“Too much has been said, and too little done.”

“Too much has been said, and too little done.”  Sixty-nine years ago, in 1943, a state fisheries administrator expressed his frustration related to the shad harvest (or lack thereof) that year (Horton 46).  In 2012, it seems society has been plagued by the same problem.  Politicians continue to “talk about talking about” issues related to environmental quality, species conservation, alternative energy, and land preservation.  All the mention of “progress” is diminished by the fact that we have still failed to proceed aggressively enough to preserve what seemingly “natural” features of the earth are left.  It is time for another call to action.

According to the film Poisoned Waters, 10% of the population gathered on Earth Day 1970 to pressure a Republican administration to clean up the water and air in America.  The march became the largest demonstration in history and led to the establishment of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the creation of such legislation as Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act.  Over 40 years later, the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline and natural gas fracking in the Delaware River basin threatens clean water.  More relaxed smog standards will increase air pollution, in time when seven million children have asthma (CDC.gov).  I hope that Earth Day 2012 will lead an ironically Democratic administration to the transformative changes we were promised in 2008.

The first major shift that would need to take place to save a signal system like the Chesapeake Bay would be to abolish voluntary action programs and introduce a regulatory approach.  The Chesapeake Bay could serve as a model for cleanup of all American waters.  Once the regulatory approach to pollution is proven effective in the Mid-Atlantic region, it can be reproduced throughout the nation and perhaps allow my grandchildren to fish or swim in any body of water in the US.  In order to create a regulatory system for water pollution like excess nitrogen and phosphorous from Perdue chicken waste on the Eastern Shore and fertilizers running off from Suburbia, lobbying cannot be manhandled by corporations and their funding of candidate’s campaigns.  Big Chicken must become a big joke.

It was brought up in class discussion that the best way to beat Jim Perdue and Big Chicken is to buy local, organic products.  I completely agree with this idea; shifting consumer demand will force a change from the producer.  “Know your farmer” types of programs are a good way to go about encouraging the general public to be a more informed buyer.  For example, my roommates and I went to the Harvest Moon Festival this past weekend at Coverdale Farm in Greenville, Delaware.  The Festival is organized every year by the Delaware Nature Society.  It is family-friendly, with plenty of fall themed crafts, farm animals to look at and creamery ice cream to eat.  It is important for buyers to have a deeper connection to the places that their foods come from.  Unfortunately in 2012, it is near impossible to trace produced and packaged food back to any farm, let alone a local one.  When families, University students, and Delaware residents come together to enjoy the new season, nature, and farm fresh food, Jim Perdue and his monopoly will be (thankfully) threatened.

A culmination of water and air pollution due to past and present practices has led to an unacceptable environmental condition.  It is time for an individual, a group, or preferably a large percentage of the population to play Lorax and speak for the trees.  When given so much from the planet, all we have done is take away resources without giving anything back.  No wonder “the eagle would rather endure the sounds of war than the sight of human settlement” (Horton 4).