PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 13, 2021
Young people are getting a lot of messages about the many ways humans are damaging the Earth. From classroom lectures, to pop culture, to dinner conversations, to social media, they hear the steady refrain: Things are bad. Adults have failed them. It’s up to them to fix it. I believe they are up to the task – if we help them understand why they should care. This is where a show-don’t-tell approach works best. Done right, the Biden administration’s America the Beautiful Initiative, which aims to protect 30 percent of the nation’s lands, water and ocean by 2030, will not only protect critical land and water while making the planet more resilient to climate change but also foster the conservation ethic needed to protect our ocean and allow all communities to thrive far into the future. ~ Sherry Gilmore, Acadia Institute of Oceanography, Seal Harbor