More than 200 years ago, the introduction of steam power cemented America's dependence on fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas.
New types of energy transformed rural areas into manufacturing centers and better forms of transportation brought people out of their homes into factories. Humans began exploiting natural resources at an unprecedented scale and speed.
Today, the prevailing belief that natural resources and land are "limitless" comes at a heavy cost to our economy, environment, and citizens' health.
So this month we've asked environmental and energy experts to weigh in on one question: What is the most important resource for our future?