MARCH 13, 2006
Did
you ever stop to wonder if positive reinforcement works on a child? The answer, if you have every raised a child, is of course it works. When you have done something well and are complimented you are more likely to repeat the behavior. A good part of the environmental message today must include praise for success. We are constantly reading that the environmental movement is dead, or needs a refocus, or does not really speak to the needs of people today.
The problem is simple: We reward and praise excess. We honor greed, and we refuse to lift up those who are calling us to a greater sense of our responsibility to the fragile environment that sustains all our lives.
Therefore, this writing today is an official compliment of everyone who recycles religiously. The RR is a good habit to get into because when modeled by everyone landfills disappear, costs go down for our goods, and the planet is just that much healthier.
# 1 Therefore, I am stopping for a moment to thank all of those people who are diverting stuff from landfills all over the country. If we did not have major recycling efforts throughout the country we would be in a worse mess than we are.
#2: This is an official compliment if you have gotten involved in a local issue and have thought globally and acted vocally. Hooray for the 'squeaky wheel."
It is becoming more and more apparent that we are experiencing a rise in concern over the abdication of our elected officials to watch over our fragile environment. More and more individuals are taking matters into their own hands and becoming highly skilled vigilantes for environmental justice. Praise be to the worker in the community who cares enough to confront and then get involved. A strong voice is the one who speaks on behalf of the voiceless and the common good.
#3. This is my official compliment to each of you who are reducing your consumption while evaluating how your spending patterns affect the natural world.
We can do with less, we have just been brainwashed to want more. Consumption kills should be the bumper sticker for today. Consuming may literally deplete our resources for tomorrow's generations, but it also numbs the consumer and leads to a false sense of well being.
And #4: Thanks to the person who does all of the above: who lives simply, involves himself or herself in local issues, and keeps recycling for the good of the community.
Now pass the word and thank someone else.
--Peter