To the Editor:

For those of us who haven’t had time to watch the news, the world is experiencing a catastrophic environmental disaster right at this very moment. I am very concerned and would like to offer my help. I know it is a very small contribution, but here goes.

Oil is gushing out of the earth on the ocean floor like a geyser because of an explosion from an off shore oil rig. Eleven workers have perished in the blast. Our so-called educated engineers, geologists and other smarty-pants have been scratching their heads and arguing about how to fix this oil leak for over a month now. We have put our faith in people who drill holes into our planet without having any knowledge or promise of back-up plans in case of a mistake, all in the name of oil business.

I must stress that this problem is not just the fault and responsibility of British Petroleum or the people who hired them. We all rely on oil for our survival. If you drive a car, truck, take a bus or plane, eat food that comes from California, use a computer or play with other toys made with petroleum based materials then you are part of this mess. We may have unknowingly ruined our Mother Earth with our “winging it” mentality and lack of forethought.

I urge everyone to talk about this, and get the word out that we must make this a global responsibility to provide the funds, know-how and whatever it will take to solve this problem before it is too late if it is not already. The earth may be bleeding to death and we cannot ignore or underestimate the consequences of this mistake. The ocean belongs to everyone and connects us all. Our precious wildlife, including birds, fish and even the dragonflies are coated in oil and are dying. The people who depend on fishing for their livelihood are in danger too and so are we. We can only speculate the long-term damage that this oil spill is going to have on us all.

Linda Curphey

Creston