April 22, 2006 - Day 4 - Week 3 - Earth Day

Thirty six years ago today, Senator Gaylord Nelson spearheaded the drive to bring awareness about our worsening global environment, and along with two college students Ed Furia and Denis Hayes, who mobilized students on many college campuses, fashioned the first Earth Day.

Simultaneously  legislation affecting our air and water quality was enacted, and millions envisioned a clean environment in perpetuity.  Hope was birthed through activism and the concern was translated into definitive policy designed to guarantee a better environment for all.

As a freshly minted cleric preaching and teaching in Kansas City Missouri I immediately wove this new personal awareness into the fabric of my ministry.  Perhaps ironically my oldest surviving “environmental sermon” was on the ravages of smoking on the internal and external environment.  Early on I was impressed by those who made the connection between health and the environment, and that brings me to today.

It is clear that those who live in East Los Angeles have a greater likelihood of lung disease. Those working in the agricultural region of California, and specifically in the towns of McFarland and Delano, have a higher incidence of cancer than the state average.  Pesticide exposure is a part of the daily life of thousands in that region.  Along the Gulf of Mexico shoreline dubbed ‘cancer alley’ residents are convinced that the high concentration of chemical plants has led to their staggering cancer statistics.   For millions the proof is in the pudding.  Health is affected by the environment.

Clean air and clean water can no longer be taken for granted in many parts of our country. Aquifers and wells under ground are contaminated from conventional agricultural run-off.  Air no longer smells like that pine filtered mountain air we marveled at on those ski trips or summer visits to the lake.  Granted lakes are not catching on fire today and people are more sensitive to the issues at hand, but people like you and me are still getting cancers at an alarming rate.

Was my cancer brought on by exposure to contaminants in the environment?  I do not know for sure the answer to that question, but Earth Day each year reminds me to step back and take a look our fragile earth, our island home.  The environment today and in the future will be the most dominant factor among many in determining the health of the planet and its inhabitants.

Perhaps during the next eight months or so clarity may come.  Asking the questions as they relate to the connection between health and the environment can only empower us to use technology, our will power, and our wisdom to make our lives better.

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