In the first quarter of the 21st Century multiple countries are planning to establish permanent lunar colonies. The reasons are many but one of the main reasons are for the resources of the Moon which can be made into components for the human exploration of Mars.

There are some elements that are in abundance in the lunar environment that will help with the biosphere of Earth. Many scientists are working on processes that will alleviate some of the energy issues that have gotten worse over time. Though the orb called Earth is our home, we as a society are slowly degrading the quality of our home world.

As we move out into the Universe by first placing permanent colonies upon the lunar surface then outward into our solar system, hopefully, we will take the lessons learned by mismanagement of our home planet's environment to heart as we move out into the stars. To live within our environment and future environments will allow us to expand outward to new discoveries and worlds which will allow for our species to grow as well as prosper. At the same time the cautionary note should be at what cost to the environments in which we plan to place our imprint.

Will the lunar surface be scarred with "robotic" strip mining?
Will we unleash environmental disasters by ignoring the history of our own societies mistakes?
Will we honor what we have learned to be more eco-friendly as we begin to explore the vastness of space?

Only time will tell if we are a society which learns from our mistakes or a society that consumes at all costs even to our own detriment.