THE EARTH WE HAVE IS ALL WE HAVE

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 9, 1993                   TAG: 9304120245
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short
THE EARTH WE HAVE IS ALL WE HAVE
I WOULD like to thank Robert Shaffer's March 20 letter to the editor ("Behind the rising price of lumber") for showing me the light. I have finally realized that humans do, indeed, own the Earth. It is ours to do with as we please.
After reading his letter, I dumped all the paper, plastic, aluminum and glass I was planning to recycle into the garbage can. Why should I separate my trash - an effort that allows the garbage men to pick up my non-recyclable trash only once a month - when I can send it to the landfill and take part in the human remodeling of the Earth?
His letter also made me realize that the National Forest Service was smart in selling timber for well below the market price. Now that I think about it, hiking on clear-cut land would be much more enjoyable than hiking through a lush, uncut forest. Not to mention the show of true human superiority as we watch all the animals die due to destruction of habitat. And the 7.7 million acres set aside for the spotted owl? Just think of the possibilities: clear-cut it, pave it, build a huge shopping mall, and all the dead owls could be stuffed and put in the mall for decoration.
On a bit less sarcastic note, I hope that Shaffer and his allies in land deprivation will see my point. This land is protected because there is so little of it left. If we don't act now to preserve it, what will happen 10 or 20 years down the road when another storm hits and there are no more trees to cut for timber? Please do the Earth and its inhabitants a favor and take care of it. It's all we've got. NED DOWLING ROANOKE

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB