COLUMBUS: A conservation group says it can't grade Ohio lawmakers on their environmental records because they passed almost no substantive laws on the topic last year.The brief snippet on a subject of utmost importance goes on to say that legislators had time to name the official state of Ohio amphibian, while not considering things like:
1. Cleaning up the toxic industrial wastelands that pollute our urban areas.
2. Building a high speed train that connects all the major Ohio cities.
3. Establishing green building standards for every state contract that is given out.
4. Establishing higher standards for clean air, water, and waste management.
5. Banning plastic bags!
6. Moving away from coal and nuclear power to sustainable forms of energy.
And that's just my short list!
Here in Akron, we need to do way more than simply call for a new "Green-print" for our city. It is going to take some major focus and energy, not to mention a commitment in funding. One of the problems is that very few of our "leaders" recognize that it is the small things that count largest. For example, the ubiquitous plastic bags that choke our landscapes and kill our wildlife and use up obscene amounts of petroleum. San Francisco banned them. Now China has also abolished their use, so why not Akron?
How much of the new building that goes on in our city is based upon green and sustainable principles? Not to mention energy conservation and emphasis on use of recycled materials? Meanwhile, Medina has just built itself a brand new environmentally responsible library.
How do we get our politicians to get focus on vital matters instead of playing "king of the hill" all the time?
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