Dear HCN,
After reading Craig
Childs’ article, I no longer feel guilty concerning my choice of
employment for the past 12 years. I’m currently employed by the
world’s largest printer (lots of dead wood there), and before that,
I was a boiler operator at a sawmill.
I have
always cared about my impact on our planet, trying my best to tread
as lightly as possible. Like Mr. Podlesny, I also enjoy roaming the
wilds in my free time and showing the wonders of nature to my
children via camping, hiking, backpacking and cross-country skiing.
Behind that strong pro-environmental feeling there has always been
that twinge of guilt and/or hypocrisy.
Frankly,
though, the jobs I’ve gotten provide a livable wage and insurance
coverage and benefits for myself and my family. With only a high
school education and working full time to support my wife and three
kids, I have yet to find the time or funds to pursue a
degree.
As Mr. Childs and Mr. Podlesny point out,
we are all linked to the slow but sure destruction of our natural
world, whether it be by employment, lifestyle or the consumption of
manufactured goods. No one can claim a guilt-free conscience. For
this reason we must all strive to become more aware of our impact
on our planet. My compliments to Mr. Childs and High Country News
for the excellent article.
Tim
Holmen
Reno, Nevada
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Nobody’s perfect.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
