The other day I found out about something that saddened me deeply - black rhinos have gone extinct. As soon as I found this out I had a common reaction as many others did. Simple things such as “Wow bro that's sad” and “man that sucks.” Hell yeah, it sucks. But I don’t think many are putting into consideration how much it really does suck. We are so used to hearing about things going extinct, such as dinosaurs or those peculiar animals from Australia, we don't process the heaviness of this topic.

We don't process it because it has been genuinely uncommon for things to go extinct in our timeline. We often don't ponder on the complexity of this issue. These rhinos are GONE, they are NEVER coming back. That is sad because there is quite literally nothing we can do to prevent this. That time has passed. Poachers had a large impact on the steady decline on these beautiful creatures, but so did we. Our constant disrespect for the world and our environment is an example.

I know there are people shaking their heads right now saying, “Rissa, things go extinct because of environment change.” Well that's a good point and is accurate to some extent, but it has only a small impact on animals - the world isn't drastically shifting on its own. We are changing things about it. There's nothing natural about the changes. “Alright Marissa but I haven't done anything to hurt the environment.” Unfortunately, you are wrong. Maybe you haven't done anything to hurt it directly, but have you done something to help it? Trash being left around is a small aspect to the bigger picture. It may not have affected the rhinos, but it has definitely affected the wildlife around you. Not littering is an essential point that has been stressed to us since we were children. Picking up trash that you see lying around--even if it's not yours--is one of the easiest things you can do to help. “Yeah, but I didn't leave it there.” Well someone did, and they're not going to pick it up, so why not you? Stop trying to make excuses.

Some of you reading this are trying to justify your actions right now, coming up with reasons why you haven't done anything to help. If you have to justify things about yourself, to yourself, there is clearly a change that needs to be made. There are so many different things you can do to help all kinds of wildlife.

Have you heard about the island sized mass of trash mass that;s floating around our oceans? Well if you haven't it’s referred to as “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch” or “Pacific Trash Vortex” and because it is so far from any coast line no one is willing to partake in the expensive cleanup. Each year the Trash Vortex grows.

There are actions people try to partake in to prevent the Vortex from growing. They are organizing committees and volunteers to go around cleaning up debris around waters edges. This past year I participated in an event called “Gear Grab” where people got together and went around cleaning the shores of Maine, collecting things ranging from old fishermen equipment to trash. When the day was done we met up and got a free lunch and a hat that said gear grab. After the food we went back to our meeting locations and sorted through everything. Things that were of no use were disposed of and the rest was donated to local artists and organizations that specifically stated what they would be able to use.

But what does this have to do with the rhinos? Well, let me tell you, it has everything to do with the rhinos. Because it all circles back to the irresponsibility of humans and how we need to make serious changes before this crap gets out of hand, and before more and more things we grew up with are gone for good. Ever seen Wall-E? If you haven't I suggest looking it up. Very cute movie, but with a heavy topic. The background plot line is about how humans let the Earth get to an inhabitable situation. We of course don't have the technology to up and leave Earth completely, but with enough of our stupid mistakes we could be capable of wiping out our own race. If you feel bad, I'm not sorry. You should feel upset and uncomfortable with this. Because that means I successfully made a point, and hopefully you are moved enough to participate and make a change. I don't care if you never share things, or if you share everything; share this. This is an important topic that no one really thinks about, but everyone needs to hear.