Read online at The Baltimore Sun…

For almost 30 years now, Hieronimus & Co. in its various radio broadcasts, television, print, online, and other public forums has addressed the increasing weather extremes as a result of global warming. This discussion began in earnest in 1985 among scientists, and only now is it becoming self-evident with the October surprise of Hurricane Sandy, not to mention the severe droughts, floods, record temperatures worldwide, and other anomalous weather patterns and their deleterious impacts on animals, nature and humans.

As the East Coast encounters this “Frankenstorm,” I hope more citizens appreciate the lackluster environmental policies promoted by former Gov. Mitt Romney and less than robust initiatives of the Congress and President Barack Obama whom I voted for and will again. It is also possible to see that dividing citizens is not a progressive nor productive outcome of the current election or media and is the result of the outright corporate theft of what once was a prerogative of citizens. Candidates are now bought and sold by their underwriters rather than being chosen by the people they are obligated to serve. We all must hold Congress accountable for their perpetual failure regarding our earth’s well being.

In fact, what we need now on Earth as in America is unity. The consequences of our 100 years of polluting the seas, the skies, the soil and our food system for short-sighted corporate profit means that everyone will suffer together for generations to come.

Now is the time to use our best intelligence and our greatest loving hearts to pursue sustainable energy systems, agricultural and environmental strategies as we vigorously pursue proper stewardship of the earth.

May Hurricane Sandy be a teacher that promotes why we must work together in realizing that “what we do to the earth, we do to ourselves,” which was the slogan I coined in 1990 for Earth Day in Maryland. Every day is an Earth Day, and we are called to loving union to correct what we can plainly see has been driven by greed and an entrenched status quo, rather than by a life economy guided by reverence for all that exists on this great planet Earth.

Zohara M. Hieronimus, Owings Mills