Our Challenged Planet: In Memory of Rachel Carson

OUR CHALLENGED PLANET is a book about the PEOPLE on the planet and all of the challenges that they are facing, along with the projects and hard work that they are doing to overcome the greed and ignorant or so many others. I have tried to not only tell the story of the challenges but also to give you, the reader, more information and sources of information and hope for the future. Rachel Carson's SILENT SPRING was the book that began my environmental awareness. Perhaps some of you will get that same inspiration from my book.

Introduction: We, the occupants of the planet Earth, are poised on the edge of a precipice, at least it seems that way to most of the thinking, concerned souls, of which you are one if you are reading this. There are so many alerts, warnings coming from the halls of science research institutes that it's hard to stay positive. There are two things that people can do: first, ignore everything and do nothing; second, read, listen, think, and even act where an individual can be effective. It, like everything else in life, is a choice. While some people think that the problems are beyond their scope of effectiveness, others do whatever is within their purvey. They avoid plastics, buy fuel economical cars, install solar panels or wind turbines where possible, speak about the issues to others, participate in surveys, join groups who conduct projects, and so many other things. Every "little" effort added together with the large efforts and projects do make a difference. Don't ever think that these things are pointless. Think of it this way: you are sitting in a boat filling with water and use only your hands to scoop out a bit of water at a time to try to keep the boat from sinking. So long as you keep doing that, you have a chance to not sink. Other people would either jump out of the boat and drown because its too far to shore to swim or sit in the boat and wait to die, maybe screaming near the end out of frustration because you did nothing and let the boat sink. Planet Earth is that boat, and you are sitting in it, watching the water rise.