Environmental groups must be better organized to develop grass roots responses to the many issues that require public attention and political action. I am optimistic. Vermonters have always responded positively to challenges to our environmental quality of life, and we will again. Farmers, sportsmen and women, business leaders, environmentalists, and all citizens have come to recognize that our collective future requires attention to and respect for the natural world around us. What makes me the most optimistic is the many conversations I have with children around the state.
Children are concerned about their futures.
They worry about deformed frogs. They encourage their parents to recycle. They ask about their world and what it will look like when they grow up. If for no other reason, we must do a better job in protecting our environment as a responsibility to our children. Working together, working harder, working smarter, we can achieve our shared vision of a safe, healthy, productive and beautiful Vermont.