A View of the Valley

by Linda Schwanke Earth Day is Friday, April 22.  Earth Day was founded by Wisconsin native Gaylord Nelson, who was a state senator from 1949 to 1959, the governor of Wisconsin from 1959 to 1963 and Wisconsin senator from 1963 to 1981, in 1970. Nelson was an early environmental activist, which I knew, but as typically happens when looking something up on the internet, I traveled down a rabbit hole and learned some really interesting things about him.  I read, “Although known primarily for his environmental work, Nelson also was a leading consumer advocate, strong supporter of civil rights and civil liberties, and one of the early outspoken opponents of the Vietnam War. In 1969, Nelson was one of four senators to introduce a bill to establish the Wisconsin Islands Wilderness.  “In 1970, Nelson called for Congressional hearings on the safety of combined oral contraceptive pills, which were famously called ‘The Nelson Pill Hearings.’ As a result of the hearings, side-effect disclosure in patient inserts was required for the pill – the first such disclosure for a pharmaceutical drug. “Nelson was also a noted advocate of small business. While chairman of the Senate Small Business Committee, he led successful efforts to authorize the first modern White House Conference on Small Business, create the system of Small Business Development Centers at U.S. universities, and improve the way that federal agencies regulate small businesses and other small entities, the Regulatory Flexibility Act,” on Wikipedia. It’s fascinating and demonstrably shows how important it is to vote for those who will do the work to make our world a better place to live for all of us.  Nelson was quoted in Beyond Earth Day: fulfilling the promise published by the University of Wisconsin Press saying, “The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment, not the other way around.” Which leads me back to Earth Day. This year’s Earth Day theme is “Invest in our Planet.” In the years since 1970, economic development has taken a front seat to environmental protection and that is just plain wrong. Without environmental protections, there is no economy because there won’t be an earth for the economy to exist on. In other words, if there’s no clean water and no clean air, all the money in the world won’t matter.  It’s easy to feel frustrated and helpless about all the calamities in our world. There is hope. Steps to making a better future don’t have to be hard, they just have to be positive. Realistically an economy that is green (as in good for the planet) is going to show long-term growth. The economy and environment don’t have to be at odds but we, each and every one of us, has to take steps to make sure they aren’t mutually exclusive. This is more true now than ever.  I don’t have space this week to list all the ways you can act to help protect the environment but I plan to keep this as a recurring theme. Meanwhile, here’s a start. Shop local, source local, stay local. Remember to reduce, reuse, recycle. Live sustainably. Give up meat or at least cut down on eating meat. Think about chemical use (like detergents, pesticides, etc.) and eliminate them as much as you can and when you can’t, get green products. Support green businesses. Make clean energy choices. Give up your grassy lawn and plant pollinator friendly plants. Don’t kill bugs, learn to live with them. Stop wasting water – you don’t have to keep the faucet on when you’re washing your hands. Get your hands wet, turn the water off, soap up for 20 seconds or more and turn the water back on just long enough to rinse. Same with brushing your teeth. Think each time you get in your car to run an errand if you can combine stops and only make one trip to save gas and reduce pollution. Vote for the people who will support steps to keep our planet livable. And remember this one? Give a hoot – don’t pollute.  Stay in touch. Call me at (608) 574-3159 or email me at homenewseditor@newspubinc.com