- It’s not easy being green but it’s
neccessary
by Arthur Veitch
When I first moved into Grande Cache I was fortunate to chum around with a group of folks who formed the Grande Cache Green Earth Environmental Society. The group held “trash bashes”- impromptu garbage picking sessions. We launched a local recycling program and were instrumental in helping the town develop the current program. We had a positive message, first act responsibly in your backyard and then look to rescuing the rest of the world. The group sought to lead by example and worked to educate the public. We went to local schools on Earth Day and even brought a tiger cub to classes to celebrate the Year of the Tiger.
At that time, much larger environmental groups like the Sierra Club and Green Peace were coming under fire from a well orchestrated smear campaign that painted these folk as unreasonable extremists. Even today, most Albertans picture environmentalists as being longhaired hippy throwbacks who lack any sense of commerce and are mired in an unrealistic ideal.
That was in the 1980s; flash to today and we see the same message re-emerging: humans have to change their tune or else. This time, the “or else” isn't just rhetorical; scientists around the globe are sounding the alarm about the failing natural system.
Global warming isn't a creation of the world's David Suzuki's to disrupt corporate America (Canada), it's real. The world around us is slipping into chaos and it's our fault. The Bush Government has told scientists on its payroll not to mention polar bears. They want to keep the public mind off the fact global warming is dooming the animals on Canada's two-dollar coin slip to extinction. The massive over fishing of the world's large sharks has brought a population explosion of lesser predators like rays, which are devastating other valuable fisheries.
It's time to shed the unfortunate image of environmentalism and bring it back into our culture. It's time to look to our local environment and our own individual actions then look abroad.
The Town of Grande Cache has stated it is taking a more environmentally responsible stance. It is promising to reduce and eventually eliminate harmful chemicals. It's purchasing a hybrid vehicle for administration. These are all important first steps to getting back on the right track.
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