Legacy Pt. 2

A great friend of mine wrote me last week how he loves my blog, but wished I cared more about trees. I wrote back, I am an environmentalist, and have been since I was very young living in New Jersey.

While I was in elementary school, they ran a contest about recycling. I received a blue ribbon for my submission. Not because I could draw, you know I can’t, rather I could rhyme. “Dig this scene, help keep Bridgewater clean.” I used a real canvas, stencils (can’t write), a ruler (truly can’t draw) and paint. I painted a man only slightly more refined than a stick figure, taking his recyclable items to the center. I never got it back, because they kept the best ones. So I can’t prove it to you. Maybe my Mom can find the blue ribbon. This isn’t to brag. Rather to make a point.

Our grandfathers drilled for oil, created plastics, cars, electric generation plants, warships, rockets, etc. Our dads improved them.

The first generation didn’t know that plastics could be carcinogenic. Neither did our dads. Just like they didn’t know that cigarettes kill.

Our generation has no excuse.

Yes, I smoked. Quit. Started again. Quit again. Started again. Quit for good. I am not a hypocrite. I knew smoking was bad.

Today, we all know that all of the things our grandparents created were awesome inventions, with one serious drawback. They are serious polluters.

I didn’t vote for Gore. I only recently saw his movie “An Inconvenient Truth.” When he won the Oscar for it, I just figured it was an award given to a Democrat by Democrats.

I am not anti-business. In fact I believe in business. Responsible business.

As you know, I write for Examiner.com. They don’t editorialize our submissions, which is why my grammar and punctuation stinks. And it is why some articles get through that, in my opinion, shouldn’t. Yesterday, an older writer submitted that a physicist had predicted the cold snap in the mid-west three months ago. In fact, he nailed it within a couple of days. The prediction was based on sun activity. He further wrote that the weather patterns are not affected by greenhouse gasses or anything Man has done in the past or is doing now. He blamed Gore and others for trying to pass legislation not to protect us, rather only to create more business for “green” companies. That was the first time I ever read a negative article about Gore because he was pro-business. Bush beat him on the idea he wasn’t. Go figure.

Some people I have spoken to don’t believe Gore either. And, they say, even if he is right, they won’t be here when all of these bad things happen.

What kind of legacy is that? Don’t Carson’s grandkids deserve clean air? Do we really want a world like we see in Wall.E filled with trash?

Even if Gore is wrong and the old man is right, creating jobs isn’t such a bad thing. And if he is right? I hope that our generation does enough to ensure our children’s future. Like recycling paper, or going paperless when possible.

I recycle everything I can. I get sick about it when I don’t. So does the Princess. And we are teaching Carson. Why? Because we know better.

All the money in Bill Gates’ bank account won’t help Carson with his future, if we leave the world worse than we were given it.

I do wish I had all that money, though. But that’s another story.