Fighting Keystone and other threats

Fighting Keystone and other threats

I am writing for the next generations: the kids and their kids. I went to Washington D.C. Climate rally Feb. 17 with three other gals, all of us are about 60, Reports say between 40,000 and 50,000 attended, and 132 environmental organizations supported it.

My friend Terri noted that over half, maybe two-thirds, of the people attending were young people. Younger people raised with more good things and an easier life than most of us had were out there with us in the wind chill of maybe 5 below for three to four hours, chanting, marching, huddling together — saving our energy and fighting for a future on this Earth. But all of us were “fighting the heat” of climate disruption.

Keystone XL is not the only problem, but definitely a huge one. Besides changing light bulbs, and working on energy efficiency the U.S. and President Obama need to take a stand opposing fossil fuels. We must support renewables. That is the sustainable future.

Our leaders Dr. James Hansen of NASA and environmental leader Bill McKibben and scientists the world over say the tar sands are the dirtiest source on earth for fuel oil, and all this material is going to be piped across our beautiful country and shipped overseas. There are always breaks in these pipelines. The breaks can be fixed, but contaminated aquifers, including Lake Michigan, cannot be. We need to keep expanding renewable energy, like the wind revolution that is in process.

I love the Earth, and I’m going to fight Keystone XL and all the other threats we face in the years ahead — for the next generations.

Sandra Kaptain

Sierra Club VOF

Elgin