Environment For Humanity

Fellow citizens of the U.S., you can not believe all of the current environmental issues that have been coming to my attention.  It is scary to see just how much environmental pollution is out there.  I don’t know if people realize that while it is wonderful to progress into the future and look for green energy, if we don’t stop to look behind us and learn from history, we are doomed to repeat our mistakes in the future. I am feeling increasing frustration that nothing is being done about all of the problems.  Who knows where the candidates truly stand on the issues?  (Everyone knows that campaign promises must be taken with a grain of salt.)  We will die holding our breath waiting for Industry to do something on it’s own.  Sometimes I wonder if everything is going to be up to us—if we the people are going to have to deal with the issues—hands on.

I’ve been thinking about the amazing feats of Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity—in case you’re not familiar with it—has built and rehabilitated more than 250,000 houses.  According to their website, the organization started out “financed by a revolving Fund for Humanity.  The fund’s money comes from the new homeowners’ house payments, donations and no-interest loans provided by supporters and money earned by fund-raising activities.  The money in the Fund for Humanity is also used to build more houses.” Habitat for Humanity funds housing, and is manned by volunteers, donations and by individuals who do their share to contribute sweat equity to earn their piece of the pie.  And all of this because Clarence Jordon and Millard and Linda Fuller saw the need and a way to do something about it.

Well, I see a need.  We need to clean up the contamination.  And I would like to figure out a way to do something about it.  I have wondered about the possibility of starting a foundation—let’s call it the Environment for Humanity, a self-sustaining foundation that provides support for communities with environmental problems.  Imagine a foundation where people will be able to go when they come face to face with their local pollution issues.  A place that people can band together, and organize with other like- minded volunteers, both individual as well as corporate, all of whom do their share to contribute whatever they can—whether it is organizational talent, cash or sweat equity, all with one purpose in mind: to clean things up.  I would be thrilled if the Habitat for Humanity people would like to get in touch with me and we have the opportunity to talk about putting something together.

But in the meantime, I have been caught up working on the problems in Cameron, Missouri, where there is a cluster of brain tumors; and if you’re following the news, there is also the Hexavalent Chromium problem in Davenport, California.  But that is just a drop in the bucket.  I am constantly inundated with emails from people everywhere who live near industry and have acquired cancers and illness.

Government is absent—and even if it weren’t, it’s all but bankrupt and seems to be an inefficient use of human and financial resources.

We the people have to find some way to clean up the mess.  Maybe we have to create the programs ourselves.  After all, we made this mess.  Our Public Health and Safety might just depend on our stepping in and cleaning it up.

By Erin Brockovich