cold and rainy sometimes, without the natural world, we’d literally be lost in space!

U.S. Department of the Interior/Instagram

7. No Nature, No Animals

This might be the world’s largest understatement, but without the natural world, there would be no other living species. Biodiversity is what makes the world go around and we all need to do our part to protect the animals we share the planet with. We can do this by learning how our consumption habits affect the environment and harm animals.

Flickr

8. If We’ve Got Mother Nature’s Back, She’s Got Ours

Writer and environmentalist, John Muir once stated, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.” Quite simply, when we cut down forests and clog the oceans with plastic and other Pollution, we are only hurting ourselves. But, if we actively work to mitigate the damage we’ve done to the natural world, we can recover the environment’s natural balance. Healthy planet-healthy us.

U.S. Department of the Interior/Instagram

Lead image source: U.S. Department of the Interior/Instagram