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Date: 24 January, 2001
Discussions about community in America make us aware of losses. James Howard
Kunstler in "Home from Nowhere" outlines the process by which we have wrought
destruction socially and ecologically. The living arrangements we now think
of as normal - strip malls, clogged highways, tract houses, chain
restaurants, junked neighborhoods, ravaged countryside - remind us that we
should be careful what we wish for. Another commentator, Lisbeth Schoor
writing in "Common Purpose," describes various phenomena such as fear of
gathering in public places and the rise of technology that have made it
unnecessary to leave home and mingle with others, phenomena that have
interacted to weaken community.
In "The Good Society," John Kenneth Galbraith speaks to the impact which this
country's production and consumption patterns have had on the health, comfort
and well-being of the larger community. He addresses possible problems
created for the future when abundantly available resources are consumed.
Ernest Callenbach in his recently published "Ecology: A Pocket Guide" notes
that "Our chronic human divisions between groups of rich and poor, the
powerful and the oppressed, are our specialty. It appears that human
communities have much to learn from the natural world about living in some
degree of harmony."
People long for community. American PIE's everyday work speaks to the need
for rebuilding community, refurbishing human bonds. Communities which observe
the actual dynamics of Earth will be sustainable and will favor the
environment. The primary requirement in building local community, and in turn
environmental responsibility, is strong and enlightened citizen concern.
There must be alert and persistent public expression and action.
Sometimes a simple message will do: Earth doesn't exist for us alone, but for
all life and all future generations. It was Helen Caldicott who said, writing
in "If You Love This Planet," that "unless we connect directly with the
Earth, we will not have the faintest clue why we should save it."
For EcoAlert readers, American PIE would like to share twenty-five community
actions which can help build connections to the Earth, to build human
community and establish living patterns that benefit, and sustain, all
elements of the fundamental biotic community. Call 1-800-320-APIE for a copy
sent via U.S. mail.
Act today on this EcoAlert, and thank you for your environmental responsibility.
American P.I.E.
Public Information on the Environment
124 High Street, P.O. Box 340
South Glastonbury, CT 06073-0340
Telephone: 1-800-320-APIE(2743)
E-Mail: Info@AmericanPIE.org
EcoAlert subscribe/unsubscribe at our web site: http://www.AmericanPIE.org
Go to American PIE
http://www.AmericanPIE.org
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http://ehnca.org/www/ampie/ampieind.htm
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