While some advocates for nature would say we need to stop using technology entirely and go back to a simpler time, the reality is that technology might be our greatest tool when it comes to restoring and preserving our natural world. The small steps that I suggest may seem insignificant, but they add up, forming a larger movement in the right direction. Of course, I am realistic enough to acknowledge that technology will not solve all of our environmental issues. Some of these problems will probably never be undone. For example, it is hard to imagine technology that could refreeze polar ice caps or glaciers. However, technology could help us predict when rising water and storms will hit and help us secure coastal habitats against flooding before it occurs.

But why, you might ask, does nature need our help? While it is convenient to ignore, issues such as pollution, global warming, overfishing, deforestation, extinction, and ozone shrinkage are all connected to human activity. Nature is in need of help because we hurt it, and if we ignore nature’s need, we too will suffer. According to Tom Levitt, former deputy editor of the Ecologist magazine, air pollution leads to asthma, heart disease, diabetes, and stunted lung growth in children. Rising sea levels caused by global warming lead to loss of homes in coastal areas and more powerful storms.

But how do we “save” nature? The use of technology for environmental conservation is already underway. According to World Wildlife Fund Conservation Science Program leader Jon Hoekstra, satellites, remote sensors, GPS, and smartphones are already being used to monitor ecosystems and catch poachers in the act.

But how can we personally get involved? Perhaps the best place to start is to pay attention. Do not plug in headphones when walking to classes; set aside time to be outside, or take homework outside for completion; explore the local nature by going for short drives and stopping for hikes; when hiking, do not get too caught up in taking the perfect picture for the perfect Instagram post. I am not saying that listening to music or posting on Instagram is wrong, however, if these things come between us and our awareness of the world around us, they become an issue.

If you want to become involved, research local environmental issues. Is there a certain type of rare butterfly that lives nearby? If so, try to catch sight of one and send a picture to an organization that wants to track the whereabouts of that butterfly. Is there a local stream that is filling up with trash? Use Facebook to organize a clean-up day and post before and after photos to encourage others to do the same. Also, pay attention to what is happening in politics. Vote for politicians who support water conservation, reforestation, protection of endangered species, and so forth.

Let us also make it clear what environmental activism is not: reading or posting an article about pipelines or global warming or endangered species on Facebook, watching a documentary on the whaling industry or the Amazon rainforest, or retweeting a celebrity’s call to action for the salvation of beaches. While these actions fall under self-education and raising awareness, they are not physical actions that take place in the real world. Even me writing this article is not really accomplishing anything.

Perhaps one of the greatest issues with social media is that it gives us the illusion of doing something, when in fact all we have done is sat on our couch and clicked a button or scrolled through an article. Tweeting about whales saves zero whales. This is why, though social media is a good platform for raising awareness, I encourage everyone who is passionate about nature to actually get out into it and do a thing or two, instead of just posting about it.

It might sound like I am saying that social media and Netflix are making us lazy. Perhaps they are, but I also think that thanks to the media, we are much more aware of broader environmental issues than our parents or grandparents were at our age. Still, we cannot just stop at being aware and making others aware. Activism is as important today as it has always been, if not more so, because our natural world is in more danger than it has ever been.