SC.4.E.6.3 Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources
SC.4.E.6.3: Recognize that humans need resources found on Earth and that these are either renewable or nonrenewable.
How Do We Get the Things We Need to Survive?
Think about the things you need every day. Food, water, and shelter are basic needs. The things that we need are called resources. Resources are things that we use from nature. Water, something that we need every day, comes from nature. When get a drink of water from a water fountain, the fountain is probably made of metal. Water also comes in water bottles made of plastic. Both metal and plastic come from resources that are found in the Earth’s crust. Metals are mined. Rock is dug up and processed to produce metals from the minerals in the rock. Plastic is made from oil. Oil is drilled from deposits in the Earth’s crust. Oil is also used to make the gasoline to fuel our cars, trucks, and buses.
Some resources, like water, wind, and sunshine, are called renewable resources. These are recourses that are easily produced in nature. The water cycle constantly cleans are moves fresh water over the surface of the Earth. Sunshine is produced every day when the Sun is shining. Winds will blow sometimes and not others, but there are always winds somewhere on Earth. Winds can be used for something as simple as flying a kite or sailing a sailboat.
Wind, water, and sunshine can also be used to produce electricity. Water can be used to generate electricity in a dam. Wind can be used to spin the blades of a wind turbine. Sunshine is used by solar panels to produce electricity. Electricity can be produced by each of these renewable resources.
Mineral resources are not renewable. Metals, once they are mined, are not easily made again by the Earth. Oil, once it is drilled from an oil deposit, is not easily made again. Because these resources are not easily made again by nature, they are considered nonrenewable resources. Oil is found in Florida, but Florida is not a major producer of oil. One resource abundant in Florida is phosphate. Phosphate is a natural resource that was produced at the bottom of a shallow sea. Florida soils in the center of the state near Tampa contain high levels of phosphate. Phosphate is needed by all plants to grow, and Florida is a major supplier of the world’s phosphate needs. Limestone is also another abundant Florida resource. Limestone is the type of rock found in Florida from the Keys to the panhandle. Limestone was used in the past to make building blocks to construct buildings throughout Florida. Today limestone is used to produce concrete. Silica is another very common natural resource found in Florida: sand! Silica is one of the minerals that makes up sand. Silica can be separated from sand and is used in the production of glass.
