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  arthFair
- does it get any better than this? I don't think so. For the past eight
years, the people of San Diego have come together to celebrate their love
for the planet that sustains them. San Diegans from all social strata make
an annual pilgrimage to beautiful Balboa Park to be entertained and informed
about what is happening in their community. In regards to environmental
awareness, Earth Fair is the place to see and be seen in spring. Both educational
and festive, this is a chance for people to feel good about themselves.
But is this enough?
 Not to throw a wet blanket on the
party, I must point out that most of us take the place we call home for
granted. Our relationship with the environment is neglectful at best. Using
the Earth Mother analogy, it is like we ignore mom all year but we make
sure we throw her a fabulous birthday party on her Earth Day. And to make
sure she knows how much she is loved, we invite all the neighbors, who also
neglected her to celebrate and discuss how mom is looking more tired than
usual. Then, feeling like we have done our time acknowledging "Mother,"
we go back to our "oh so important" routine of professed care
and actual apathy.
Now, I am certain that the majority
of San Diegans mean well and hope all will work out. But sorry, folks, that
is not going to be enough. There are some among us who have absolutely no
consideration for "mom" and are actually doing everything in their
power to prostitute her and leave her barren and broken on the side of the
road. Where some of them actually believe they are doing no harm (e.g. County
Supervisor Pam Slater), others show no remorse while plotting her downfall
(e.g. County Supervisor Bill Horn). And the shortsighted concept of self-only
property rights allows harmful decisions to be made.
I recently spoke with a female acquaintance
of mine; I'm not sure I could consider her a friend, but we are definitely
friendly. This woman is very republican, very pro-life, and very well meaning.
What is strange is the fact that she seems to consider me a kindred spirit.
Weird, huh? I guess one out of three ain't bad. My friend gave me an armful
of literature from right wing conservative groups because she wanted to
warn me about the environmental movement.
One of the leaflets was from a group
calling itself ACCOUNTABILITY NOW! which included such statements as, "The
Green movement is comprised of special interests groups that are twisting
the issues, violating the public trust and working behind the scenes to
change America." Could someone please explain to me how clean air and
water, healthy soil, open space, and biodiversity is construed as a special
interest? This amusing, if not scary, leaflet goes so far as to declare
environmentalism as a front for the Communist Party. I remember being called
a eco-fascist once, but all you have to do is look at China's and the Soviet
Union's environmental record to see that communism has absolutely nothing
to do with protecting the environment.
So, boys and girls, we are about
to go into two years of serious politics and the other team is working up
a lather at the planet's expense. The question is, "What are we going
to do?" It is time we got involved beyond the point of enjoying Sunday
in the park. Now don't get me wrong, I think the EarthFair is a great place
to recharge your batteries while coming together with a community of like
minded individuals. It is as such times that we have proof that we are not
alone in our concern for planetary health. What I am suggesting is the realization
that if we don't get active now, we might find ourselves up creek without
a paddle. Although, now that I think of it, I would say we lost the paddle
years ago and that we are about to lose the boat.
If Western culture is the Titanic,
groups such as Greenpeace, The Sierra Club and EarthWorks are the crew members
smart enough to realize that there is still time to start building life
boats. It's time we assist them by either helping to build, or start bailing.
Personally I am adding my efforts to the political conversation. It is important
we get environmentalists elected to office. Policy should began to reflect
sustainability, not just profitability. Grass root activism is needed now,
to make sure we don't loose our biological heritage beneath a wave of concrete
and plastic.
So now, with all that said, I would
like to thank everybody for doing their part in helping to promote environmental
awareness, thank you for participating in Earth Day activities. Thank you
for bringing earth sensibility into your life, and most importantly, thank
you for acting as if your choices matter. They do.  |
