We Belong to the Sea

Substitute land for ocean in the quote below from one of conservation's great patriarchs, and the wisdom  is just as hefty. 

"We abuse land (the ocean) because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land (the ocean) as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."

~Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac

Love and respect, baby

 
A Sand County Almanac by Leopold is a green classic, right up there with Walden by Henry David Thoreau and Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey.

According to Wikipedia, "Aldo Leopold (January 11, 1887 – April 21, 1948) was an American ecologist, forester, and environmentalist. He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin and is best known for his book A Sand County Almanac (1949), which has sold over two million copies.

Influential in the development of modern environmental ethics and in the movement for wilderness conservation, his ethics of nature and wildlife preservation had a profound impact on the environmental movement, with his biocentric or holistic ethics regarding land. He emphasized biodiversity and ecology and was a founder of the science of wildlife management."

Image: exploreiowageology.org