It seems to go without saying… So why am I saying it? Because it seems so few people — particularly politicians — understand it. As I write this, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has just approved use of a pesticide for use on strawberries and other food crops that is known to cause cancer in laboratory animals and miscarriage. Yep — that’s right. Approved. The pesticide is called methyl iodide and because it vaporizes quickly, it’s prone to drifting far away. The EPA admits it causes thyroid tumors, causes neurological problems and miscarriages in animals, but approved it anyway under pressure from the Bush administration. What’s more, residents of California are asking for disclosure about a pesticide sprayed to eliminate a moth infestation after the residents experienced rashes, asthma-like breathing problems and other distress. They were told that it was a “trade secret”.
And I just returned from a conference in Northern California in which I heard an incredible woman speak — Majora Carter, who has created a Green the Bronx program (I’ll post more on both the conference and the brilliant speakers later…)– about the unconscionable disadvantage inner-city children have because of all the pollutants to which they’re consistently exposed. They have higher rates of asthma and other respiratory problems, higher rates of learning disabilities and higher rates of obesity — all of which can be traced back to an environment which lacks clean air, safe streets for playing and gives kids a steady dose of toxins in food, air and water.
Yet we all know the answer. We’ve always known the answer — it’s just been lost in the noise of science and technology always offering up a better, newer, faster, smarter alternative. The answer, of course, is that if we take care of our planet, it will take care of us. It really is that simple.