Better yet, unless any of these writers descended from one of the few Native American families we did not wipe off the face of the Earth, I suggest that every one of them help the situation by picking up and moving back to the countries their ancestors came from. As he pointed out in his column about Vancouver, having a large downtown residential base is essential to a thriving and exciting 18-hour city. More and more people are showing an interest in Downtown Pittsburgh living, as evidenced by the rapid sale of new Downtown housing and the sellout each year of the Downtown House Tour. Please continue your interest in this important element of keeping Pittsburgh an exciting place to live for people of all ages and economic and ethnic backgrounds. These are tired old themes that Western Pennsylvanians and other Americans are moving beyond.
Environmental protection is no longer the concern of a small group of people.
People from all walks of life and all age groups recognize the importance of a clean and healthy environment to our quality of life and to the well-being of our children. Education about the role of the natural environment in our lives and the importance of careful stewardship of natural resources is now well integrated in K-12 curricula. Religious organizations of all kinds are examining the moral dimensions of environmental stewardship and developing related guidance. In the United States, the National Religious Partnership for the Environment is now more than 10 years old. The concept of environmentally sustainable practices in communities and industry and the relationship of these to economic well-being and social opportunity have proved to be powerful and effective themes for community and regional discourse and planning.