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All I Really Need...

4/1/2011

2 Comments

 
Gotta love Raffi... All I really need is a song in my heart.... And I need some clean air for breathing...

Wednesday night, I attended a symposium about air pollution in western PA. Speakers included the authors of a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette series on Mapping Mortality, Don Hopey and David Templeton, EPA representatives, climate and pollution scientists, and most important, residents of communities who have felt first-hand the negative effects of pollution caused by coal-burning electricity plants. These effects are not small - they include chronic asthma and respiratory disease, lung cancer, heart disease, and significant property devaluation. The daily lives and futures of citizens have been damaged.

What did I know going in? I knew that, as Alan Kazdin, former president of the American Psychologist Association, has said - sustainability, climate change, and environmental problems are wicked problems that have multiple causes and no simple solutions. I knew that thinking about these wicked problems is challenging and often disheartening - they feel so big and unwieldy, so out of the control of individuals or communities. I knew that, nevertheless, it is important to keep learning and to keep talking to people who know what is going on and have ideas about what to do.


What did I learn? Many things - my head is still spinning - but here are a few:
  • big corporations that pollute will seldom initiate efforts to reduce pollution from their industries without outside regulation
  • outside regulation is often not sufficient - enforcement of the regulations is necessary
  • some companies would rather pay fines than make necessary changes
  • many plants in western PA are becoming compliant with EPA standards.... from 1997.... they are nowhere near compliant with current standards
  • the federal government is currently considering reducing the power of the EPA to deal effectively with threats to the environment, including threats to clean air
  • this is in spite of the fact the the Clean Air Act and the EPA have had significant positive impacts on citizen health and longevity since their inception a few decades ago
  • few electricity generating plants are built next to the homes of CEOs
  • speaking up as a citizen is important - it is true that the squeaky wheel can get attention - it does take a lot of time and energy, but it can result in change
  • there are lots and lots of good people out there - professionals and ordinary citizens - who are doing this work
In the coming days, I will create a new page with information about how to contact your government officials about issues related to the environment (or other concerns). Stay tuned...


Picture
Dedicated to Julie and Michael...

All I Really Need by Raffi

All I Really Need is a Song in my Heart
Food in my belly and love in my Family
All I Really Need is a Song in my Heart
And love in my family

And I need the rain to fall
And I need the sun to shine
To give life to the seeds we sow
To give the food we need to grow, grow

And I need some clean water for drinking (Drinking)
And I need some clean air for breathing (Breathing)
So that I can grow up strong and take my place where I belong

All I Really Need is a Song in my Heart
Food in my belly and love in my Family
All I Really Need is a Song in my Heart
And love in my family

2 Comments
Julie Mannarino
4/3/2011 11:44:57 am

Raffi! I love that song - and I love you!

Reply
mbm
4/3/2011 12:02:59 pm

love you too, Jules!

Reply



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    Author

    Mary Beth Mannarino is a licensed psychologist who provides coaching in the areas of leadership, career, life, and parenting. She is also an environmental and climate educator and activist. Dr. Mannarino is professor emeritus at Chatham University where she continues to teach courses to students in health professions related to environment and well-being.

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    My Bloggy Rules...
    I write about my own experiences, opinions, dreams, and ideas. I invite you to share your ideas, and to be part of a dialogue. I will make mistakes! But it is great to take the risk to put this out there and, more importantly, to hear from you.

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