BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — At the Barcelona Zoo, a 40-year-old African elephant places her foot through the metal barrier where a zookeeper gently scrubs its sole — the beloved pachyderm gets her “pedicure,” along with apple slices every day.

From an early age in our schools, children are taught about, “Environmental absolutes.” They are not titled so, rather that is a term I have just come up with to better conceptualize their necessity. Trees (especially old-growth trees) provide oxygen to all living things. They provide homes to many small creatures and a plethora of bugs, moss, and vines; as well as maintaining erosion with widespread roots, providing shade and ultraviolet-light protection to that which grows and lives on the ground.