Tuesday, June 19, 2007

I am an environmentally aware person. I support logical and sustainable ways to reduce pollution and efforts at conserving the world's wildlife and plant life.

I am especially enamored with the diversity of life on Earth and finding methods to preserve as much of it as possible. The study and enjoyment of animal and sea life is a passion of mine.

I understand in intimate detail the things we as a race are doing to the earth. Urban sprawl, water pollution, air pollution, landfill pollution, cutting down, farm runoff, forests and rainforests cut down for farmland, industrialization in the developing world, the dangerous depopulation of fish stocks worldwide, endangered species on land and in the air, water shortages, climate change.

But I am no utopian. I realize that industry, trade and growing populations cannot be reversed. I believe that many of the solutions we need will have to come from within the business community and not just from environmental groups and governments.

We read every day about the destruction and pretty soon the dozen danger points we absorbed become two dozen, then 100, then 200, then 300, and we are finally overwhelmed. Numbed to it, wanting to shut it out.

But there are solutions.

We know the Earth is being sorely tested. Six billion people are straining it and with 9 billion expected in less than 50 years the strain will grow worse. Yet almost every day we are told how we can make a difference. Use less plastic, low water flush toilets, smaller cars, local foods, car pools, Kyoto accords, new bulbs.

But pretty soon the dozen solutions we read about become two dozen, then 100, then 200, then 300 and we are overwhelmed. Numbed to it, wanting to shut it out.

The problems and solutions presented to us can induce a bad case of paralysis by analysis. But we must overcome that feeling and not lose sight of the fact that even if you can only make one or two changes in the way you live you may still be part of the solution.

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