Earth Day

Most of you know I was an Environmental Science major in college. I was among the first three people to graduate with this degree from Westminster College. The other two people joined the Peace Corps and I went to work as a consultant for a major oil company. Hey, someone has to do it, right? I have always been a bit torn and cautious regarding the issue of environmentalism as a whole. I think that it has largely become a fear-based industry that often has little regard for science, which is pretty ironic. Coming from a geology background, I have always been more concerned with the over-use of our natural resources than I am with global warming. I think it is naive for us to think we can track trends in weather based on around 100 years of data. My Geology 101 professor once rolled out an entire roll of toilet paper for us and stated that this represented the earth's history. Then she cut of the tiniest of slivers of the last square, and said that that tiny slip of paper represented the time humans had been present on the Earth. So while I don't deny there are changes in climate, I am not 100% sold that humans are the sole source of those changes. This doesn't make me a lot of friends in my tree-hugger friend crowd.





I think my basic environmental stance boils down to being a mindful steward. I try to take into consideration my consumption and overall impact my day to day activities and not shove it down the throats of others. I found this quote from Edward Abbey (Desert Solitude) that is a good representation of my environmental stance:





“The refrigerator… is a useful machine. Not indispensable but useful. It is in fact one of the few positive contributions of scientific technology to civilization and I am grateful for it. Raised in the backwoods of the Allegheny Mountains, I remember clearly how we used to chop blocks of ice out of Crooked Creek, haul them with team and wagon about a mile up the hill to the farmhouse and store them away in sawdust for use in the summer. Every time I drop a couple of ice cubes into a glass I think with favor of all the iron and coal miners, bargemen, railroaders, steelworkers, technicians, designers, factory assemblers, wholesalers, truck drivers and retailers who have combined their labors (often quite taxing) to provide me with this simple but pleasant convenience, without which the highball or the Cuba libre would be poor things indeed. Once the drink is mixed, however, I always go outside, out in the light and the air and the space and the breeze, to enjoy it. Making the best of both worlds, that’s the thing.” [96]





So today, which is also Good Friday, I will make an extra effort to be thankful for the things that are in abundance in my life, protective of things that are limited, and be forever humbled by the miracles of day to day life.