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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 |