The typical morning walk takes our dog, Fritz, and me down the back path to the road.  Fritz runs ahead into the woods and up on the pasture while I traipse behind on the pavement.  He waits for me on the crest of the last rise above the long descent to the creek valley below.  That’s where we reverse course and head home to breakfast.

     One Sunday late last fall, the Saturday night revelers deposited an unusually large number of roadside items including: cellophane from a Hot Hands Toe Warmers package, beer containers (one each) of the 8 oz., 12 oz., and 24 oz. varieties, and a cigarette pack.  Fritz dragged up a well-gnawed deer backbone as his contribution.  These were all things folks had thrown…away.

     Long ago this same relatively secluded stretch of road acquired a reputation as a place to get rid of old tires, mattresses, building materials and the like by tossing them into the adjoining woods and driving away.  This practice continued until our frustrated neighbor posted “No Dumping Allowed” signs along the road.  It apparently hadn’t dawned on the perpetrators that getting rubbish out of their sight didn’t actually eliminate the rubbish; it was still somewhere.  Perhaps Saturday night revelers have a hard time reading the signs as they whiz past in a beery blur, so out the window they continue to throw their trash…away.

     Just where is this mythical “away”?  One person’s “away” is another’s backyard.  Bravo! to folks who reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle.  Nevertheless, all but the very most conscientious of us still have a bunch of stuff we simply set out once a week for the sanitation workers to take to that magical “away” place.

     Scientists tell us we’re entering a new geologic epoch, the Anthropocene, or the human epoch.  Epochs are marked by earth-shaking events like the retreat of the ice age.  Humankind’s impact is creating a new, less ecologically balanced epoch partly because of all the stuff we produce and then eventually throw …away.
 
     But we’re savvy enough to know that we can’t endlessly foul our nest and expect to thrive.  We can all be more thoughtful about the quantity of stuff we accumulate and then how we ultimately dispose of it.  We’re wise enough to know there really is no “away.”  “Away” is right here on our only home where we’re forever…Earthbound.”

      Oscar Optimist continued explaining about COP21, the Paris climate conference, while the always-cynical Conrad Contrarian bided his time, preparing for a clever comeback. Conrad ordered up another round of drinks.  Then he found his opening.
     “So you’re telling me 196 countries agreed to keep global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees C (3.6 F) even though they know that their current pledges, so far, are too low to meet that goal.  And while the wealthy countries agreed to raise their financial contributions in this cause, most are throwing in only a tiny fraction of their GDPs.  For example, the U.S. commitment over the next 5 years is less than one-thousandth of a percent of its annual GDP,” chuckled Conrad.  “Sounds like pie-in-the-sky to me,” he smirked.
     “Ahh…the cynic strikes again,” Oscar countered.  “Nobody said this would be easy.  But consider the alternative – rising sea levels causing infrastructure damage and refugee problems, increasing crop insecurity, ocean acidification, and increased extreme weather events – all expensive consequences.  On the other hand, with continually improving technologies and economies of scale, the smart money is betting on a clean energy future that steadily reduces fossil fuel use.”
     “OK, OK, so times are changing, and this is an important issue,” conceded Conrad. “It just seems overwhelming.”
     “But,” smiled Oscar, “Americans are great at taking on seemingly insurmountable problems.  After all, who was it that put a man (several men actually!) on the moon and defeated fascism on two fronts at the same time during WWII?  We can DO this!  But it’s going to take a new way of thinking.  Outdated thinking often limits decision-making priorities to comfort, convenience and cost.  Now’s the time to add climate into that equation. 
     “Consider the climate when making purchases; it’ll be a wise and healthy shift in priorities.  Consider the climate when traveling locally or across the country.  If seven billion earthlings each make small adjustments in priorities we can have a huge impact.  Consider the climate in your investments and at the polls because WE’RE the ones the world’s been waiting for to shape a healthy future.  Consider the climate, and you’ll exemplify the finest of human qualities – compassion for others.  Consider the climate and the whole environment because this small blue and white sphere is the only home we’ll ever know.  We’re here forever…Earthbound.”