SEE, LOVE, VOTE

by Bob Kloos, President of FaCT Ohio

For a long time, I have admired the mission of NETWORK LOBBY FOR CATHOLIC SOCIAL JUSICE,  a DC social justice lobby that raises the voice of the poor and marginalized. It was founded decades ago with the help of Cleveland-based Catherine Pinkerton CSJ, a professed religious from the Congregation of Saint Joseph. She was formidable, and her legacy lives on in a very engaged nonprofit committed to empowering us in this faltering democracy.

Sr. Catherine Pinkerton, CSJ

A quick trip to their website https://networklobby.org will introduce you to their Network’s current initiative: “See. Love. Vote.” Only three words, but each word is compelling, and taken together, there is motivation sufficient to change our world, one choice at a time. Network’s aim is to impact the mid-terms, but their strategy fits neatly into our everyday efforts at FaCT Ohio. 

Imagine the difference if we would just stop to look. I see an industrialized nation accelerating the extraction of fossil fuels and the production of plastic. I see Ohio legislators labeling natural gas as “green.” I see fracking so rampant and reckless that private wells have been contaminated and the drinking water for Marietta is at risk. I see little support for solar and wind turbines in the Buckeye State even when renewables are easier to construct and can provide energy more cheaply than any other source. 

What I “see” doesn’t make sense to me. I live in a state where finite fuels are being mined as if there were no limit to the supply, and with a recklessness that does not speak well of the “public servants” who approve lease after lease. Ohio’s administration is expediting requests from the fossil fuel industry and encumbering the development of regenerative sources wherever possible. 

FaCT Ohio and our friends at Buckeye Environmental Network (benohio.org) and Save Ohio Parks (saveohioparks.org) are seeing the same realities that Ohio legislators are seeing, but our reaction is markedly different. That’s where the second word in Network’s campaign enters the conversation: “Love.” 

Love is not a word that surfaces often when “toxicity” and “legislative deadlines” and “parts per million” are the standards of measurement. When the wellbeing of our neighbor is at risk, love must be factored into every equation. If an action or remedy is not helping everyone, it should be examined. If it just helping the fossil fuel industry, it is a sellout! 

Love is the lever that lifts the health of our neighbor above the dollars big oil is willing to pay to have free access to Ohio’s resources. Love weighs the risks to drinking water in our State. Love evaluates the legislation and vows to protect our parks, forests, vulnerable species, and all sources of water in Ohio.

Love needs to be strong enough to encourage us all to measure our culture of “expand and grow” with the metric of sustainability. If we are heading down the path of disregard for our natural resources in favor of income from industry that cannot or will not guarantee the wellbeing of all living things, we must stop and turn around. That must be our VOTE. 

It will not be convenient, and it will not be easy. But we cannot continue to consume and develop and get away with calling it “progress” and “growth” if we are threatening the very environment we rely on for healthy living. What will our children do when a resource as essential as water is so contaminated with radioactive brine, PFAS, and plastic that it is unfit for human consumption? What will Ohioans do when folks from Arizona reach out and ask for a very long pipeline to bring lake water from lakes in our region to their desert lands? Who will accept responsibility for our lack of transportation options when the price of gasoline and diesel is twice what it is today? (Diesel today is already twice what it was a year ago!) 

If we are not aware of industry’s greed, Ohio legislators’ favoritism toward oil, or the many alternatives there are to plastic, we need to look more carefully so we can SEE. If we are overwhelmed by all the negative and scary facts and feel uncertain about what to do, we need to LOVE our way to something new. And if we really want to join the movement and wake the state up to a sustainable future, we must VOTE and get others to vote as well. 

It will take everyone to turn this ship around, and sadly, we have very little time to do so. We have been accelerating toward a very unsustainable way of life for decades, and we are very comfortable with our present lifestyles. FaCT Ohio believes people of faith are well poised to lead the charge. Faith communities can be the first to find ways to support one another as we embrace a more responsible way forward. 

It will be easier if we begin to SEE, LOVE, and VOTE with others. Where can we start? Begin with our own household, neighbors, and faith community members. When can we begin to change what we do? Immediately. We can encourage one another to begin right away. SEE with new eyes. Lovingly support one another. Know that every choice we make is a VOTE for a better tomorrow. 

Let each of us jot down our resolutions. Track our progress. Celebrate every decision in the right direction. And when you write that first letter to your Ohio Rep or Senator, be glad that you raised your voice in favor of a better way forward. We’ll check in down the road to see how everyone is doing. Thanks everybody!