As someone who remembers the first Earth Day well, I can also compare changes in social trends, information sources, and dramatic differences in the pace of life and the ways we communicate. We have infinite sources of information and ways to spread the word, but most uses seem to be about ourselves and our fleeting thoughts than about important issues with long-term consequences. What hasn't changed is our belief that technology will solve our problems long before we suffer the effects of the dumb things we do. After 39 years of growing environmental awareness and concern, I can warrant that the promise of a distant technological cure has a hard time competing with the lure of immediate cash in hand. What we must understand about the environment is this: When the planet becomes uninhabitable for humans, WE are the new dinosaurs. Whatever life forms emerge after that new extinction, the brighter of them--with thumbs--will find our fossils and wonder what the heck we were thinking by poisoning our own nests for profit. What we don't understand--and need to 'get' NOW--is the concept that we have no alternative place to live. As legendary King Midas learned, lots of gold won't help if you can't even drink a glass of water.