Who's Your Daddy?

Environmentally speaking, that is. After all, we know that the Earth is our collective Mother. But who is mom's counterpart in looking after our fundamental biological needs?

If you were to look for the answer in many very old native cultures around the world, you might decide that the answer is the sun. Whether it is the Egyptian Re, the Navajo Tsohanoai, the Hindu Surya, or numerous others, the Sun is often seen as a protector and patriarch.

Should we feel good about that? After all, the Sun only sticks around half the time at best, is terribly inconsistent from month to month in providing us with heat and light, and seems to pick favorites (just ask an Ecuadorean and Swede if they feel that "Dad" treats them equally). And to top it all off, we know that it's only a matter of time before he abandons us altogether.

Fortunately, those varied cultures, for all of their truly profound wisdom and insight into the workings of our world, got this one wrong. We know that thanks to the work of the authors Leslie Crutchfield and Heather McLeod. They tell us that our environmental daddy is not some distant and unpredictable ball of gas, but rather a non-governmental organization right here in our midst known as Environmental Defense Fund.

OK, perhaps I am paraphrasing Crutchfield and McLeod, and perhaps I am reaching somewhat in my interpretation of their words in doing so. The may not equate Environmental Defense Fund to Mother Earth in sustaining life. But in their recent book Forces for Good, they identify and analyze the common practices of a dozen non-profit groups that they have assessed to be the most effective and to have the highest impact. Among those twelve is but a single environmental group, and that group is Environmental Defense Fund. In the words of Crutchfield and McLeod, "By daring to 'find the ways that work', Environmental Defense has influenced not only other green groups but also government policy and business practices." (p. 14; note that "Fund" has returned to the name of the organization since publication of the book)

So, as we wind down the 40th anniversary year of this exemplary organization, allow me to offer a completely heartfelt and, ahem, unbiased thank you to Environmental Defense Fund for all they have done over the past four decades to ensure clean air and water, protect species and ecosystems, and curb global climate change. Best of luck for another 40 years!