letter writer Weaselguard wrote: "Earth Day came and went. There was no new business, no resolutions passed.

The tides rose and fell as they have through the eons, a little heavier now for the debris they carry.

"A few more moss-covered walls, part of the natural texture of the land, were knocked asunder by work crews and road-racers. Vehicles shiny and free of rust, leapfrogged through the Island, giving birth to all manner of fumes and particulate matter.

"The Ministry of the Environment continued to be an undervalued backwater -- a stepping-stone to more important affairs of state.

"Several hedgerows, fields and limestone outcroppings were impregnated by beer bottles and plastic packaging. The lessons of history fell on deaf ears, and the warnings of the future were relegated to the 90 percent of the brain that slumbers on.

"The land waits. Its inhabitants wait. The Islanders -- who at their peril cannot even agree to disagree -- await time-consuming, expensive and largely redundant studies, to confer credibility upon our environmentalists.

"In the meantime, our green-keepers will still be viewed as a special-interest group, apparently a little too focused and ignorant of the bottom-line to be brought in from the cold, and publicly embraced as critical players in Bermuda's agenda.'' What's changed? In spite of the efforts of thousands of individuals who amass voluntarily, untold thousands of hours cleaning, preserving and protecting this tiny Island, environmental degradation escalates. Fortunately, the environment is increasingly capturing the imagination of the local press, due in part to a high-profile Minister.

Though Minister Arthur Hodgson has helped to raise the dialogue on environmental matters, his communications sometimes underscore the lack of common ground between his views and those of environmental scientists and crisis managers.

Mr. Hodgson interprets the process of sustainable development as a balancing of economic, community and ecological development. But herein lies the rub.

The Bermudian environment is already out of balance.

Mr. Hodgson has claimed that "both the ground and the oceans are good ways of disposing of waste -- but we can't overload them''. With oceans, land and air clearly in crisis, the constant spewing of our affluent effluent is never a good thing; it just happens to be what we persist in doing.

While describing his understanding of sustainable development, Mr. Hodgson has said: "You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs''.

But people have been breaking eggs in Bermuda and her waters for four hundred years. After all the ecological abuse heaped upon this fragile piece of heaven, can one simply announce: "Sustainable development...make it so!'' Without a positive vision of what a sustainable Bermuda might look like, what behaviours and values are we to change? Worldwide, those advocating for the environment have been met by fear, ignorance, denial, resistance and complaints about the cost to society. These same forces obstructed abolitionists, suffragists and civil rights defenders.

In Bermuda, there is the argument by some that we must first fix other social ills, before expending our energy upon the land, air and ocean.

At CURE forums, some have said that white folks appear to be more concerned about the environment than improving race relations -- forgetting that some people might be multi-tasking. Human beings are prone to compartmentalise social issues and deny their interconnectedness. This tendency results in lost opportunities for comprehensive social change.

Activities and events orchestrated by the Aquarium, Zoological and Audubon Societies, SOS, the Bermuda Biological Station for Research, KBB, and the recent Eden Project and Youth 2000 Environmental Conference, have greatly enhanced the awareness of many.

And for those who believe that The National Trust only objects to things, required reading might be the handout: "Things you should know about.. .The Bermuda National Trust.'' Advocacy is just one of their ten programmes.

Perhaps in caring as a nation for our Island home, we might learn more about appreciating and nurturing one another.

Bonnie Critchley