To the editor:

Yes! We’re together again on our weekly environmental group call. We are steadily building our group, Living Lightly on Earth. You can hear excitement energy in our voices. This is good. Love of protecting the earth is what brings us together; it’s where our excitement energy flows from.

Shared love of protecting the earth is our common ground. This love empowers us for working together to build Earth-friendly lives; build our lives Earth-friendly and help our fellow human beings build their lives Earth-friendly. We are on the path of humankind coming to live lightly on the Earth.

We humans are a species with great ability to think and do things that have a large impact on the planet. When we look at what has taken place over the past several centuries it is clear that much harm has been done to the environment and the animals. Global climate change, contamination of ground and surface water, escalating health problems of people and animals, and widespread habitat destruction provide powerful reasons for concluding that the time has come to begin making serious efforts to minimize the negative impact of humans. Making the tremendous change from high-impact to living lightly will take a long time. Millions of people will have to change very much about their lives. To accomplish the greatest change that has ever come before us it is best that we start trying hard to change now.

The purpose of our new environmental group is to bring great change; bring it in our own lives and in the lives of the people all around. We want anyone who has a desire to protect the earth to join the group. We meet via conference call once a week. The calls are Sunday evenings at 7 p.m. Send me an email (donaldhassig@gmail.com) and I will provide the call number and access code.

My particular interest is in building volunteer environmental education in all the U.S. and Canada. I believe environmental education focusing on turning away from materialism and high-consumption, eating organic food low on the food chain and using only small amounts of energy can move humans from harmful to low-impact living. I see thinking and writing as powerful activities for bringing change. Environmental education empowered by much thinking and writing can be an amazing change bringer.

Join Living Lightly on Earth and bring your ideas for transforming humankind. Let’s work together. Yes, let’s work hard in the shared love of protecting our Mother Earth.

Donald Hassig

Colton