The issues that concern this listserv are political and it has
taken diligence and hard work to make them so. 30 years ago, nobody was
concerned with reducing waste or recycling. Today everybody tells you they're
an environmentalist. This is because brave people stood up, took a
chance, and said that the accepted ways of doing things were not
right. Other, smarter people, came along with practical solutions based on
that assumption. Things are changing but we are no where near the finish line.
When politicians ignore this or push policies that are antithetical
to our concerns, it is our right, if not our responsibility, to create an
uproar. I think political awareness is equal to corporate awareness. The
public needs to make politicians responsive to our will and keep them
honest. A grassroots movement depends on this kind of pressure. It would
be a grave mistake if we but fiddled while Rome burned.
When the Bush administration (or Clinton, or Bush pere, or
Reagan, etc ad infinatum) ignores our concerns I think it needs to
be broadcast. Making a loud noise is one of the best ways to
impress a politician that we have the clout to upset his/her hold over
us. This was shown yesterday when the stink raised by environmentalist
organizations forced the administration to back down on its proposed
relaxation of air quality standards. I realize that our greatest gains
come when there is sound economics behind them - that is inescapable in
today's world - but change also needs an ideological compass and a few
uncompromising pilots at the helm.
That expressed, I don't like name calling either. I think it cheapens the
argument no matter how dead-on the observation.
David Wollner
BRING Recycling