Bees & elephants | Editorial

Published 12:09 pm Tuesday, April 21, 2015

On the first Earth Day, there was no such thing as recycling, no emission controls on motor vehicles and strip mining for coal on the plains of the Midwest was in full swing.  Now, 45 years later, many threats to the environment and human health have been eliminated.  Yet each day, there are new challenges.  While some toxic substances and behaviors have been lessened,  others have begun. Untreated sewage no longer flows into rivers or lakes, yet electronic trash—full of all kinds of toxins and materials that will never dissipate—presents new dangers.

While vehicles are cleaner and safer to operate, there are a whole lot more of them. In 1970, there were a total of 74 million vehicles of all types counted on the nation’s highways. In 2012, there were 254 million.

Yet, it can be (bee) the loss of the tiniest working parts of our planet that  can be the most worrisome.

The truckload of bees that overturned on I-405 last weekend was upsetting. Farmers need bees to pollinate their crops. They aren’t around anymore. The loss of 500 colonies of scarce honeybees is not only expensive but a huge waste.  What really hits home is the fact that bees—like so many resources—must be artificially raised elsewhere and shipped in from out of state.  Their future, and ours, remains at risk.

In so many ways, the goals of the first Earth Day have been met. People are aware of the importance of a healthy environment. We will never go back to the way it was.

And what about Chai and Bamboo?  We are both glad and sorry to see them go.  We have no doubt that they will be well cared for.  The people of Oklahoma City will love them as much as we do.  But,  we were taken aback when they left so suddenly last week.

Of course, we thought we still had time to say goodbye.