Mother Earth needs us

There’s scarcely a more agreed upon value in Kahnawake than the need to respect and protect Mother Earth.

Let’s face it, the sanctity of the environment is one of the most pressing issues on the planet. After all, without the security of the ecosystems that sustain us, we truly have nothing.

Time and time again we’ve invoked seven generations thinking in our editorials, and that’s because the very foresight humanity needs right now is the very one that’s glaringly absent.

That’s easy to forget in this workaday world, which is why we all must constantly remind ourselves of that essential truth. We don’t just want our children to grow up in a better world, but we want their children’s children to be able to trust that if they choose to give the gift of life themselves, they will be giving just that – a gift, not a burden as the world burns.

But we’re a long way from a bright future, and with so much out of our control, it can be easy to lose hope.

Just take a look at this week’s federal election debates. The Green Party, the ones who made protecting the environment the central plank of their existence, were disinvited, supposedly because they didn’t run enough candidates to be taken seriously this time around.

Yet without them on the stage to challenge the narrative, what happened? We got a lot of talk about pipelines and oil revenues, with so many lobbies in this country rabble-rousing to increase, not decrease, our dependance on oil.

Alberta is even rattling the separatism saber, all because they think Canada isn’t doing enough to get their dirty oil to market. Where does it end?

After all, the current federal government apparently didn’t think much of trampling the rights of Indigenous land defenders who dedicated years putting their lives on the line to defend the environment and Indigenous sovereignty by fighting the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

Meanwhile, Poilievre and the Conservatives openly plan to get the rubber stamp out and create a new regime to rush through consultations on oil and gas projects, a legally dubious promise, not to mention an outrageous one.

And their plan to deal with the auto tariff situation? Instead of promoting electric vehicles, Poilievre wants to make it easier for the average Canadian to buy a car – any car, if it’s made in Canada, even if it’s a gas guzzler.

In other news, the world’s biggest electric car company has become synonymous with right-wing hate and even fascism, with Elon Musk still Trump’s right-hand man, the two of them doing everything in their power to undermine human rights and the “woke” radicals who have the audacity to want trees and ice caps to continue to exist in the future, even at the cost of a few bucks.

Speaking of run amok billionaires, one Jeff Bezos – founder of Amazon, which recently pulled its Quebec operations because its Laval warehouse dared to demand better working conditions, costing hundreds of people their jobs – is not content to destroy Earth, he’s got his sights set on outer space, too.

In what can only be described as a cynical publicity stunt, on Monday his rocket company sent six people to space, most of them wealthy celebrities, in an 11-minute voyage that was billed as the first all-women spaceflight crew in over six decades. The ship they took is designed for space tourism for the incredibly rich.

Each of the passengers, it turns out, is responsible for enough carbon emissions from that one flight to cover a lifetime.

Bear in mind, there was no scientific mission, no ultimate goal, nothing that advanced humankind. Instead, it was yet another display of the arrogance of humankind.

The company’s name? BlueOrigin, which really says it all – for Bezos and his ilk, Earth is a starting point, not humanity’s one cherished home.

It can be overwhelming, at times, thinking of the state of the world today, especially when those with so much power are so blind to what’s truly important.

Perhaps this is why some may be tempted to stock up on bottled water when the tap will do. Perhaps this is why there’s a chronic presence of garbage strewn here, there, and everywhere. Maybe this is why we start up the car when we could easily walk.

And in this fast-paced world, some of that is understandable. But no matter how bleak things get, apathy won’t do.

It goes without saying how deeply offensive it is when outsiders look at Indigenous communities like Kahnawake and Kanesatake as a dumping ground, a place to dispose of waste cheaply or freely. These folks should be removed, prosecuted, blamed, and most importantly prevented.

But it’s also important to take steps to ensure one’s own impact is minimized where it’s possible and to impart these values to the next generation, so they too can carry those values forward, even when it’s not convenient.

On a systemic level, the government may roll its eyes when Kahnawake stands up and demands to be consulted on projects that impact the environment, but that’s too bad. This is Indigenous land, and Indigenous values are the only thing that can save it.

But making a difference happens in small ways, ways each one of us can take responsibility for, and at this time of year, Earth Month, with Earth Day coming up in just a few days, we can remind ourselves just how easy it can be.

That banana peel? Put it in the compost bin instead of letting it go to landfill.

Don’t have a bin? Call up Waste Management. They worked hard to put that program in place.

The community has already seen a big cleanup this month, with Kahnawake Waste Management and the Kahnawake Environment Protection Office (KEPO) teaming up with community members to clear out tons of waste.

Here at The Eastern Door, we’re soon hosting yet another Spring Cleanup, our 29th annual edition, in collaboration with KEPO and Waste Management. It takes place next Friday, April 25, from 7 a.m. to noon. So come on down to our office to pick up supplies, say hello, and safely dispose of special collection items you’ve had lying around, like tires, oil, and batteries. Then choose an area in the community to clean up and have at it.

A future worth leaving to our children takes every one of us.

TED Staff