| My Thoughts on the Environment On Sunday May 5, 2002 and on Monday May 6, 2002 I had the opportunity to be a part of a fundraiser for Kentucky RiverKeepers. In attendance was Kevin and Kristin Richardson, Robert Kennedy Jr. and various faculty members of Eastern Kentucky University. While there I had the opportunity to learn more about the enviroment in my home state. And it really made me think about all the damage we do to our world. We assume that the responsibility for our world falls on someone else's shoulders, but the truth is, it falls on ours. The world we live in today won't be here tomorrow for the future generations if we continue to abuse the world around us. It's a scary thought. I mean since I was a little girl I was taught in school and heard on the news how our natural resources would one day be gone, but honestly, like most people I didn't give it a second thought. I thought what can I, one person, do? But there is a lot we can do. We can recycle, we can organize neighborhood clean-ups and we can buy in bulk (it reduces packaging). I'm not here to preach at you, but if you read this and it makes you curious about what you can do, then it's served it's purpose. There's a Native American saying that says: "We did not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we are borrowing from our children." (qoute may be paraphrased) That really makes you stop and think doesn't it? I mean, just think about it, the world we live in today will belong to the children of tomorrow. If we use and abuse what the earth provides us now, what will be left for our children or our children's children? I want the rivers and lakes to be clean so that people can swim and eat the fish they catch, instead of having to worry about what's in the water that may hurt them. I want the land to be clean so that food can be planted and people can take hikes. I want to see the beautiful mountains left in their natural state so that everyone can enjoy their beauty. It's not a lot to ask of each other. It just takes a minute to recylce that Coke can, or a few more cents to use recycled paper. There are many things we can do to preserve our world or to restore it to it's former beauty. If you would like more information please visit RiverKeepers or JWR |