I recently wrote an article on the "Earth to America" piece that aired on TBS a short time ago, and was confronted by a leftist who truly felt that I should live out of a tent and off of roots and berries (I'm NOT exaggerating this, folks!). Without attacking his premise (because I believe him to be entirely sincere in wanting to help the earth's environment), I have a FAR better solution.

If you pinpoint sources of pollution, I highly doubt you'll find the rural Texas panhandle to be high on that list. Pollution hotspots in America are metropolitan areas where industrial and personal pollution are concentrated in large numbers.

While it's doubtful we could eliminate emissions completely, it's entirely plausibe that we could reduce them drasticaly by educating and informing the public in these areas as to ways they can reduce their impact on the environment, and by encouraging industry to look to other areas of the country for places to locate manufacturing plants, etc. While they will still produce emissions, they will do so in an environment that is not overtaxed and is better equipped to handle the emissions that are released.

The simple fact is, we've come a LONG way in our environmental standards. We were in a mess in the early 1970's, but it wasn't a mess bourne out of intentional pollution, but out of ignorance. We simply didn't understand the cumulative effect our collective usage could have on the environment.

It certainly wouldn't hurt us to continue to improve our environment. But there are ways to do it that don't require regulation, which hurts small business and the working poor, and fuels monopolies, who are the onlyones able to PAY for many of the changes the government attempts to mandate.

I have suggested before, and will continue to suggest, that we begin a "Victory Garden" program in America once again. Distribute seed through the local agricultural departments, teach fertilization and cultivation techniques, and educate America as to "alternative gardening" techniques (square foot gardening and rooftop gardening, which are well suited for urban areas, would be good ideas for heavily populated communities). Create greywater reclamation systems to reuse water from sinks, bathtubs and showers for gardening and landscape purposes without the expenses and waste of being treated through a wastewater treatment facility. Bring everyone on board through positive reinforcement, and have schoolchildren help maintain the gardens for their schools' breakfast and lunch programs. The increase in greenery across the nation would produce more oxygen from the CO2 emissions, we'd have a greater supply of fresh produce from the labor of our own hands, inner city lots could be revitalized into beautiful gardens, and we would probably be a healthier, happier nation. And we could do it without moving into tents.

But that's too visionary. A simpler solution, it seems, would be to whine and complain.