ABSTRACT
Natural resources are the valued components of the Earth and the building blocks for our quality of life. Some, such as timber and fish, can be harvested sustainably or lost to haste. Others are available for extraction only once. The minerals in your car, frying pan, and washing machine come from nonrenewable sources, as do the petroleum-based synthetics in your backpack, shoes, computer, and cell phone. To address critical decisions of when and how to tap supplies of the Earth's raw-materials is to partake in natural resource management.
