Columbia, SC — South Carolina has long been too little, too late. Waiting for things to happen and then reacting. It is time to be proactive. It is obvious that the last thing on the government’s mind is the environment.

Let us get to the root of the problem: the lack of respect for our environment.

We are products of our environment; therefore if we do not respect our environment, we do not respect ourselves. The local government is so quick to sell out to the highest bidder regardless of the implications for our future. Columbia, the hottest city in the state, is quickly becoming the armpit of South Carolina.

We need more regulation to protect or green spaces, trees, water and air. These are essential for humans to live.

We cut trees and build concrete jungles to the point where there is no air to breathe because it is too hot, and no water to drink. We have no shade or cover to cool ourselves because we destroyed the trees that we need to live.

Until South Carolina can respect our precious resources and reduce waste, reuse resources that already have been harvested and rejuvenate old structures, we are digging our own graves. We should look to our future and ask what legacy we want for our children — a wasteland or a forest?

Lydia Sprouse

Columbia