I’ve never thought of myself as an environmentalist.
I’m not one of those who denies climate change, supports the coal industry, or litters without guilt. I recycle and use CFL bulbs. I’ve also spent most of my life burning fossil fuel for fun, and still do. I’ve often said that people will move to be more environmentally friendly when it costs the same or less than not doing so.
The last couple days may have changed my mind. Nothing specific happened except that I noticed a couple things while out riding my motorcycle. (See the previous paragraph about burning fossil fuel for fun.)
It seems that whatever direction I ride, there are huge housing developments being built. It doesn’t seem that location matters. These places are in the middle of nowhere. I live pretty far out from Atlanta proper. These places are miles beyond my home. They are sprouting up like weeds. Are people commuting into Atlanta from here? Have we grown beyond the commuter economy?
I also wonder if we learned anything from the housing crash of 2008. I see acres of clear-cut land dotted with construction machinery. My heart aches at the scars on the landscape. I also struggle with that emotion. I like living in a nice home. I’ll be contributing to the problem, soon, and buying a house. But is there really this much demand? I find it hard to believe.
While that was going through my mind, I stopped to take a couple pictures at a bridge over Lake Lanier. There’s a little lakeside pull-off right before the bridge. I’m not sure it’s even “official,” but it’s there. There’s a little dirt parking area and a couple paths into the woods. As I walked to the lake shore I was immediately taken aback. Everywhere I looked was garbage. It looked as if someone had opened and dumped a dozen bags of trash all along the shoreline. There were a couple full bags there, too. It made me want to drive home, get my truck and some trash bags, and start cleaning up. (I just might, anyway.) The shoreline is one of the most delicate ecosystems on earth. What makes us think that tossing our trash there is a good idea?