Inaugural Column

10 February 2009

by Dr. Peter deFur

During the 1992 presidential election, James Carville, one of Clinton’s key advisors, posted a sign in the campaign headquarters’ war room that proclaimed three big issues; one was “It’s The Economy, Stupid.” The point of Carville’s sign was that every discussion always came back to an economic issue. Notwithstanding the campaign manager’s great desire to keep everyone “on message,” there are times when all issues keep returning to a single central thread. For us, in 2009 that central thread is the environment.

Each community has a lesson on the importance of the environment in the general health, welfare and well being. New Yorkers discovered the great dangers of air pollutants in the aftermath of September 11 as toxic chemicals drifted down on millions of citizens. Citizens of Minneapolis understood the need for clean drinking water when tens of thousands were sickened by intestinal disorders from microbial contamination. And the nation watched in horror as hurricanes ravaged the Mississippi Gulf coast and its residents, the damage worse in part because the Gulf landscape had been altered by decades of abusing wetlands and coastal areas. The stories go on.

It is tempting to put every woe off onto the floundering economy of today, even if other topics trump. One of my favorite magazines keeps its readers abreast of economic issues with a financial page covering relevant events and trends. So, we thought that our environment, on which, by the way, the economy depends, deserves at least as much focus. On this page, we will highlight environmental topics that shape the ordinary lives of citizens on thousands of communities around the nation. We have the great privilege of working with some of those citizens and it seems worthy to devote some words to environmental issues affecting communities like yours around the country.

Each week we will post a contribution from someone here at ESC concerning an event, an issue or development on a environmental issue that we think is notable and worth some further discussion. We look forward to any feedback and suggestions on important topics.