Anyone who is familiar with the classic holiday story of “A Christmas Carol” will know that the story concludes with the statement that the character Scrooge would keep the “spirit” of the day in his heart all year long. This is a lesson most people could benefit from, and is especially true where a “holiday” like Earth Day is concerned.

While good will and charity towards fellow humanity is necessary, it is also obligatory to consider the costs of today’s actions on many generations in the future. There is the Great Law of the Iroquois Indians too, and this says that “in every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the seventh generation”.

Seven generations ago it was the height of the Industrial Revolution, and if they could have known how badly the coal fires, smog, and chemicals being used would have impacted today’s world they might have hesitated to continue. The problem is that one hundred-plus years ago most people didn’t know about the ozone layer, the carbon footprint, or environmental problems. We don’t have that same excuse to protect our modern choices.

This article appears in Jul 1-7, 2010.