Dear Editor,

I want to thank Jean Lowrie-Chin for that wonderful column of February 15 which addresses the failure to manage two of our precious resources – the airline and the environment. Living in a fastpaced society like New York can be stressful. I therefore look forward to vacationing in Jamaica where the pace is slower, the environment greener and where I can unwind and enjoy comfort and relaxation in my homeland.

But Jamaica seems to be catching up with the United States on many levels. Peace and tranquillity are disappearing. Noise pollution has become a huge problem in many areas and people are not recycling as much as they used to. We are chopping down trees at alarming rates and creating concrete jungles. The notion that adapting to the lifestyle of a wealthy nation like the US would lead to social and economic growth is true to some extent, but we must be selective and be aware of the consequences.

We have invaluable assets like clean air and water that the US and other developed countries have lost as a result of development.

Our rich tropical environment is a gold mine which is more than adequate with proper management to provide for our economic needs. For example, ecotourism which requires little to no development is a major revenue generator.

I have heard of a man in Jamaica who earns considerable revenue from ecotourism by pitching a few tents on his property and sometimes his guests even bring their own tents.

There are many environmentally conscious tourists who enjoy interacting with nature and are not interested in a five-star hotel. Incidentally, the owner was on the verge of selling off many acres of land that has been in his family for decades, but decided to give ecotourism a try to see how well it would work out. Evidently, it did work out well, so he held on to his land and by doing so helped to protect the environment. Unfortunately, many of us are blinded by materialism, largely due to what we see on TV, forcing us to adapt to a lifestyle that is destroying us. We need to think very carefully about what we are doing and come to the realisation that what we have in Jamaica is desired by many people.

Our rich Jamaican culture and clean environment are the envy of many tourists who have visited our beautiful island, and some have wisely decided to stay and make it their home. These tourists could clearly see and appreciate what Jamaica has to offer that many Jamaicans have essentially taken for granted. Many of us migrate to the US and other developed countries for the money. Most of us would have preferred to stay in Jamaica, but our leaders lack vision so we are unable to convert what we have into sufficient revenue to provide for our needs, forcing many of us to leave the country for a socalled better life.

Norman Edmonson

bigupja2@hotmail.com