Sudbury Valley TrusteesConservation, Collaboration, and Community since 1953
Knowing Our Place
SVT Executive Director Ron McAdow's "Knowing Our Place" feature has appeared in 40 Community Newspaper Corporation outlets. Ron's most recent entry is below, to read the entire article simply click on the title. To read past editions of the column, click on a category from the list in the left margin. Ron also writes a weekly blog, called Outdoors This Week - Ron's Blog.
Oil Distress
Say you are driving along a two lane road, and you find your way obstructed—a large truck has parked where it doesn’t belong. I have noticed in myself and others a tendency to take possession of the left lane, and to expect oncoming cars to wait while I exercise an assumed right to proceed.
The catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico stems from another prerogative we award ourselves—the right to burn up fossil fuel. We all know this, but we are trapped in our way of life, which is the envy of the world, and its despair.
Americans who admit partial responsibility for the unfolding environmental disasters attempt to mitigate their personal impacts. Some take the time to hang their laundry in the sun, or they install solar panels. Others run errands on their bikes, and drive a hybrid car. They prefer locally-grown foods, try to consume less packaging, and recycle all they can. They keep their houses cool in the winter and warmish in the summer. They avoid recreations based on the use of fossil fuel.
