{Words to Live By}: The Value of the Environment

“It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.” – Ansel Adams

Photo by Stefan Gustafson

Unfortunately for the environment, the United States government was created of, by, and for people. It wasn’t designed to keep in mind the plight of chipmunks, birds, and polar bears, especially the ones that don’t live within our borders. Our government was not established to protect plants, water, air, or soil, even though they are all vital for the people for whom it was established.

The government was forged for people. Once corporations were legally classified as people, the government became unyieldingly biased toward the economy. Our role now as people is to convince our government of the value in protecting and cherishing the environment. Because it gives us oxygen to breathe, water to drink, soil to grow food, and so many more things that we take for granted, the environment is most valuable asset we have. If we could only account for it in our business ledgers, we would have no problem.