"O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain. For purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed his grace on thee. And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea." - Katharine Lee Bates, 1895
When I think of environmental responsibility, this song comes to mind. I try not to focus on the doom and gloom of global warming, or taxes on driving. Instead, I focus on the wonders of this planet and organic beauty of nature. My hope is that future generations will enjoy as many breath-taking parks, vistas, water falls, sea creatures, monuments, mountains and trees that I have experienced.
For me, I learned of the importance of preserving our environment from camping each summer with my family. We would pack up the VW van and take our 6-person tent across the country to destinations unknown. Of course, I'm sure the emissions of the VW van wouldn't pass muster today but it was always an adventure!
Teaching tomorrow's future about nature is important. Preserving our national parks and saving our lands should be both an honor and an obligation. There are terrific resources to teach kids about the environment and dangers that exist from misuse. From the National Park Service to the Discovery Channel to Kids for Saving Earth, resources abound for inspiring new generations to protect our natural wonders. The Boy and Girl Scouts of America are fantastic organizations to instill the basics as well.
Feel like doing more to help the environment? How about participating in a local Adopt-a-Highway or Beach volunteer program. If you are really inspired, you can participate in a Campaign Earth challenge! Likewise, you can join the millions of people who are members of Care2, an online education and advocacy site for people wanting to make a difference.
"O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years. Thine alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears! America! America! God shed his grace on thee. Till nobler men keep once again thy whiter jubilee!"
