What Are You Doing for the Environment?

Dear Bay Weekly:

Recently I met with a woman, a successful interior designer, who was scouting for someone to whom she could refer clients who wanted what I was offering: professional organizing and affordable makeovers.

I discovered that her partner was one of my yoga students. Both were involved in the cleanup of Weems Creek, one of the tributaries that feeds the numerous rivers that empty into the Chesapeake Bay.

“You can’t urinate in one end of the pool and drink out of the other,” the partner had explained of the project while we were putting our yoga mats away one morning.

She and I hit it off and exchanged business cards. As I left, she asked “By the way, what are you doing for the environment?”

No one had ever asked me that, at least not in the manner which she did. It was like she was asking me where my favorite restaurant was. I was so taken off guard that I don’t remember my response. But I will never forget her question.

In the days that followed, I got to thinking. What am I doing for the environment besides fair-weather recycling, picking up dog poop, and choosing a minimalist lifestyle? I decided to dig a little deeper and clean up the park near my home. Every time I walked my dogs, I brought a big trash bag, donned a pair of plastic gloves and picked up litter. Eventually, the park was given back the respect it deserved.

The condition of our environment today is a reflection of our inner attitude. Maybe becoming a part of a big cleanup project isn’t your cup of tea, but you can take recycled bags to the grocery store and fill them with food. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you do something. Even the smallest act of kindness toward our environment will make a difference.

–Kater Leatherman, Eastport

Still Thankful for the Pilots of WWII

Dear Bay Weekly:

On Bill Burton’s article on Richard Riley Johnson, of Deale, “The Living — and the Dead” [Vol.15, No. 45]: Having seen the impressive movie Memphis Belle, I am aware of the bravery of the men who flew the B-17s on milk runs during World War II. The movie really gives you an idea of the hardships these men encountered during these bombing raids. Yes, Dick Johnson is a lucky one, and thank you for what you did.

–Maria Hahn, Arnold