By Nick Matzke

Let’s talk about our future. With all the pressing issues in today’s society, we often forget about the long haul: the issues that may not have a huge effect today, but make a huge difference in 10, 20, 50 years – or longer. These issues include massive federal-level deficits, all manner of pension fund cuts, transportation and development policy, and – of course – the environment. While most decisions and policies today don’t look much past the immediate future, their effects live on for many years; since the start of industry, we’ve been emitting absurd levels of toxins, harming not just our environment but also our health. Unfortunately, our current policies and development standards are creating infrastructure that locks in massive emissions of mercury, arsenic, and a whole load of other toxins – and that’s just from electrical generation. As Americans and as Minnesotans, we need to seriously rethink and discuss the way we relate to the environment, for our own sake. Luckily, there’s a chance to do that on campus next week! On Monday, Feb 20th, Congresswoman Betty McCollum is coming to campus to talk about the state’s and nation’s pressing environmental issues, and wants to hear our thoughts, concerns, and ideas. I know, it’s a busy time of year for students, but when isn’t? We need to rethink how we treat our environment; we may as well do it now.