I remember the first Earth Day in 1970, when Hillsborough Bay in Tampa gave off a choking smell of sewage, and the city's sky tinted with the brown haze of smog. That day, and its reverberation of hope and change, helped set me and millions of others on a path of support for stronger laws to conserve our land and water, and toward more sustainable lifestyles.
Millions of people participated, and the changes brought about led to cleaner water and skies throughout the nation. Florida, as a result of that day and the good work of its citizens and leaders, became a better place to live.
Ruben Askew, Bob Graham, Betty Castor, Bob Martinez and so many others made the environment a priority and overcame great resistance to put in place programs to control pollution and protect the places that now make up Florida's system of parks and public lands. They could take that stand because an army of citizens stood solidly with them.
Now we face a set of challenges just as daunting as those confronting us in 1970. Growth is picking up, so more green spaces are being lost to development. Most waterways are showing the effects of pollution from fertilizer and treated sewage. Our native birds and other wildlife are clinging to smaller fragments of habitat while foreign invaders such as pythons dominate key landscapes. Expansion of farming is bringing new demands for land and for irrigation water. Our coastal shores are eroding in face of sea level rise.
Despite being fully aware of these environmental problems, the anti-government Florida Legislature has severely limited state oversight of land-use decisions. Overdue policies to conserve water and reduce pollution continue to face stiff opposition from developers and agriculture. And Florida's award winning network of parks and public lands is threatened with a sell-off under a state budget that is overly generous with tax breaks and subsidies to special interests.