Dear Alyssa,
It’s very simple really: air and water are the biological basis of all life. Everywhere and forever. And the quantities of each are largely in fixed systems – through the hydrological cycle and through photosynthesis, where plants create oxygen for us to breathe. So all public policies should rightly be based on the protection of the air we breath and the water resources we use. For my part, as your father, I have spent considerable time and money to install solar hot water and solar photovoltaic systems. The free electricity we are receiving from the sun is powering our plug-in electric car. Our rain barrel is water our plants. We often discuss recycling. In short, I am working hard to incorporate an environmental consciousness into your daily life so that one day, you will win our town’s Earth Day Award. (Just like your Daddy did.) Meanwhile, I pray that more and more fathers will realize that to love their children well, they have to love and respect the ecological systems around them too. May you always live in peace with the Earth. Love, your father