[Eric]

I don't know if one can put a dollar value on the future of the planet. I have an uneasy feeling ... not a conspiracy theory ... that the Earth is in worse shape than we know. Its such a huge, complex system that much of what we know may be little more than educated guesswork. I find that many, no, most people I know are concerned enough to be doing something about it. No one complains about the chore of sorting garbage for recycling any more. I believe that we have run out, or are fast running out of options. I try in little, undramatic ways, to conserve. I drive my car as little as possible. I have the advantage of living downtown. I can walk to the stores, the beer store, the liquor store (oops, a revelation of my lifestyle), the lake etc. In summer I ride my motorcycle. I can pack a collapsible fishing rod, camera, binoculars, munchies in my saddlebags. I even have room for a tent and can strap on a sleeping bag. Only if I have to go a long distance do I drive my big gas guzzling Caddie. To look for a quick techno fix is, I believe to look in the wrong direction. We should look inwards, modify our values, stop thinking of our wants as needs. We do have the opportunity to undo some, though unfortunately not all, of the damage we have done.

Radix mallorum cupiditas est: the root of all evil is greed. And there is nothing more evil than destroying this beautiful planet of ours.