Near the end of the 18th century, the industrialization replaced handmade goods and skilled craftsmen with machines powered by an endless amount of workers. As time progressed, the birth of machines allowed people to buy materials that they could not have before at lower prices. Such innovations like the car has allowed people to move out of the crowded, unsanitary cities into urban areas. The rise in population as seen during the Baby Boom, lower house tax rates, and an increase in the standard of living has made houses with a dainty, green lawn and spacial backyard became the epitome of the American Dream. This urbanization or urban sprawl has damaged the environment and contributed to the global issues that all individual face today, one of them being pollution. When people commute between their homes to the city, stress is being placed onto the environment through pollution. In the US alone, 200,000 lives have been claimed annually because of air pollution. The smog produced by cars causes the protective layer in the atmosphere to deteriorate. Greenhouse gases have created a bubble that traps heat within the earth causing global warming.  This has lead to weather extremes such as the severe drought in Africa and the magnitude of hurricanes have increases causing destruction in New Orleans and the East Coast. Additionally, this has caused health issues since people with sensitive lungs are irritated by the decreasing air quality. By choosing to take the bus or walking to the grocery store down the street, individuals can limit the damage being done to the environment. Choosing to purchase cars that rely on other energy sources as a substitute for fossil fuels will also minimize the devastation. Being mindful of one’s role in contributing to pollution, we can make kinder decisions that nurture Mother Earth.