OPINION April 25,1990 THE CLACKAMAS PRINT Page Immediate personal action necessary to save Earth For most of us who started grade school in the early 1970s, environmental aware ness started with that polite, catchy phrase “Give a hoot, don’t pollute.” It’s easy to obey a six-foot owl when you’re 10. Wood- sey the Owl was a god-like creature in 1974- -right up there with Smokey the Bear and the Kite Man. Now all three of them are either covered in garbage, retired, or see ing radiation specialists in the south of France. Twenty years later, it’s obvious that asking people politely is just not enough. We’re too busy: “Gotta go, gotta go-I don’t know where it is I’m going, but I know I’ve got to be somewhere.” It’s the attitude of the times-I’m no different. However, it’s come to the point where things are getting frighteningly serious environmentally. It’s going to take more than just the radical environmental groups to save the earth like most have been waiting for. Saving the whales is not going to save thé earth. Sunday was the 20th anniversary of Earth Day. Since then, the Environmental Protection Agency was created as well as many other agencies that have put a big dent in informing and changing the people about environmental faux pas and blowing the whistle on corporateAmericaand their astronomical dumping habits. Today, the leading cause of death of children under ten years of age is cancer- this is serious folks. “Give a hoot, don’t pollute” just doesn’t cut it anymore, and I think most of us, especially college stu dents, are aware of what we as humans are doing to our Earth. Humans see themselves apart from nature, above it, rather than a part of Earth’s nature. We’re part of the great cycle of things. Life supports life, and ifwe kill what supports us, it will in turn kill us. And ifwe keep going the way we have for the past 200 ye?rs, maybe we deserve to become extinct. For those who spent Earth Day anx iously waiting in their easy chair to get inspired into a green lifestyle were most likely disappointed. Those who sought out a personal crusade to save the environment probably got more than they bargained for. They more than likely gotvery angry at just how extensive the damage is. Listen, the ozone has a whole the size of the United States in it now. Let’s hope we all look good in hats-they’re going to be in style for a couple hundred years or so. . We’re living in a society where by making their plastic drinking straws 20% lighter, a single fast-food chain, McDonald’s, “elimi nates one million pounds of waste” every year-from their straws! That’s supposed to make us feel better? Just think if they didn’t even use straws-or put those little individ ual wrappers on them. Are you getting this yet? This should make you want to vomit: the tropical rain forests of South America are being slashed at a rate of more than 1500 acres a minute. Half of all the world’s animal species lives there, not to mention medicinal herbs that are used to heal daily. If this doesn’t make you almost physi cally ill, you’re probably still tossing McDonald’s bags out the car window. It has to start with the idea that we should take care of Earth. You have to demand changes in yourself first. Maybe this is simple enough for you: WE MUST CHANGE THINGS! DO IT! The stupidest thing is is that we know the solutions to these problems; we know what it is we have to do to stop raping the land, yet we’re healing much, much slower than we’re ripping the wounds. We’re running out of time. It’s like if scientists knew the cure for cancer, but never got around to treating cancer patients with it because they were too busy golfing. Recycling is the easiest way to help the environment. Hey, you’ve been doing it most of your lives with the Oregon bottle bill. What’s one more bin for plastics, tins, and other glass products? If you don’t be come a conservationist per se by your own will right now, you’ll be forced to very soon. Do we really need microwave popcorn (which is totally over packaged), or poly styrene to enjoy our earth? One plastic, disposable diaper last 500 years; 2,000 years ago humans were merely desert nomads- 2,000 years from now, at this pace, we may not even be here to find out if the damned things really do take 500 years to degrade. If you don’t recycle for yourself, do it for your kids..,especially if they aren’t born yet. It’s obvious that saving the planet is going to take dedication, hard work, money., and yes, commitment. However, it’s easier than ever to get involved, to learn how you as just one person can make a huge differ ence in your environment. Unless you want to have phrases such as “the occasional mutation” to be com monplace in your community, do some thing about it. Campus Views . Do you feel the services of the counselors at CCC are adequate? I feel that if the students need them the services are there If they choose to take advantage of them, and it is up to the student to seek that aid. Scott Cambron Not realy, Ive never had anyone help me. When I came here, I did everything myself. Stephanie Brooks Yes, they have, whenever I've needed anything. I feel that the help the counselors provide is extremely adequate. However, I feel that there are not enough counselors to suit all the needs of every student who visits them when they may need it the most. Troy Kerr Deni Gardiner No!! No one is ever in there when I go in. I've been in there six times and theres only one counselor. Unequivocally yes. They were a great value when I needed help with dealing with students - both academic and emotional problems. (As in the sense of counseling) Gladys Micheál Willy Nelson Photos by Jillian Porter inches 10 97.06 -0.40 1.13 D50 Illuminant, 2 degree observer Density 11(A) 92.02 -0.60 0.23 12 87.34 -0.75 0.21 13 82.14 -1.06 0.43 14 72.06 -1.19 0.28 15 62.15 -1.07 0.19 Goldenlhread