The State of the Planet

There is a desperate feeling held by many that the law must be broken if the planet is to be saved. It is the belief that we are on an inexorable march to destruction that frustrates me. There are too many of us who feel that an Exxon can erase its ecological obscenities by the strategic placing of full-color ads in magazines. There is the frightening idea bandied about that the industrial machinery in place is too strong to be prevented from wreaking havoc as it reaps profits. We suffer from the “average-person complex” that we are on the outside of the decision-making process and can do nothing to stop the ruthless bullying of our resources by greedy, faceless behemoths.

We cannot allow retreat to be an option. It is the mouse that stopped the elephant, a brave woman on a bus who signaled the end of American apartheid and the sweep of a pen that freed countries throughout Europe in this last, extraordinary year. The war to save our planet will be won in our homes, our schools and our legislatures. It will not happen until all of us are inculcated with the simple idea that subscribing to an Earth-first mentality does not mean lawlessness.

We are beginning to make a difference. It is not a laughing matter when the children of those kids who wore beads and bell-bottoms learn a new way to put out the garbage. We are educating more people at a younger age that the finite resources of the Earth must be protected by every one of us every day. Our children are informed about water, understand that our bountiful planet is frail, are becoming product-aware, and realize that conspicuous consumption is a reversible illness.

We can make a difference. I believe there is much more left to do than has already been done but the salvation of our Earth is possible and it rests in the lawful, educated, careful planning of the average person.

RUSTY AREIAS

Assemblyman (D-Los Banos)

Sacramento