Thank You for Caring By Julie Peller Ph.D.

Green Junction

With the start of the new year, I will reiterate my annual sentiment: I am grateful for the numerous wonderful people in my life who share a profound concern for the health of the earth and one another. I have met and interacted with so many incredible people who devote time to improving the world. I continue to believe that those who care for the earth are usually cut from the same fabric as those who care for one another and I appreciate all of their work.

A message of Dr. Rattan Lal, a renowned soil scientist, is that the Earth’s environment is “everybody’s responsibility.” In order to care for the earth, “there is no other choice but to work together.” Unfortunately, there are strong forces for economic growth that ignore damages to the earth. These forces distort or dismiss scientific facts or believe people should exploit the earth for their benefit. Extensive mining and refining of resources continue to perpetuate overconsumption. Likewise, the same forces/voices tell us not to pay attention to the global changes associated with climate change, which will cost $38 trillion a year by 2049 according to a study by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. Science writer Adam Frank explains in his review of books on climate change “we are already quite far down the road toward a different kind of Earth. Most importantly, keeping civilization up and running on this new version of the planet will depend on our collective actions right now.”

At this cusp of 2026, from my observations, people and organizations working to protect the earth and human health are elevating their efforts, given the antagonistic forces in place. For those who want to start or increase earthly care practices, some of our necessary collective actions include: 1) Refuse single use plastic bags. Adopt a reuse mentality. Choose reusables. 2) Stop purchasing fleece materials made of polyester (clothes, blankets, toys, etc.). These are huge sources of microplastics that invade our bodies and other living systems. 3) Use AI only when necessary since it uses far more energy than other computer processing and is the reason for the rapid surge in data centers. Certainly, there are benefits of AI, but like most new stuff, much of it is unnecessary and even problematic. 4) Vote for leaders with a platform to protect human health and the environment. We all have a part in the required collective actions to improve the health and well-being of life. Happy New Year!

Julie Peller, Ph.D., is an environmental chemist (Professor of Chemistry at Valparaiso University). She has been writing a weekly column, The Green Junction, for the past seven years and is helping to move the call of Laudato Si to action. Her research interests include advanced oxidation for aqueous solutions, water quality analyses, emerging contaminants, air quality analyses, challenges along the Lake Michigan shoreline (such as Cladophora, water, and sediment contaminants), and student and citizen participation in environmental work.