“I Really Don’t Care, Do You?”

by Patricia Miles Patterson

Remember that greed-driven Once-ler from the beloved Dr. Seuss book, The Lorax? The character is more clueless than mendacious and for sure there is a bit of every one of us in this fellow. As the story begins, we find Once-ler lurking amidst ruin. The plot soon unfolds, and we learn how Once-ler arrived in the land of plenty—a pioneer in a forest of Truffula trees and as one does, set about making a living. Success pushes him to mad pursuit for profit, bettering his life, his family’s and presumably his customers’ yet all while obliterating the natural resource his entire business depends upon. Hence, the ruin. It is a classic parable—myopic growth of a single industry at the expense of the foundational materials one depends upon (aka the natural environment) is not wise. It begs us to look at the environmental histories of Wisconsin’s paper, mining, lumber and fishing industries for advanced lessons.

This message is as relevant today as it was 50 years ago when Theodor Seuss Geisel wrote the book. Think of the community impact of Amazon versus the small, independent book store, WalMart versus the small, independent grocery store, the ghost of Foxconn bullying the Great Lakes Compact with water demands from Lake Michigan. And on a grander scale there is now the disappearance of another valuable natural resource upon which wildlife and Wisconsin’s outdoor tourism industry depend, regular timely snowpack as Wisconsin warms with the globe.

Today we are overwhelmed with daily news of discord. Even if we haven’t gotten sick, our lives right now are shaped by masks and social distancing: our children aren’t going to school, shopping trips and gatherings are stressful or nonexistent. So let’s show that we really do care. Speak for the trees, the wildlife, the waters, the land, and the peoples of the world. Support politicians who shrug off group-think and party fealty and instead think boldly about economic and social policies that benefit the public, not party identity. No group needs to “own” the good ideas. We just need sound legislation. Before we speak, we educate ourselves by cross referencing news sources and winnow out the marketing/public relations components to get to the facts. Then we speak for all by addressing economic and social inequities from an educated perspective.

Right here in Wisconsin, all levels of government are working to address both climate change and the pandemic. The work is both mundane and visionary. Dane County has a Climate Action Plan. Madison, Middleton and other municipalities in our county have or are creating sustainability plans. Local governments are addressing boring but vital issues of building codes, water run-off, and flooding strategies. Public utilities are converting from coal and gas to wind and solar. Private companies are developing more efficient wind and solar equipment. Our tax- payer supported technical colleges and universities are training people to design, build and install this equipment. Statewide, the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change is shortly scheduled to release their recommendations for mitigation and adaptation to climate change. 

We can do more:

We can teach our children to conserve, reuse and recycle in our homes.  We can teach our children. 

We can tell our neighborhood associations and local businesses that we care a whole lot. We care about social distancing and masks, we care about public health, we care about the impacts of climate change. We care about plastic in our water and oceans.

We can contact our government officials by calling, emailing, and/or attending meetings (most of which are now accessible via Zoom). We can add our voices by joining organizations that care about our health and the environment and by joining organizations that lobby government agencies to pass policies and legislation to protect our air, water and land from pollution and the damages of development, deforestation, pollution and climate change. We can tell legislators that we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, and that climate and racial justice are part of the solution. 

In July, The League of Women Voters of Dane County submitted a statement to the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change. The last sentence stated: “We are all one community when it comes to climate change and as such, individuals, businesses and all levels of government must step up. Success depends upon our collective actions.”

Splash image: Autumn Leaves: colored pencil drawing by Penelope Gordon Kennedy

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