Focus on positive

Here they go again (BDN, Feb 2, “NRCM blasts mercury progress”). The Natural Resources Council of Maine releases a memo blasting a company, HoltraChem, because, in NRCM’s mind, it hasn’t done enough. While the Department of Environmental Protection and state officials elsewhere are applauding the company for their significant improvement, major financial investments and measurable reductions in pollutants, NRCM only focuses on the negative.

This environmental organization seems to take the same negative approach against many industries, forest products included. More than 3.2 million acres of working forests have undergone a third-party audit in the last year on sustainable forestry practices conducted by independent scientists and objective experts.

By year 2002, 8 million acres will have undergone an independent Third-party audit, including the state. But rather than congratulate those landowners, NRCM just provides negative criticism by saying that the landowner didn’t use the program of their choice.

It’s time to focus on the positive, as Gov. King aptly did during his State of the State speech. As my mother always said, you attract more with honey than vinegar. Abby Holman Executive director Maine Forest Products Council Augusta