Think Green Thursday is now hosted by Michele at Rambling Woods Green.
This morning I started down my reading list, and came to Tootie's blog which she writes from her home on Sanibel Island. She takes us on her walks along the beach, checking on the sea turtles' nests there. Their nests and eggs are protected as best they can be, but the beach is also open to vacationers. Today her photos and video of the beautiful dawn made me sad, because they also showed me so much debris and minor destruction left behind.
My friend, Gina, printed this cartoon not long ago. I had seen it and saved it myself when it was published on Earth Day. So true!
We humans are so concerned with our own immediate pleasure and entertainment that we ignore the very reason for our own enjoyment.
We visit the beaches or the mountains or wherever we choose to go to find relaxation and fun, because we find those particular places beautiful and pleasurable, and become so wrapped up in ourselves that we become carefree and careless. Sooner or later we return to our favorite spot for another vacation, and look around telling ourselves, "It just doesn't seem as nice as it used to be." It isn't as clean or as free and open, or whatever. No. It isn't. Because we have spoiled it - for ourselves and for others.
I was very much aware of this when I worked for many years for our local municipality, in the Land Use Department. What really brought it home to me was the Dune Review procedure. People would buy property on the water, and come to us with applications to build in the dunes. It amazed me to hear their plans. They wanted to have large homes, complete with garages and swimming pools and decks where they could watch the sunset over the water, etc. - and they wanted to achieve their dreams by destroying the very things that had brought them there. There are ways to build on the dunes without destruction of course, but it costs more money than most of these people were willing to spend.
From sunrise over the ocean
to sunset over the bay -
our world brings us so much breathtaking beauty and
pleasure. Why do we not learn to appreciate what we have and try to preserve it? Why can we not enjoy it without carelessly destroying it? It will not survive our carelessness - even in our own lifetime - and will not remain as we remember it for our children and grandchildren, unless we stop and think and take the time to clean up before we leave our favorite vacation spot.
