To the Editor:
This year Earth Day's annual celebration was April 22 and it went by without much notice or celebration - shame on us. Our home planet should not be taken for granted. The earth provides everything we humans need to survive and grow, not just physically, but intellectually and spiritually as well. Earth Day should remind us of all the resources that sustain us and enrich our lives every day; the air, water, minerals, soil, and all plants and animals, not just our crops and livestock. These resources need to be used wisely and protected, not wasted, not polluted or wantonly destroyed.
Since 1970, Earth Day has provided an opportunity for people across the globe to come together and learn about, and rally in support of, the conservation of natural resources while promoting the preservation of the remaining remnants of the "natural world." Today it is impossible to go anywhere on earth and not find signs of human activity. Traces of pollution are now present in the air, soil and water everywhere on the planet - Lake Mitchell is an example of the kinds of problems caused by disregarding pollution. Thousands of species of plants and animals are threatened and endangered with extinction because of pollution, poaching, invasive species and loss of habitat. Therefore it seems reasonable to suggest a fundamental shift in the relationship between people and the earth, and with each other. We all need to cooperate and we all need to take time to consider how our actions affect the environment and make every day an Earth Day.
We, the people of the earth, have been given the wondrous gift of life and a place to live and enjoy it. A place with all the things needed to sustain and enrich us. We believe we have "dominion over the earth," but we have been warned: "Whatsoever you shall sow, so shall you reap."
Richard A. Peterson
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Wewela