Even the most staunch, hard-core, and extreme environmentalists are destroying the planet. Why, just the other day I bumped into a news story about pollution in the Puget Sound near Seattle. It wasn't about a toxic-waste spill or even about beer cans, garbage, or oil washed in from the local streets. It was about increasing levels of spice. Yep, apparently the Puget Sound and its creatures have been seasoned with cinnamon and vanilla. Levels of the two spices are especially high around the holiday season, with the biggest spike being just after Thanksgiving. According to researchers at the University of Washington, it seems these spices make their way from the baked goods on our tables, through our digestive systems, into our toilets, through the sewer lines and treatment plants only to be deposited into our oceans. At this point, there is no hard evidence that it harms any sea creatures. However, fish are said to rely heavily on their sense of smell to find food. And salmon are said to use their sniffers to locate their home stream for spawning.
Other tests have found that caffeine travels through the sewer systems in a similar manner. In King County, Washington, researchers found caffeine in over half of the samples taken from the ocean water in the area; some as deep as 640 feet. The irony of it all is that practically every street corner in Seattle has a coffee shop serving up a potentially environmentally unfriendly beverage to thousands of so-called Earth lovers. It always amazes me how quickly these kinds of people dismiss the fact that trees and other natural resources were removed, used, or destroyed for the construction of their dwellings, the production of their energy consumption and daily staples, and the manufacturing of their vehicles. The only real way for them to answer and completely end their Earth-preserving conflict is to remove themselves from the planet-a task that myself and many of my friends would be glad to help out with.
And don't even get me started on Hollywood celebrities that claim to be environmentally conscious. That same celebrity ass clown that parades around in a gas-sipping Toyota Prius hybrid has no problem stepping onto a private jet sans emissions equipment that burns nearly 1,000 gallons of fuel on a three-hour flight.
Fact is, anything that any organism does here on Earth affects the planet in some way. Essentially everything on Earth could be considered a parasite. I certainly don't think of myself in the same family as bacteria, fleas, roaches, and ticks, but I suspect some of the environmental Nazis might feel that way about me when I'm driving my gas-guzzling 4x4 off-road. Ultimately, I think life here on Earth is more about compromise and moderation. You certainly can't expect to live a full or healthy life on a diet of bean sprouts and wheatgrass alone, and, likewise, I think off-roading should be looked at the same way. Of course, I don't think I should be able to go wheeling wherever I want, but I don't think it's right to try and close down existing off-road areas either. I know that in most cases four-wheeling isn't exactly necessary for my or anyone else's survival, but neither is a cup of coffee or snickerdoodle cookie.-John Cappa