Clean air, clean water

The big picture — I, Gregory Wilson, say it is wrong to be able to legally poison the water, air and land. By poisoning I mean putting poison on the earth. Very simple. It is wrong.

Clean air and clean water belong to every Vermonter. They are essential to health, farming, wildlife and the future of our towns. Because air and water cross property and municipal boundaries, governing processes are required. A community think tank emerges to think about this.

Environmental policy must not be imposed without regard for the lives of farmers, homesteaders, working families and small towns. Instead we create a dialogue about the systems in which we live and invite persons to help out, if one wants to.

We will work together so that clean water, air, and soil are simply a way of life. And cultivate the community life that supports food systems within nonpoisonous boundaries. You cannot use the food system to make money. Food systems are a way of life, not an objectified object for profit — a continual deleting of quality to reduce expenses. Food systems are acts of community care. Behaving in a way that maintains non-poisoned living is an act of care and shows a concern for the other.

I support prevention before contamination, public accountability for major polluters and assistance for people asked to change practices for the common good. Towns should receive the resources needed to repair culverts, improve wastewater systems and reduce flood hazards. Families should not bear the cost of pollution created by distant corporations.

The choice is not between environmental protection and community well-being. Clean air, clean water, healthy land and economically secure communities form one living system. Good government must protect that whole relationship.