Time was when we all thought it was enough to let the "Parkies" worry about conservation, open space and all that "nature stuff." By now it should be clear that the fate of the environment is in all of our hands. We have failed so badly in taking care of the earth that Time magazine felt compelled to replace its "Man of the Year" award with "Planet of the Year" in January 1989. At the same time, National Geographic devoted an entire issue to our environmental mess.

At the root of the problem is our ever-growing numbers. In 1987 the world's population reached 5 billion, having DOUBLED since 1950. It is expected to reach 8 billion in another 50 years. The U.S. population, contrary to popular belief, is not holding steady. It is increasing by one percent a year — or in other words will double in the next century. And because of our consumptive lifestyle, the birth of a baby in the U.S. imposes over 100 times the stress on the world's resources as does a birth in Kenya or Bangladesh. Though we have only five percent of the world's population, we consume thirty-three percent of all the energy produced each year. In addition, resources are exploited all around the world to produce each one of our 180 million cars and trucks and the millions of other appliances we take totally for granted.

Our environmental problems are worldwide, but there are plenty right here in Illinois. One of our biggest problems is dwindling open space. This is most evident in the northern suburbs of Illinois. In the 1980's, the Village of Buffalo Grove increased in population by over 50% . But Buffalo Grove was outdone by Naperville, whose population nearly doubled, going from 42,000 in 1980 to just under 80,000 in 1988.

In Southern Illinois, the once extensive Cache River wetland has been reduced by 98%. It is questionable whether even this last two percent can be saved. In a great many of our woodlands, uncontrolled ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle) use is causing damage to our soils and vegetation. Clearcutting of forests in Illinois threatens already endangered species, such as the Swainson's Warbler and Indiana Bat. Furthermore, clearcut areas have been invaded by exotic plants which are squeezing out several of our native flora.

". . . Because of our consumptive lifestyle, the birth of a baby in the U.S. imposes over 100 times the stress on the world's resources as does a birth in Kenya or Bangladesh. Though we have only five percent of the world's population, we consume thirty-three percent of all the energy produced each year."

Perhaps the biggest problem of all is the disposal of waste. If we took all of Illinois' trash for one year and piled it in Soldiers' Field, it would be 20 miles high. The "Age of Convenience" is taking its toil. In one year in America, we discard 16 billion disposable diapers and 2 million razors and blades. Every 3 months enough aluminum is cast off to rebuild the entire U.S. commercial air fleet. Garbage trucks stop 3,465 times each week to collect garbage in Carbondale, Illinois. As our waste multiplies, our landfill sites dwindle. In 1984, 9,000 landfills held America's waste. Today there are only 6,000. By 1993, two thousand more will reach capacity and close.

What Can We Do?
It would be nice to be back in the old days when "helping the environment" meant merely picking up the litter and getting it out of sight. Unfortunately, there's nowhere left to put it. It would also be nice if we could continue merely to make things convenient for our constituents, and to never address the long term costs of overly-consumptive (and downright wasteful) habits.

The solutions listed below may, at first, seem terribly inconvenient. In our opinion, they will soon become obligations. As field professionals, wouldn't we rather be leaders and do these things before we are absolutely required by law to do them? The following is a list of positive actions, some of which recreation agencies are already taking. The list is by no means complete but represents a good start.

Planet Earth  .  .  .
(Continued)

1. Place recycling bins near all vending machines in agency areas.

2. Eliminate balloon send-offs. (The plastic does not degrade and more birds than you care to think have choked on the litter.)

3. Cooperate with local recycling businesses by allowing them to place recycling bins in parking lots, campgrounds, etc.

4. When planning institutes, workshops, and conferences, select paper, not plastic, portfolio cases for seminar packets and presentations.

5. Require office staff to recycle computer paper.

6. Require program staff to recycle dated flyers, and brochures.

7. Include recycling reminders and other environmental tips in all brochures.

8. At special events, "GIVE" the right to collect and earn money for cans to specific groups.

9. Eliminate styrofoam dishware and cups from office coffee machines, board meetings and other events.

10. Use paper products, not styrofoam, at food concessions.

11. Consider adoption of reusable cups with agency logo and refill discount, similar to 7-11 Foodstore's coffee mugs, at food concessions.

12. Re-evaluate the number and type of promotional trinkets. (Just how many key chains, coffee mugs or pins does one resident need?)

13. Re-evaluate the number of agency vehicles and mileage policy. (Are you rewarding your staff for miles driven or for their efficiency?)

14. Actively support state and local environmental legislation.

". . . There is more to it than just cleaning up our own act. We should be developing an environmental ethic in our communities."

But there is more to it than just cleaning up our own act. We should be developing an environmental ethic in our communities. Here are six ways to get started.

1. Use video equipment to develop thirty-second awareness tapes.

2. Coordinate an environmental awareness show on your local cable network.

3. Assign staff to serve on community environmental committees as job tasks.

4. Incorporate environmental awareness elements into all programs.

5. Provide and encourage use of meeting space by environmental groups.

6. Provide more environmentally-based programs for all ages.

These are just a few suggestions for solving some difficult problems that'are not going to go away by themselves. Imagine what we could do if we put as much effort into this as we have put into facility development! After all, to paraphrase our old friend, H. D. Thoreau, "What good is a waterpark without a healthy planet to put it on?"

You are proabably well aware of the environment problems that plastics present in their manufacture and disposal. The ubiquitous styrofoam cup is a significant offender. Many environmentalists have become embarrassed about using styrofoam at their meetings but have not adopted an alternative practice.

The best solution may be to have members bring their own reusable coffee mugs. Another approach is to provide biodegradable, non-plasticized paper hot cups. These can be hard to find, but you can order them from Elgin Paper company, 1025 N. McLean Blvd., Elgin, IL 60120, phone: 708/741-0137. Cups with handles: 6-oz., $34.44 per 1000; 8-oz., $38.25 per 1000. For cups without handles: 6-oz., $30.28; 8-oz., $34.14 per 1000.

This information is provided as a service, not as an endorsement.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Dr. Regina Glover is an Associate Professor with the Department of Recreation at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Part of her duties involve teaching an environmental ethics class in the Honors Program at SIU. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Illinois Park and Recreation Association and is a member of the Joint Publications Committee. Dr. James Glover is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Recreation at SIU as well, where he teaches environmental ethics at the graduate level.