Environmental Protection is Not an Agency!

The Spy is pleased to introduce “Seeking Common Ground,” a new column by David Foster.

Many of you are familiar with David’s previous work as Chester River Association’s Riverkeeper and from his thoughtful and informative Op-Eds in various media regarding the many environmental issues we confront on the Eastern Shore.

His credentials are impressive: 19 years as a Policy Analyst with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Senior Environmental Advisor for Asia with United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Riverkeeper, and most recently as an instructor at Washington College’s Academy of Lifelong Learning (WC-ALL).

A world traveler and resident of Kent County, David Foster makes it clear that he is not speaking for any agency, organization or the Spy, but as an informed citizen offering his opinion so that we might enter into a dialogue to help us discover the common ground required to implement policies to shape a healthy and sustainable world.

Environmental Protection is Not an Agency

Contrary to popular opinion, environmental protection is NOT an agency but a public commitment and a movement. Don’t get me wrong. I am very proud of the nearly 20 years that I spent with the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) and the work my former colleagues continue to do there. If, however, anyone believes that the legal and technical experts housed within the federal EPA or its sister organizations throughout the 50 states can protect our environmental resources alone, he or she issadly mistaken.

Real environmental protection requires the education of millions of people throughout the country and the ability to draw, not only on the expertise of scientists in laboratories, but also on the working knowledge of factory workers, farmers, watermen, local environmental associations, teachers and ordinary homeowners. Ironically, while most of us hate the idea of “Big Government,”we often forget that the best alternative to Big Government is more effective Small Government, along with better informed and more active citizens.Perhaps there are a few fields, like brain surgery or aerospace, where the work is best left to the “experts” but environmental protection is not one of them.

It was precisely this slightly offbeat philosophy regarding the need for local citizens to become more knowledgeable and more involved in protecting their own environment that caused me to agree when Jim Dissette, Managing Editor of the Chestertown Spy, recently asked me to consider writing a regular column for this internet news magazine. While the column will draw on over 40 years of local and international environmental experience, the impetus comes from a course, titled “Wet & Wild,” that I recently taught for the Academy of Life Long Learning at Washington College.I found that I really enjoyed teaching that course and, most importantly, I enjoyed the challenging questions and feedback from the participants. Hopefully this column will recreate some of that same spirited give and take. Bottom line – this is intended as an assembly of articles, primarily on serious topics, written by and for people who don’t take themselves too seriously.

As you have seen, the title that Jim and I agreed on for this column is: “Searching for Common Ground.” While the current gridlock in Washington, D.C. suggests that “Common Ground” may be an endangered species, I am convinced that such a search is well worth the effort. Please understand that by “Common Ground” I do not mean those lukewarm compromises that satisfy no one. Rather, it should be understood as the art of seeing things from another person’s point of view so that real Win/Win Solutions can be achieved. For example, in our rivers the “common ground” is often literally the soil that muddies our water and prevents the sunlight from reaching the underwater plants that provide habitat for aquatic animals. The ideal solution in this case would be a better system of keeping the valuable top soil on the land where it benefits the farmer rather than allowing it to runoff and pollute our waterways.

The current plan for the column is to publish one or two articles each month. The first few editions will focus on some of those Win/Win Solutions and the obstacles preventing their achievement. In most instances these obstacles relate to what I think of as the “AT&T” of environment. No, I am not trying to resurrect “Ma Bell” but will be writing about the role of “Awareness, Trust & Transparency” drawing examples from around the world as well as right here in Chestertown. The topics addressed will generally (but not always) focus on the environment and will often seek out controversial areaswhere we need to generate more discussion.

In the interest of providing that transparency and full disclosure, I also need to tell you a few things about my own background: First, I am both an environmental engineer and an economist. While many see environmental economics as a contradiction in terms, I’m convinced that environmentalists can learn a great deal from economics and vice versa. Second, I’m clearly not a trained journalist. Most of my writing skills came through writing letters home from places I’ve worked overseas and this probably accounts for the “storytelling style” I’ve adopted along the way. Third, while the Chestertown Spy will always have the right to publish or not publish any articles I write, the opinions I express will be my own and will not represent the Spy or any previous employer. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, your positive (and negative) feedback and your suggestions for future topics will always be appreciated. In return, I promise to share my honest opinions, free from ideological or partisan spin.

David Foster

Chestertown