Most of us know children whose health and happiness we care about, so doing everything we can to foster sustainable practices makes a lot of sense. Climate change and pollution have already had a significant impact in many parts of our country, and the problems are escalating.
My nephew and his beautiful little daughters live in Los Angeles, one of the areas in which climate change has contributed to severe drought. Recent forest fires have not only increased the level of pollutants in the air, they have also forced the family to evacuate their home. And because drought and fires kill plants that help the soil adsorb water, when it does rain there are mudslides and floods.
It is often said that for sustainable initiatives to be accepted, they must benefit the triple bottom line --- people, planet and profit. I believe that if everyone realized that the "people" who are at risk include their own children and grandchildren, they would be more likely to adopt sustainable practices for which they do not perceive immediate positive effects on their own income.
"Natural" disasters also cost us all a lot of money. Taxes must be raised to support government aid, insurance premiums increase, and the cost of construction goes up considerably. For instance, the cost of renovation projects in New York City went up 10% in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.