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What we expect of him now is the translation of vaulted rhetoric about "change" into policy that transcends
special interests and politics, and begins to demonstrate that we really are, at last, creating a new way of being
on this planet. This may be asking too much of him, but we dare not ask too little.
There is so much that I hope for from an Obama presidency, but for the moment, as the first rays of change poke over the
horizon on Inauguration Day, I confine myself to a meditation on the Pacific Trash Vortex, a.k.a. the Eastern
Garbage Patch, and everything it indicates about what business as usual has wrought over the last few centuries,
and the last few decades in particular. We can no longer afford to be a throwaway society, because what we
are throwing away is our own future.
I hope that the byword for the Obama administration is "sustainability." This means many things, but above all it
means that we must stop squandering our resources, or devaluing Mother Earth. Harvey Wasserman, in his
visionary book about a sustainable future, "Solartopia," writes that such a future demands, "first and foremost,
that we 'face the waste.' To avoid extinction, ultra-efficiency became a vital necessity. . . . Nothing —
NOTHING — on 'Spaceship Earth' is manufactured that cannot be . . . recycled or composted."
So as the new year and the Obama presidency dawn, I urge the new president, and all the rest of us, to take a
moment to focus on that which we value least — indeed, that which we do not notice, that which we banish from our
consciousness with the most imprisoning of labels: Let us think about garbage.
The environmental issues our planet faces are enormous, and have many causes, two of the most egregious being
war and energy production. But the simple generation of garbage, a ritual in which we all participate, may be
where it starts.
Let us think about plastic bags and plastic cups and plastic bottles and plastic straws; those ubiquitous plastic
six-pack holders that strangle birds; disposable cigarette lighters; old shoes; discarded tires and toothbrushes. You
might even want to consider kneeling at the altar of your own wastebasket, or the dumpster behind your apartment
building, or the litter-strewn vacant lot down the street. What we discard, if it isn't biodegradable, will wind up
somewhere on the planet for a long, long time — with a good portion of the trash, carried by the wind or
deliberately dumped into waterways, ultimately reaching the ocean.
And what winds up in the ocean will get caught in the currents and accumulate. We have several enormous
"trash archipelagos," virtual continents of soupy plastic trash, that have become permanent fixtures of the world's
oceans. The largest of these, the Eastern Garbage Patch, lies in the Pacific, between Hawaii and the coast of
California; one estimate of its size puts it at one and a half times as large as its major contributor, the United States.
"In the central North Pacific Gyre, pieces of plastic outweigh surface zooplankton by a factor of 6 to 1,"
writes Thomas M. Kostigen in Discover Magazine. "Ninety percent of Laysan albatross chick carcasses and
regurgitated stomach contents contain plastics. Fish and seabirds mistake plastic for food. Plastic debris releases
chemical additives and plasticizers into the ocean. Plastic also absorbs hydrophobic pollutants like PCBs and
pesticides like DDT. These pollutants bioaccumulate in the tissues of marine organisms, biomagnify up the food chain,
and find their way into the foods we eat."
Why, I wonder, are there no cruise ships that include the Eastern Garbage Patch on their itinerary? I ask this
without irony and without judgment or outrage at our wasteful ways. These are the ways that I have grown up
with, and they are problematic, and they can change.
And the beginning of change is awareness. Mr. President, sir, please put awareness on your agenda. This is
the beginning of tomorrow, the first day of the rest of our lives. Without awareness of what we have made of our
planet, we won't even wake up to it.
Robert Koehler, an award-winning, Chicago based journalist, is an editor at Tribune Media Services and
nationally syndicated writer. You can respond to this column at bkoehler@tribune.com or visit his Web site at
commonwonders.com. © 2009 Tribune Media Services Inc.
Barack Obama Presidential Inauguration Articles
Reviewing Presidential Inaugural History
The inauguration of the first black president will long be remembered as a momentous day in history, but many past
inaugurals also have had their memorable moments. Inaugurals are a mixture of pomp, festival and gravity, the
American equivalent of a coronation. Their rituals are laden with symbols of national purpose, continuity and
unity. For 220 years, they have marked the peaceful transfer of power, a feat few other countries have achieved.
Obama Presidential Inauguration Schedule & Events
With all of the excitement surrounding the event, it’s easy to forget there have been many inaugurations before it. Over
the years, the inauguration has become highly formalized, with the day’s scheduled events taking on almost ritualistic
significance. A look at the Obama Inauguration schedule, events from past inaugurals and how & when certain inaugural
events became part of Inauguration Day.
Obama Inauguration Facts, Trivia and Information for Kids
Parade, luncheon, ball. Being inaugurated sounds like fun. But what exactly is an
inauguration? What happens? Here are answers to your most pressing questions. Plus Inauguration Trivia, Presidential
Pets and the Obama Girls
Obama's new Home was Slow to Integrate
Not too long ago, Barack Obama would have found when he moved his family to Washington that his daughters
couldn’t attend the same schools white children could. They couldn’t try on clothes or shoes at most
local department stores, or eat at downtown lunch counters. Or see a play at the National Theatre or a
movie just a block or two from the White House.
Obama Isn't the Only One Being Inaugurated on January 20th
Arianna Huffington
Barack Obama is not the only one being inaugurated on January 20. And that's not just because Obama has promised to make a call to service "a central cause" of his presidency.
Top 43 Hits - Memorable Lines from Past Presidential Inaugurals
On January 20, 2009 Barack Obama will stand before Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and swear the
oath prescribed in Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution as the 44th President of the United States.
After taking the oath President Obama will give an inaugural address. Since George Washington's first
inaugural address, many memorable words have been spoken and are among the most enduring and frequently
quoted.
America Receives a Leading Man for the Dramas Ahead
Garrison Keillor
When President Obama takes his hand off the Bible and walks to the Capitol lectern, he carries real power in his pocket,
maybe more than any president since FDR, and some of it he has earned and some is a gift.
Don't Take that Oath, Barack
Mark Bazer
Personally, I'm hoping for a new piece of presidential trivia come Inauguration Day. I'm hoping Barack Obama becomes the
first person elected president to refuse to take the Oath of Office. In other words, I hope he turns down the job.
Don't get me wrong — I like and admire Obama. But that said, and for all Obama's clearly evident wisdom and sound judgment, I just don't
know if president of the United States is the ideal job for him.
Riding on the Wings of Change
Amy Dickinson
Our new president is offering us more than the promise of change. With his historic election, he offered us the
optimistic idea that we can do what we must do. In my experience studying the human condition, we only change
when there is no alternative. And now, there is no alternative. Our national challenges trickle down into our
households. We have family members at war, our jobs aren't secure, our retirement savings seem to be disappearing
and our material lifestyle is under assault.
America in Shock
Nathan Gardels
As we head into 2009, America is in shock. It is not because of the unusual sight of the first black president
taking up residence in the White House. Barack Obama's profile, after all, is familiar to the diverse
population of today's ethnically and racially hybrid America. America is in shock because our economic
and financial landscape is suddenly unrecognizable.
Great Expectations
Cal Thomas
With Barack Obama, it is the reverse. Perhaps because of his
eloquence, lithe body, handsome face and beautiful family (and because he is not George W. Bush),
expectations are so high that they are beyond the reach of any mortal. Perhaps that is why Obama
has been disparagingly referred to as "the messiah" and "the one."
Awaiting the Transformational Presidency
Arianna Huffington
President-elect Barack Obama is obsessed with Lincoln, who changed the country both by changing government policy and by
using the bully pulpit to help us change ourselves.
Europeans Love 'Alabama'
Rick Steves
With a new political era dawning in America, the world is paying attention. I remember the first time my Italian
friends expressed a curiosity and enthusiasm about some black politician named "Alabama." Now everyone knows
Obama's name, and we have a president whom people around the world want to look up to.
Is This the End of Black
Leonard Pitts
Those who claim we live in a post-racial America are guilty of no sin greater than wishful thinking. But
that doesn't make them any less incorrect. Not simply because people are still being pulled over for driving
black but, more fundamentally, because Obama's victory does not mean what some of us think it does. I don't
mean to suggest it does not embody breathtaking progress — it does.
A New Way of Being on this Planet
Robert Koehler
Something has to change about how we conduct our business and live our lives . . . no, that's putting it too mildly. A spiritual
awakening has to occur, the shock and awe of awareness as we look unblinking at the state of the world as it really is.
As the Decider, The True Barack Obama will Become Clear
Jonah Goldberg
Over the interminably long campaign, Obama's positions "evolved" to suit his political needs. This is hardly
extraordinary. Pretty much every successful presidential candidate embarks on a similar ideological migration
Special Inaugural Crossword Puzzle
Can you solve this special inaugural crossword with your mom, dad or your favorite grown-up?
Yes, you can! Kids solve the across clues while adults tackle the down ones.
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