Judging from recent events, one positive thing that this administration may produce is an energized generation of conservationists (even if it comes a bit late). Unfortunately, the environment has suffered from practically all angles of Bush's policy: atrocious
appointees and nominations,
poisoned skies, and a favoring of
immediate corporate gratification over stewardship. But for all the bad news, lately there has been developing a grassroots movement of adopting a sustainable, perhaps even profitable, environmental policy.
Sure, it may take a while for people to come around, but just recently, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels
announced his intention for Seattle to adopt the standards set forth by the Kyoto Protocol. A few items on the
agenda include:
· A call for other local governments and businesses to join Seattle 's strong support for the legislature to pass the "Clean Car" standards this year.
· An Executive Order that directs City departments to reduce their use of paper by 30 percent by the end of 2006;
· The inclusion of global-warming pollution reduction as a factor in awarding Neighborhood Matching Grants;
· The creation of a community action guide on climate protection;
· Explore the increased use of climate-friendly construction materials in City projects
An interesting result of this local initiative is that it's
spreading. Nickels has challenged other cities across the country to do the same, and several have responded, including Portland (OR), Minneapolis, Madison, Salt Lake City, even Oakland and Los Angeles. In a national
Conference of Mayors this June, Nickels will continue to push his initiative to get further support. Furthermore, other cities like
Chicago and
Columbus, Ohio, have similar aspirations, and could only strengthen this network of urban stewardship. Notwithstanding the Schiavo issue, Bush's anti-environmental policy could be the point about which the country may see re-integration on a grassroots scale. What can we do? For starters, just contact your mayor in support of Kyoto, and spread the word.