After putting together this week’s edition of The Fitzhugh, I feel I should offer readers reusable towels ( shamwow! ) with which to wipe the green from their hands. Environment week involved much of the town and the reporters covered much of it, which contributed to a environmentally heavy paper.

It has been interesting to see newspapers cover the environment. Perhaps stricken with guilt for selling dead trees as a disposable product, or simply reflecting the hesitation with which the general public embraced environmental movements, main stream newspapers took a long time to dedicate serious space to green issues. There have been some exceptions, such as acid rain and seal clubbing, but it hasn’t been until the past decade where environmental coverage has moved beyond tokenism to an understanding of the deep rooted connections the environment plays in our everyday life. And while the economy has stolen climate change headlines, papers - even with their cuts - still dedicate space to the natural environment.

In Jasper National Park, we can scoff at these notions. Surrounded with natural beauty, living at the mercy of a continuously changing climate, it should be easy to understand ones relationship with nature. But one must remember these attitudes aren’t universal, and the learning curb is steep for many. In Ontario, I once worked at a paper where we were forced to label environmental stories for the reader. It was a gimmick, but also an exercise in how much (or how little) attention we dedicate to our air, land and water. 

But if that’s the case, why are we still picking up tonnes of garbage from the roadside each year? Why do so many of us commute so often around town?

We still have a long way to go. Modifying behaviours requires the carrot of incentive for some, and the hard stick of regulation for others. In Daniel Jacob’s article on environmentalist Godo Stoyke, the carbon buster admits that money has proven to be his most successful carrot. The talk wasn’t that well attended, but Stoyke used salesmanship and dollar figures to push a more sustainable way of life, offering to shed at least $7,000 off of your bill. In difficult economic times, his message carries weight. Hybrids and solar panels are no longer the purchases of the rich, altruistic environmentalist. They are a sign of the frugal shopper.

Other industries require another method. Note our neighbours to the states. The economic crises accelerated President Obama’s climate change plan. Originally prepared for a fight with automakers on emission standards, the U.S. government now finds itself the primary shareholder of the biggest automaker. Much easier to make modifications now.

While individuals can make small incremental changes, corporations and governments have the power to have a much greater effect through purchases and policy. Yet for some, we still wait for them to come around.

In newspapers, where are business is still killing trees to give you information, we’ve come to understand the importance of sustainability when telling the story. Here’s hoping that as the environmental coverage slows, the messages of environment week refuses to fade.