A couple of weeks ago I wrote a letter to the editor of the Peterborough Examiner about the Progressive Conservatives election promise to can ecofees (see next blog post for an expanded version). Shortly after I received a few twitter messages from Ann Douglas, a talented writer from the Peterborough area. Ann was very kind to compliment me on the letter while lamenting the fact that you can no longer view letters to the editor on-line. She then asked if I had a blog. No I did not have one, although I had thought about it from time to time.
Many times when I worked as Executive Director of Peterborough Green-Up I wished I could voice my thoughts on government policies and practices in regards to the environment. Many times I wished I could set the record straight from the point of view of working in the trenches, particularly when partisan politics were at play in regards to environmental policy/actions. As Executive Director, I respected the fact that Green-Up is an educational, action-oriented environmental organization and not a lobby group. PGU received financial support from various levels of government and that meant working with those governments to bring about change. Public criticism would harm our efforts. However when I retired from Green-Up I promised that I would no longer remain quiet, that I would become more active in getting the message out.
Ann's message prompted me to get on with it. With the help of my daughter Lauren, I now have a blog where I can bring an experienced point of view and hopefully some helpful information to the discussion. And speaking of discussions, I lament the lack of polite public discourse these days. Everything seems to be so polarized, a kind of "if you do not go along with me, you are the enemy" approach. So called discussions have changed into on-line shouting matches where denigration of character is the norm. How sad. As a open society we need to discuss things without fear of reprisal. We need to understand that anyone who disagrees is not an ogre or the enemy, just someone who disagrees. I hope my blog brings some helpful information to polite discussions about the environment and politics.
And so ... "we're off!"
