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Opinion
Smoky Mountain News
My own 1971 history project M
Doing your part on Earth Day 2021 To the Editor: Since last Earth Day the Atlantic hurricane season saw a record number of storms and the rapid intensification of storms. Dry conditions and record temperatures in the West produced one of the worst fire seasons ever. Sea level rises and entire villages have to relocate. So, what can we do as individuals? First, become informed about the reality of climate change and actions to combat it. Second, get involved personally. The websites of these nonprofits fighting to save our planet provide information and means for involvement: Citizens Climate Lobby, League of Conservation Voters, 350.org, Sierra Club, National Resources Defense Council, Nature Conservancy, and others. Citizens Climate Lobby is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy organization that seeks to build political support for climate action through the work of 594 chapters worldwide. We have a chapter here in Sylva (check it out on Facebook at wncccl.weebly.com) and consider joining. Our goal is passage of HR 2307: “To create a Carbon Dividend Trust Fund for the American people in order to encourage market-driven innovation of clean energy technology and market efficiencies which will reduce harmful pollution and leave a healthier, more stable, and more prosperous nation for future genera-
painted the exterior brick white with black trim and kept the mid-century modern look when it came to furniture and decor. Now, not only do I adore the house but am excited to continue renovations. Yes, the bathrooms and closets are small but that’s OK. We 21st century folk may be too spoiled when it comes to those spaces anyway. Our house was built half a century ago. Ironically, the most recent issue of Bon Appétit highlighted the year 1971 with the subtitle, “How 1971 Changed Food Forever.” Wonka & the Chocolate Factory released and was Columnist the first and perhaps only movie produced by a food corporation, Quaker Oats. The first frozen margaritas appeared in Dallas when a restaurant owner fashioned a margarita machine out of a soft-serve ice cream machine. General Mills offered the world two “vitamin-charged” cereals in Count Chocula and Franken Berry. Meanwhile, competitors over at Post introduced Cocoa and Fruity Pebbles. Hamburger Helper hit grocery store shelves, which was helpful due to post-Vietnam food prices. This same year, Chicago restaurant owner, R.J. Grunts, popularized the salad bar and Chez Panisse welcomed its first diners, igniting a national interest in local food. The year 1971 brought several other monumental events that changed American culture forever. McDonalds introduced the Quarter Pounder and a little shop called Starbucks
Susanna Shetley
y boyfriend and I recently bought a vintage house. It was built in 1971. When the realtor gave us a tour, I furrowed my brow trying to imagine our blended family of seven settling into such an abode. Prior to finding this house, we’d been looking at modern homes with open floor plans, bright and airy kitchens, two-car garages and large closets. About a week after viewing the house and dismissing it, my boyfriend looked at me seriously, prepping me for a sincere conversation. He knows when I make up my mind it’s hard to change it, but he asked that I hear him out. He said the house had potential, was located in a great part of town, and most importantly, had room for such a large brood. Truth be told, there were some things I loved such as the classic step-down living room signature of 1970s homes, the spacious outdoor entertaining spaces, the large rec room downstairs and it being in an older, established neighborhood where the landscaping was robust and beautiful. We walked through the house a second time. I opened my eyes and tried to envision the place after some changes and updates. My biggest annoyances were the wall-to-wall carpeting in every room, the dated kitchen, rooms that were cut off from one another and the lack of an HVAC system. The exterior brick was an ugly, boring municipal-looking color. Nonetheless, these were components that could be altered. We decided to purchase. After seven months of ownership, we ripped out carpet and put in hardwoods, installed an HVAC on the top floor, knocked down a wall between the living and dining rooms,
LETTERS tions.” The tax on carbon emissions is returned to citizens as a dividend. This bill has 35 co-sponsors in the House but no Republican! The survival of our planet shouldn’t be a political issue! In addition to joining a climate advocacy organization there are other specific things we can do as concerned citizens. Plant trees on your land. Do you know that trees remove carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen into the air? Another reason we must protect our forests. Do you know that methane gas traps 28 times more heat than carbon dioxide and that the 1.4 billion cattle and other grazers produce methane. Consider using an alternative to dairy milk like Silk — almond, oat, soy or coconut milk. These products use 80 percent less water to make than dairy milk and are healthy. Do you know that 18 billion pounds of plastic ends up in the oceans each year, that some of the marine life we eat ingests it, and we do by eating them? More than 40 percent of the plastic items we use are used just once and less than 10 percent is recycled.We all can practice the 3 Rs — Reuse, Refuse, Recycle. Take your own tote to the grocery store! Ingles plans to eliminate plastic bags. Refuse plastic straws! Recycle all the plastic that you must use! This Earth Day pledge to make every day an earth day by doing something to protect the only home we’ve got: learn, sign petitions, recycle, call/write/email Sens. Burr and Tillis
opened in Seattle. FedEx launched, making cross-country shipments easy and fast. Intel released the world’s first microprocessor, which some say was the start of the digital age. National Public Radio (NPR) broadcasts for the first time, the voting age is lowered to 18 and Walt Disney Resort opens in Florida. Charles Manson and three followers are sentenced to the death penalty. Apollo 14 returns to Earth after the third manned moon landing. Black Panther party member Ericka Huggins left prison May 25, 1971. She was hungry and had been during her entire sentence. Upon her release, she joined the Panthers’ Free Breakfast Program, which fed schoolchildren at no cost and laid the groundwork for modern activism. Buying an old house makes a person step into the past. Sometimes I like to think of the people who walked the same floors, who sat on the same deck or pulled into the same carport. I wonder who planted that butterfly bush out back or the Bradford pear that blooms on the front knoll. I like feeling connected to and curious about those who came before me. The year 1971 was a mere blip in the grand scheme of American history, 365 days that held a lot of action and innovation. We’re now living in another time that’s seeing dramatic changes, technological advances, social injustice and political unrest. In 50 more years, I’ll be 91-years old, and I’m sure there will be a 41-year old woman who buys a house or picks up a magazine from 2021 and is intrigued about all that happened during that momentous year. I like to think of her. She gives me courage to stay positive and do all I can to make this world a better place while I’m here. (Susanna Shetley is a writer, editor and digital media specialist with the Smoky Mountain News, Smoky Mountain Living, and Mountain South Media. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com)
and Rep. Cawthorn asking them to support HR 2307, join an organization that fights climate change, elect candidates that are proenvironment, plant trees, etc. Together we can win the climate war. Gene Tunnell, Ph.D Sylva
Why I volunteer To the Editor: Why do we do it? Why do stand out in the rain, wind, snow, and hot sun for eight hours (sometimes more)? Who are we? We are the volunteers you see at the Haywood County’s MASSVAX clinics at the fairgrounds. In the time I have been volunteering with the clinics I have talked to other volunteers and feel I can tell you why we do it. We do it because we believe in the need for vaccination to help rid us of COVID-19. We do it because the citizens of Haywood County need us. Without the volunteers there could be no MASSVAX clinics. We do it to help educate the community. What do we get out of being out there in all types of weather and on our feet for hours on end? We get the “thank yous” from the people receiving the vaccine. It is amazing what a simple and sincere “thank you” does for you. You find yourself with the biggest smile (behind your mask). We get to make a difference in people’s lives. I get a chance to talk to some of the folks while they are waiting in line. We get to laugh with the folks —
they may tell a joke or just share an amusing story. Many touch your soul. You cannot put a price tag on what we receive from helping with this effort. We are blessed with citizens who have thanked us with cookies, breakfast biscuits, fruit, donuts and even chocolate milk! We are blessed with organizations that have provided lunch for all of us. We are blessed to be working with an amazing group of people. So, as long as the MASSVAX clinics continue you will see us in all types of weather and feeling blessed that we are able to be part of this effort. Mary Ford Waynesville
Past time to hike minimum wage To the Editor: While lawmakers at the federal level stall on a $15 per hour minimum wage, let’s remember that we don’t have to wait. We can do what 29 other states have done and raise our state minimum wage. We just need the political will to do it. The minimum wage hasn’t gone up in almost 12 years. North Carolina’s economy can’t wait anymore. Continually asking workers to get up early with their families, go to one job for eight hours, get off, go to their second job until the early hours, and then turn around to start all over again —
