If you’ve been on the internet the past week, you’ve most likely seen the article about the death of the Great Barrier Reef and how it’s too late to do anything to save it. This, my friends, is untrue. Although the reef is in dire need of some extreme TLC, it is not dead and gone.

The saddest part about that article though, is everyone’s readiness to believe it. The fact that it is so easy to believe we’ve killed the largest living structure really says something about the way the Earth is being treated. If the planet was as cared for and healthy as it should be, an article like this would have been considered a satirical piece.

With all of this in mind, I believe this means it’s a time for change. Just because an article claims the reef is dead does not mean we as inhabitants of this Earth should give up on our home and all the beautiful things it’s given us. Small changes really do make a huge difference, and although that idea has become somewhat of a cliché, I still think it needs to be said until everyone believes it.

Even if you think the things you do won’t matter in the bigger picture, I can tell you that it will. Recycle more. Buy less plastic. Don’t eat meat one day a week. Even just turning your A/C up one degree can make a difference. I’ve never been one to give up, and I challenge anyone reading this to do the same. Mother Earth needs us now more than ever, and all seven billion of us need to do something about it. The Huffington Post has an entire article of details on the state of the Great Barrier Reef that I encourage everyone to check out

because it really outlines just how much power we have to save this natural treasure, especially because it isn't as far gone as fatalists assume.