At the CRP Convention, I gave a 90 minute session on the title of this commentary. My background in environmental issues stems from my concern as a mother of three about the condition of the world I leave my children. In 2002, I wrote the Go Green Initiative, a conservative conservation program requiring no taxes, nor legislation, which is now the largest and fastest growing comprehensive environmental education program in the nation- operating in 30 states, the UK, and in Cameroon, Africa. For more information, see: www.gogreeninitiative.org.
I am also proud to be a lifelong Republican, and Republicans have historically led the environmental movement. President Theodore Roosevelt partnered with John Muir to create our National Parks system. President Nixon signed the Clean Air, Endangered Species, and National Environmental Protection Acts, and he created the federal EPA. When Ronald Reagan was our Governor, he signed CEQA into law. And when Christie Todd Whitman was Secretary of the Interior she created a model of voluntary and creative solutions programs that allowed businesses in all sectors to determine the most effective means to reduce waste and carbon emissions.
The basis for conservative environmental public policy has been:
• Appreciation for nature
• Preservation of national treasures
• Natural resources viewed as the foundation of our economy and stable standard of living
• Waste not…want not
It’s time for conservatives to once again lead the conservation movement. Our children are counting us, and there is nothing less at stake than the health and well being of our posterity. There is no sense in wasting natural resources we could conserve for future generations. There is no sense in damaging national treasures that future generations of Americans could enjoy. And there is no sense in allowing flawed public policy generated by the liberal agenda to be the sole voice on the environment. Conservative conservation is not just a tagline; it’s a tried and true staple of the GOP history that needs to be reclaimed and embraced.