We can all do our part

When I first arrived in Congress, the United States had virtually no environmental protection statutes on the books. Businesses, governments and individuals could spew into the air, pump into the water, or dump onto the ground virtually anything – with impunity. In the 1970s, we recognized that we owe it to future generations to protect the environment, the laws we passed were not revolutionary, they were common sense. These laws were passed on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis. Moreover, passing these laws did not harm our economy – in fact, we saw unprecedented economic growth. 

What we have to realize is that it does not have to be a choice between jobs and the environment – we have already proven through landmark laws like the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act that jobs and conservation can go hand in hand.

We still have much to do. We have to truly address climate change, we have to truly protect our Great Lakes and ensure our waters are protected by the Clean Water Act; we have to truly protect our natural habitats, and we have to truly make sure we are doing all we can to keep the air we breathe clean and safe.  

What we also have to realize is conservation is hard work, and true environmental gains will take concerted efforts and sacrifices. I am encouraged by communities in America coming on board. I recently met a Catholic priest working to mobilize Churches to be more energy efficient and a young college student who began collecting cans and bottles at the movie theatre where he had a part time job to start a recycling program. 

What these folks show is that we can all do our part, we can all contribute and we can all make this place a little better for those who come after us.