Social metabolism

Social metabolism is a way of looking at how people use natural resources. It is like a balancing equation: when people use things like water, land, and minerals, these resources have to be taken from somewhere and then turned into things like food, fuel, and products. But then when the people are finished using them, if those products aren't reused or recycled these natural resources can be gone. So, social metabolism looks at the whole cycle of taking and giving back to nature, to make sure we are balancing things out and not using up too much of our planet's resources.