SOMETIME in the ’70s, I got my hands on the seminal work by Rachel Carson entitled “Silent Spring.” (Later on, I found the sequel titled “Since Silent Spring.”) Reading this book marked my introduction to
the very interesting world of environmental protection and conservation, a cause I have carried close to my heart ever since.
Since that time, I have accumulated scores of books on different subjects related to the environment, not to mention a substantial collection of National Geographic publications and other books and
magazines that highlight the beauty (or distress) of planet Earth.
From that time till the fairly recent present, taking the cudgels for environmental causes, especially for those in the business world, was like taking on the mark of anathema — a personal curse, if you may –
by the way colleagues and the public would treat such activists. Even to this day, the various battlecries such as “Save the Whales” or “Save the Trees” evoke much scorn or indifference from a public that still has to appreciate what man’s encroachment on the environment has caused in terms of global warming and the depletion of natural and non-renewable resources.
My son sent me a thread from a rock and roll website listing the iconic songs that affected us over the years. Not surprisingly for this aging baby boomer, many of the songs of the Beach Boys made it to
the list. Their anthems were essentially highlights of the glamorous California lifestyle (girls, sun, surfing, cars….and yes, weed!). One of them, the fondness for Detroit metal with their gas-guzzling
engines, was mitigated somewhat by the cutesy song about the little Honda that was just making its mark in those days. Little did we know that Detroit iron would become, in this century, representative of the massive waste of gasoline (in usage) and natural resources (in manufacturing), and one of the main causes of global warming. All of a sudden, small cars are in and so is the search for alternative fuels that are not hydrocarbon-dependent. Hopefully, too, this trend toward small, more efficient, cars using alternative means of motivation will not be a temporary one like what happened in the early and mid-70s.
The greening of planet Earth is now fashionable. Tree huggers and Greenpeace are alone no longer as many more organizations and individuals join the bandwagon to save the planet from disintegration.
Again, it is hoped that we have not yet quite reached the tipping point where the trend toward global warming becomes irreversible.
Back to “Silent Spring.” Ms Carson sounded the clarion call for stopping the use of poisons and chemicals that were essentially non-biodegradable and which polluted the earth (soil) and precious fresh water sources at the water tables. For example, it was the custom for many a homebuilder to poison the soil to “kill” termites, etc., and preserve the future homesite from this scourge. Anyone knowing how termites propagate and thrive would know that this method only served to poison the water table (rendering the water non-potable for centuries) and endangering the lives of those who would subsequently tap these for their water needs. Nowadays, many pest control companies use more environmentally friendly methods that get rid of these termites without destroying water sources or contaminating the environment in general.
I personally can’t stand flies, cockroaches, and rats… mainly because of the threat of diseases they bring with them. There are mechanical ways of getting rid of many of these pests (like the good old fly
swatter for flies and cockroaches and glue traps for rats) that hopefully will not have the animal humane societies pounding down our doors. Hopefully, if some of you know of other effective methods of getting rid of these pests without endangering the environment, we would be glad to hear from you.
For example, I have tried — based on the suggestion of a friend — using biodegradable detergent mixed with water to flush down termite mounds, resulting in the termination (!) of said colonies. It works!
