“While I am a believer
in the multiple-use principle, the concept
of conservation, and an ecological approach to resource use, I find
myself reacting to those who disregard any or all of these. And so
I strike back. To the public, it would appear I am completely and
diametrically opposed to all progress, to all resource use, and to
the efforts of the great industries to supply us with the goods we
need.
“That, of course, is not true. I am not
alone in believing you can dig iron or coal or uranium from the
ground and when you are finished you can use part of your profits
to restore the surface. You can timber if you are willing to
recognize other values, leave some trees standing, and use the most
refined methods to remove timber without destroying a forest. You
can produce power or reduce ores without destroying the surrounding
environment. You can produce food without resorting completely to
poisonous, persistent chemicals.
“Any industry
that does not recognize this now will have to do so sooner or
later. For what conservationists have said from the beginning of
conservation is that this world, and all its treasures, is finite.
Treat it right and you will live. Squander and plunder and rape and
you will someday suffer.”
— Tom Bell, HCN March 13,
1970
“The
environmentalists say we have a tremendous task to
do. We must completely reorient the thinking
of a capitalist nation; industry and the individual stockholders
must expect a lower profit margin; the consumer must expect to pay
higher prices; all must pay higher taxes; all must go back to a
simpler, less affluent standard of living. How many people will be
willing to do this short of imminent destruction is debatable. In
the meantime, the ecological time bomb ticks mercilessly on
…
“As I write, three frail human beings ride a
damaged spacecraft on an odyssey of peril. Our prayers are with
them for we sense their danger. But well might our prayers be also
for the passengers who ride the damaged spacecraft Earth. Their
danger hangs over them hour by hour. Ours is less imminent but just
as real.”
—
Tom Bell, HCN April 17, 1970 (Earth Day
issue)
“People
are looking to the West and our great, wide-open
spaces. It is here that vast areas of public
land offer the hope for diverse, meaningful escape from the
maddening crowd. They will come as surely as the lemmings go to the
sea.
“It is sheer madness to let the situation
engulf us. We must plan quickly and diligently. Without planning,
we face another type of environmental degradation and destruction.
It could be as disastrous as that which has befallen the inner
city.”
— Tom Bell, HCN Sept. 11,
1970
“I don’t
know how I would have fared in this world had I not had the great
outdoors in which to roam, seek solace, heal
sensitive feelings and begin to grope my way toward adulthood. I
grieve that all young people cannot experience the lessons the Good
Lord can teach under His blue canopy, beside some soothing
brook.
“My lot has been cast with the simple
wonders of the world. You cannot buy the light flashing from a
rainbow’s side in limpid waters. There is no price on the hoot of
an owl from dusky woods at eventide. You can only experience a
coyote by hearing his howl.
“My own son can
experience these things. But how about my grandsons? Will the world
become so crowded that they, or their grandsons, be deprived of
fulfilling experiences? How can our affluent, burgeoning society
continue on its way without destroying values which cannot be
bought in the marketplace?
“I suppose it’s these
apprehensions which motivate my waking moments. I would have it no
other way. But I wish I could assure myself, and them.”
— Tom Bell, HCN Aug. 28, 1970
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Tom Bell quotes.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
