Michelle Dorwart wrote this commentary. A family physician at the Community Health Centers of Burlington. Written in coordination with Sebbi Wong of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group.
My 4-year old daughter is obsessed with single-use juice containers that are strategically placed at grocery stores checkout. They are topped with plastic likenesses Anna, Els and Olaf. It leads to a discussion about reducing our plastic use.
Why? Because plastic is harmful to the environment.
Why? Because it is both difficult to make and hard to recycle.
After a long cycle of whys about a particular day, she asked me: Whose fault? I stop and say, It’s not everyone’s fault.
As a parent, my inner monologue oscillates between Telling her everything and She needs to know! She is only 4 years old, so tone it down!
Regardless of whether I disclose the full truth of the capitalistic destruction of our natural world driven by greed and a complete lack of consideration for anything beyond instant-gratification decision-making (the decision to buy a single-use plastic juice bottle in order to prevent a grocery store tantrum, the decision to inject high volumes of toxic chemicals deep below the earths surface to extract gas and oil in order to prolong our collective addiction to cheap fossil fuels), I know that I hold responsibility to try to effect change in this unsustainable system.
Our mistakes become the burdens for future generations. Inaction becomes their inheritance. The complex web of decisions, needs, and desires makes problems like a growing pile or changing global climate impossible to address. Because it is everyone’s fault, who is responsible for finding a solution when there are no one’s to blame? Or everyone? Or everyones?
We know that the people who contribute the least to these environmental problems suffer the most, which adds to the difficulty of determining who is to blame.
The lead paint chipping in the apartment of a 2-year-old girl whose parents fled civil war in their home country is not the fault of her parents. However, the lead is still circulating in her bloodstream, potentially affecting her neurologic development.
It is not the fault of a 9-year old child of parents who lived for decades in refugee camps because of violence and forced expulsion from their home countries. But the processed foods that make up the majority of his diet are altering his metabolism, putting him at high risk for developing diabetes or heart disease.
A 13-year-old girl who needs to cool off in the late summer by going to North Beach does not contribute to the agricultural runoff or soil erosion that causes algal blooms at Lake Champlain. She might have to sweat it out in August heat if her parents don’t have the funds to take her family to cyanobacteria free waters.
With so many disasters competing for our attention, it can be easy for us to wait for someone else’s help. We may just find ourselves in a somewhat safe place for our families and ourselves living in Vermont, as the global environment worsens.
Parents don’t want their children to be in danger of being caught in hurricanes, fighting forest fires, or sitting on a beach that is too polluted to swim. Parents, just like everyone else are tired. Tired of crisis, exhausted from a 24-hour news cycle bombarding us with bad news.
Children in Vermont and all over the world are already suffering from environmental injustices, food insecurity, and loss of natural areas. We must keep pushing ourselves to create a better environment for our children and those of our neighbors to thrive and grow. We must advocate for solutions to ensure that all can benefit equally from our environmental efforts.
The Vermont Legislature is currently considering several bills relating to the environment.
S.148, which would be Vermonts first Environmental Justice law,Help us build a better future for Vermont’s children and ensure that no one is left behind.
H.715, the most important recommendation for pollution reductionVermont’s Climate Action Plan would establish an statewide clean heating standard to gradually reduce climate pollution from buildings.
S.284, which establishes state policy The goal is to weatherize 120,000 houses by 2031, with investments made in low and moderate income Vermonters. Weatherization has shown climate benefits, as well as fuel savings for Vermonters.
H.175, Vermont’s long-overdue update on its popular bottle bill Program that would include more beverage containers, such as water bottles, sports drinks, and wine. This would prevent waste from ending in our landfills or roadsides.
Our society’s foundation is broken. We must work together as parents and citizens to fix the foundation that has allowed us to live in a sustainable world. Please contact your state legislators to support the above-mentioned bills. Keep your cool at the grocery store checkout.
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