Four Laws of Ecology

This BLOG was originally written in honor of Earth Day (April 22) of 2007. We all need to do a much better job of caring for our only planet. This is from the work of the amazing Barry Commoner. This was originally posted on hiphappy.blog.myspace

I began studying ecology in 1976 – in part because of Earth Day (April 22). Based on these 30 years of education and experience, I am very worried that many of the gains that have been made over the past decades have been destroyed by Bush and his callous disregard for future generations and other cultures.

One of the most important ecological influences on our environmentalism was the great biologist – Barry Commoner. His important insights included the four laws of ecology, as written in The Closing Circle in 1971:

1. Everything is Connected to Everything Else. There is one ecosphere for all living organisms and what affects one, affects all.

2. Everything Must Go Somewhere. There is no “waste” in nature and there is no “away” to which things can be thrown.

3. Nature Knows Best. Humankind has fashioned technology to improve upon nature, but such change in a natural system is, says Commoner, “likely to be detrimental to that system.”

4. There Is No Such Thing as a Free Lunch. In nature, both sides of the equation must balance, for every gain there is a cost, and all debts are eventually paid.

 

So please stop buying stuff you don’t need to reduce your impact on the earth. Also, reduce your waste and recycle whatever you can.

Greedy Americans represent only three percent of the population, but we consume about a quarter of the world’s resources. That is the only reason we are fighting in the middle east – to “steal” their oil to feed our addiction to comfort and laziness. No wonder the rest of the world hates us.

“If you are not part of the problem, then you are part of the solution.” – Eldridge Cleaver