 Gas prices are heading into the stratosphere and there is talk of oil reaching $105 a barrel. Two-thirds of our estuaries and bays are polluted, and the world's coral reefs are dying off at an alarming rate. Years of power plant runoff have triggered high mercury levels in fish, while the clear-cutting of tropical and old-growth forests have led to the decline of species from songbirds to grizzlies. Am I sounding the "green" alarm? You bet I am.
It's time for all of us to take a good look at the health of our world. It's ailing, and we all need to become proactive about its well-being. We need to become responsible stewards of the place we call home.
Earth Day 2005 provides the opportunity for each one of us to start acting "green." April 22 will be the 35th Earth Day, and during this week communities up and down the Peninsula will have cleanups and tree plantings. Go to www.keepcaliforniabeau tiful.com/activities_events.php and check out how you can get involved. San Jose is planning the Great American Litter Pick Up on April 23. It's being sponsored by Santa Clara County Integrated Waste Management Division. More information can be found at www.reducewaste.org.
Becoming stewards within our own community is an important beginning, but it's imperative that we look beyond our backyards. We have to be concerned about our neighbors' backyards and every backyard on this planet. This includes our nation's public lands, which cover one-third of the United States. Every American shares in this ownership. That's why these lands are called public, not private. This includes magnificent places like Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which are all brimming with natural resources. We should, however, be equally concerned about the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and the preservation of biodiversity in our global rain forests.
Perhaps it's difficult for us to understand the extent of our planet's environmental damage when clean water continues to flow from our taps. Our soil continues to produce an abundance of crops, and the air is mostly clear. Yet within my own lifetime I've witnessed a startling change.
When I was a young child spending vacations and summers in Miami Beach, the Florida Keys and the Barrier Islands off the Gulf of Mexico on the west side of the Florida, the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf Coast were teeming with fish and there were so many shells that we could pick them by the bucket. Scallops, whelks and conchs covered the shoreline and far beyond. I remember at low tide the sand looked like an underwater treasure with coral, fish and shells exploding in yellows, pinks, oranges and reds. Even in my 20s I walked on Sanibel Island on the Florida Gulf Coast picking shells by the bag.
Now, less than two decades later, all the shells are gone. My children and I walk along barren shorelines, while in the shallows coral reefs that were once filled with life are struggling to survive. I tell them how it used to be and they look at me in wonder and wish they could see what I scooped up by the bucket.
As stewards of this planet--the only one we have--we are obligated to find a way to turn the tide so future generations have a chance to enjoy all that nature has to offer. Getting involved on Earth Day is a great place to start.
Moryt Milo is the editor of The Willow Glen Resident. She can be contacted at 400.200.1051 or mmilo@community-newspapers.com.
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