You often hear about "the environment".

It seems that somebody is saying something about the environment on the TV or in the papers, almost every day.

It may be to do with a new road or "how the weather has changed". Go to the shops and you find "eco" fridges or organic vegetables. Everybody seems to be "going green".

But what does it mean? What is the environment?

The definition of the environment is "everything that surrounds us, everything made of the water, the air or the land, including ourselves."

Everything we make or do affects the environment. This is the case at work, in the community and at home, or anywhere in the world.

That can be a bit much. how can you cope with "everything"?

With all those experts arguing about the ozone layer or pesticide residues in food, it can be too much for one person to take in.

To help us understand how the environment works, it is easier to divide it up.

There are three main different ways to divide it, each based on different media.

Each way divides into three, all of which interrelate and interact dynamically.