Mankind has only one Planet Earth

I have no doubt that there are political solutions that go too far or that are motivated by selfish concerns. My purpose here isn't to express any opinion whatsoever on the latest treaty or law or what have you. You're free to debate the relative merits of those in some other forum.

The trouble is, there are some people who, because of their strong opinions about the political side of environmentalism, have somehow come around to thinking, and saying, that anyone who is concerned about the environment is some sort of wacko, that anyone who tries to live more simply or conserve resources, or encourage others to do so, is part of some deep, dark conspiracy.

It's an attitude that does no one any good -- and it results in some unfortunate name-calling and characterizations that lower the level of our national dialogue.

There is nothing at all wrong with an individual or a church or a business trying to take steps to reduce our impact on the environment. No one is perfect in that regard, but this kind of effort is sometimes achieved with small steps.

I switched all of the light bulbs in my apartment to compact fluorescents a good while back. They took a little getting used to; they don't seem quite as bright when you first turn them on, although they get brighter over time. And they use less electricity and last much, much longer than the old incandescent bulbs used to. I recently had to replace one, and I couldn't remember the last time that had happened. In short, they have been of personal benefit to me, as well as to the environment. They have saved me money.

There's a lot of debate about global warming; fair enough. I'm not here today to debate global warming, or the political issues that stem from it. But the fact of the matter is, when you get away from the political arena and talk about individual lifestyle changes, there's nothing that's being touted as a solution to global warming that wouldn't be a good idea even if global warming didn't exist. Reducing our energy consumption reduces our dependence on foreign oil, which reduces our need to send brave young American service members (or civilian contractors like my youngest brother) into the Middle East. Even if global warming is a complete fantasy, it's still a good idea for individuals to use less energy.

I don't recycle as much as I should; I need to make an effort to do more. I am nobody's example, and do not claim to be a role model. But I am making small steps. I use reusable shopping bags most of the time now. That reduces not only the need to produce such bags, but the need to put them in a landfill. (Yes, they're recyclable, but I daresay a small percentage of them actually end up recycled.) That extends the life of landfills, and makes it that much longer until one has to be expanded or built from scratch in someone's neighborhood. It also reduces the amount of your tax dollars that are spent on tipping fees. Every item you put into a recycling bin instead of a trash can saves you money in the long run, even if it's not the type of recyclable for which you get paid.

When anyone who says or does anything about the environment is classified as a "wacko" or a "tree-hugger," we lose something. I am not an animals-first person. I don't want to preserve the environment for the sake of the environment. I want to preserve the environment because human beings live there, and because I believe God wants us to care for God's creation. I think we need to balance our short-term interests with our long-term interests, and too often it's the short-term interests that have the money and momentum behind them.

I know that there are people who take environmental concerns too far. There are politicians who use environmental issues in a self-serving way. But the same could be said about any issue, any concern, any political stance. Don't let your anger at some politician or party blind you to practical steps that have nothing to do with politics.

Usually, the truth lies in common sense, and in moderation. But when we set the politics aside, there's nothing wrong with individuals trying to reduce their impact on creation.

--John I. Carney is city editor of the Times-Gazette and covers county government. He is also the author of the self-published novel "Soapstone." His personal web site is lakeneuron.com.