The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
"Be the change you want to see in the world." Oprah quoted this frequently, but Mahatma Gandhi said it first. He said many wise things and I can't help wishing that he was around now to give the world a little guidance during these turbulent times. The whole planet is struggling with one environmental disaster after another. Our own province has had to fight hard to keep the waters back from people's homes and businesses. Flin Flon has been blessed with a good location, disaster wise. We haven't experience tornados, floods or earthquakes, though fires may be a problem yet. Perhaps our safety makes us complacent about the future. Because other people are experiencing the problems, we feel that it's up to them to solve them. But we all live on the planet, and we all have to take responsibility for the way we behave toward it. In our community, we pay a lot of lip service to caring for the environment, but we don't do much about it. We have a recycling centre because of the dedication of a few individuals. But if we don't choose to buy red bags (which most people don't) or haul the goods ourselves, which some cannot, then our recyclables go to the dump. Asking people to do the right thing doesn't seem to be working. It's time to lay down the law. Health concerns Public spitting was banned a long time ago, because of the potential spread of diseases like tuberculosis. Smoking indoors in public areas was also banned because of health concerns. But somehow, we can't seem to make a commitment to the environment which, as seen around the world, is turning out to be the biggest health concern of all. High carbon emissions are the main problem, for sure. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't take care of our own mess. Throwing out plastic, aluminum, paper, and other recyclables is shameful. Filling our dump with unnecessary garbage will end up costing us a lot more than a yearly user fee. Why does our city not take action? Why do we still allow plastic bags to be handed out at the local stores? It's time to demand the changes we need in our community. It's time to be the change we want to see in the world. Talk to your local city council about becoming the leaders that we need them to be. Can Flin Flon lead the way for the North? Why not? Judy Pettersen is a Flin Flon writer.8/6/11
