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Washington State Centennial Celebration 9/19/89 [1]
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#1376
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Spokane, Washington)
For Immediate Release
September 19, 1989
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT THE WASHINGTON STATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
Riverfront Park
Spokane, Washington
10:02 A.M. PDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very, very much. Thank you,
Tom -- thank you, Speaker Foley, for that very kind introduction.
Please be seated -- sorry about that. (Laughter.) Oh, heavens, what
a day. And thanks to the magnificent performances and performers on
the Opera House steps over here. You added considerably to this.
Thank you all very much. (Applause.)
Let me say at the very beginning that Washington State is
very lucky to have a friend like Tom Foley in the Nation's Capital.
(Applause.) He is a man of integrity, decency, fair play, and, okay,
he's a Democrat but -- (laughter) -- he's a man I'm very proud and
honored to work with. And you should be very fortunate to have him
as your Congressman, just as I am to have him as the nation's
Speaker.
Mrs. Foley --
VOICE IN THE AUDIENCE: Yea, Mother! (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: (Laughter.) See she brought the family.
(Laughter.) And my old friend, Joel Pritchard, the Lieutenant
Governor. Thank you all for your warm welcome. My congratulations
to Cochairman Ralph Monroe and Jane Gardner -- Washington's First
Lady -- on a great Centennial. And Mayor Pro Temp Higgins, you've
got a beautiful city here to be proud of.
And then I'd like to just say hello all the way across
the country to Senator Slade Gorton, thanking him for all his work on
behalf of the people of this great state.
You know, back in 1889 when President Harrison sent a
letter -- telegram, rather -- to the first governor of Washington to
tell him that Washington had become the 42nd state, he sent the
telegram collect. (Laughter.) Well, that's one way to balance the
budget. (Laughter.)
It's a pleasure to be here at the dawn of a second
century of statehood, here in the Evergreen State. I'm not going to
give you, you can be pleased to know, the usual stump speech, and I
may be going out on a limb here, but I think most of America thinks
of you as the real Washington. (Applause.) Yours is a land of rich
resources and resourceful people. Salmon, gold, timber in abundance
brought us here, as the promise of the Pacific brought the railroads
west.
There has always been -- and will always be -- a sense
that the future is being decided here in this Gateway to the Pacific.
Here in Washington you're doing well. Living in a state
with exports that went up nearly 40 percent last year alone, leading
MORE
- 2 -
the nation in exports per capita. And cutting unemployment from 10
percent to six percent over the last five years -- during a time of
rapid population growth. And last month you held a Pacific Summit
that reminded America how crucial the interrelations between nations
are for our future.
Even now, your able Governor is in Japan -- Governor
Gardner. Last Thursday he attended groundbreaking ceremonies for
Washington Village, a housing development in Kobe, Japan, using
Washington finished forest products and U.S. construction methods.
And that means $10 million for the state of Washington -- and a great
American export to Japan.
Washington has had a wonderful 100 years and you deserve
a great centennial celebration. But it's the future that I'm here to
talk to you about today. I took this trip out West because I'm
concerned as I think we all are -- about the future of the planet
we share. You see, it won't be enough to restore our balance of
trade if we throw off the balance of nature. (Applause.)
In South Dakota, I talked about the need to restore the
balance of nature here at home and how each of us can begin by
planting a single tree. In Montana, I talked about interdependence
-- how the actions we take and the pollutants we create have
consequences that are being felt the world over. And today, I'm
asking all Americans to join in a renewed spirit of conservation -- a
new commitment to a more careful stewardship of the natural world.
And at my side, I'm glad to have such an able and
sensible Environmental Protection Agency EPA -- Administrator Bill
Reilly with me here today -- a man in whom I have a great deal of
confidence and trust.
You see, I think many of us are beginning to understand
something that Native Americans understood long before we got here.
When it comes to preservation of our precious environment, there's a
connection between the smallest individual action and widespread
global consequences.
No words convey that better than a legendary speech given
in the 1800s by an Indian chief named Seattle. "The Earth does not
belong to man," he said, "man belongs to the Earth. Whatever happens
to the Earth happens to the sons of the Earth. The sky, the lands
which appear changeless and eternal may change. Continue to foul the
Earth and you will achieve an end to living and the mere beginning of
survival. You must teach your children that the Earth is rich.
Teach your children that to harm the Earth is to heap contempt upon
its creator."
Chief Seattle understood what it has taken us a century
to learn. Our material prosperity and economic growth have served us
well. But now, together, we must find new ways to apply the
creativity of the marketplace in the service of the environment.
Sound ecology and a strong economy can and, indeed, must coexist. I
am convinced that we need not yield to the extremes. We must and
will protect the environment, and we must and will protect the jobs
of the working men and women of the state of Washington. (Applause.)
There is no question in my mind -- we can do both.
We have an opportunity to renew the environmental ethic
in America and to reassert U.S. leadership on environmental
challenges around the world. And that's an opportunity that we
simply cannot afford to miss.
In the eight months since I was sworn in as President,
we've moved fast and hard to make the environment a priority. We're
seeking a worldwide ban by the year 2000 on CFCs, which destroy the
ozone layer. We've prohibited imports of ivory and prices have
dropped by 50 percent -- making elephant poaching less profitable.
And we're working for a policy that would ban the export of hazardous
MORE
- 3 -
wastes unless we're sure they'll be disposed of safely.
We've proposed tougher laws to eliminate medical waste on
our beautiful beaches. And we want to expand dozens of forests and
parks and refuges across America. We've announced a national goal of
no net loss of wetlands. And we've laid out detailed proposals to
stem acid rain, cut urban smog, clean up air toxics and encourage the
use of alternative fuels -- with a clean air bill that achieves 95
percent of the smog-causing VOC reductions sought by competing
legislation -- at a cost of $6.5 billion less.
And that's just in eight months. And as your President,
I plan to stay involved, helping to protect our precious environment.
As long as I remain President I will do that.
When it comes to clean air, we need action on the
legislation that we've proposed -- now. Every day that passes is
another day that we are postponing progress on clean air. And we've
brought people together and put a sound proposal on the table. And
now it is up to the United States Congress to pass this clean air
legislation and pass it this year. (Applause.)
But if we really hope to recover, restore and preserve
our natural heritage, that "other Washington" can't do it alone. And
the answer can't simply be limited to new laws. It must be more
fundamental. It lies in a shared sense of personal responsibility --
a new environmental awareness on the part of all Americans.
Through millions of individual decisions -- simple,
everyday, personal choices -- we are determining the fate of the
Earth. So the conclusion is also simple: We're all responsible, and
it's surprisingly easy to move from being part of the problem to
being part of the solution.
So many of the big problems -- coastal water pollution,
pesticides in groundwater, urban smog and municipal garbage -- aren't
simply caused by large power plants and refineries -- and many can't
be solved by national legislation alone. Millions of small, diverse
sources contribute to these problems -- including the everyday
behavior of people at work and at home. And such overwhelming
environmental challenges can be solved by individual determination
that we can do better.
Local communities; businesses, large and small;
individual families -- all can learn to generate less waste, recycle
more of the waste that is generated. In fact, those that do have
discovered that there are sound economic side effects. Environmental
protection makes economic sense.
The people of Washington state, in fact, have a history
of showing the rest of the nation the way. Back in the 1940s, J.P.
Weyerhaeuser moved the lumber industry from simply harvesting forest
resources towards comprehensive management of tree farms that could
endure indefinitely. And after research into product development,
Weyerhaeuser began introducing marketable products made from what was
once treated as waste.
The 3M Corporation announced last spring that since
starting their pollution prevention program in 1975, the company has
saved $408 million -- and prevented 111,000 tons of air pollutants,
15,000 tons of water pollutants, and 388,000 tons of solid waste from
being released into the environment. And they've done it by
rewarding employees for coming up with good ideas.
In the city of Seattle, fees for waste disposal have been
an incentive for businesses and households to reduce the amount of
waste produced. And I understand that over the last several years,
waste has been cut here by nearly a fourth.
So the power of the marketplace can encourage
MORE
- 4 -
conservation -- with spectacular results -- results that need to be
duplicated everywhere in America. I am delighted to be able to make
these comments about your city in your city so they'll be heard
across the rest of the United States.
You know, 15 years ago when Spokane invited the world
over for a visit at 1974 Expo, it became the first World's Fair to
put the focus -- the world's focus, if you will, on the environment.
It was a good beginning. And we've made progress since
then. And perhaps nothing better symbolizes that than the surging
river that pulses through Spokane -- a river that first lured men
here as a source of protection, transportation, and sustenance. Such
damage was done to this river by the early part of this century that
by 1938, the Spokane River was called "a serious health hazard." And
over the past few decades, you have restored and reclaimed this
magnificent river. The damage has been reversed -- totally turned
around. Nature's balance has been restored -- and the river had been
reborn.
The ethic of Native Americans like Chief Seattle must
also be reborn on this continent. His was a religious understanding,
that the whole Earth has a soul that can be destroyed by man. He saw
the world as a spiritual place, of precious but fragile beauty.
Over a century ago, he said, "Hold in your mind the
memory of the land as it was when you found it. And with all your
strength, with all your mind, with all your heart, preserve it for
your children and love it as God loves us all." (Applause.)
That is a challenge to us all. The American people --
all people -- need a fuller relationship with the world they live in,
a better understanding of causes and effects. And if the Earth is an
altar, we must make it an altar not of sacrifice, but of celebration
-- a place where our commitment to restoring its natural beauty is
felt in a thousand everyday decisions.
You've made one of those decisions today -- by deciding
to plant a centennial tree. May it grow, flourish, and symbolize the
hope of a new century -- that man will one day be reconciled to
nature once again.
What a spectacular day in the state of Washington. Thank
you for inviting me. God bless you, God bless this state, and God
bless the United States of America. Thank you all very, very much.
(Applause.)
END
10:20 A.M. PDT
FICE
REMARKS: CENTENNIAL OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1989
10:00 A.M.
THANK YOU, SPEAKER FOLEY FOR THAT KIND
INTRODUCTION.
WASHINGTON STATE IS VERY LUCKY TO HAVE A FRIEND
LIKE ToM FOLEY IN THE NATION'S CAPITAL. HE IS A MAN OF
INTEGRITY -- OF DECENCY AND FAIR PLAY -- AND A MAN I'M
PROUD AND HONORED TO WORK WITH.
MRS. FOLEY, AND LT. GOVERNOR PRITCHARD THANK YOU
FOR YOUR WARM WELCOME. CONGRATULATIONS TO CO-CHAIRMEN
RALPH MONROE AND JANE GARDNER, WASHINGTON'S FIRST LADY,
ON A GREAT CENTENNIAL. AND MAYOR PRO-TEM HIGGINS:
YOU'VE GOT A BEAUTIFUL CITY HERE TO BE PROUD OF. AND
LET ME JUST SAY HELLO TO SLADE GORTON BACK IN D.C. --
FOR ALL HIS GOOD WORK ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE OF YOUR
GREAT STATE.
[[ YOU KNOW, BACK IN 1889, WHEN PRESIDENT HARRISON
SENT A TELEGRAM TO THE FIRST GOVERNOR OF WASHINGTON --
TO TELL HIM THAT WASHINGTON HAD BECOME THE 42ND STATE -
- HE SENT THE TELEGRAM COLLECT. [PAUSE] WELL, THAT'S
ONE WAY TO BALANCE THE BUDGET.
- 2 -
IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE, AT THE DAWN OF A
SECOND CENTURY OF STATEHOOD, HERE IN THE EVERGREEN
STATE. I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU THE USUAL "STUMP"
SPEECH. AND I MAY BE GOING OUT ON A LIMB, HERE -- BUT
I THINK MOST OF AMERICA THINKS OF YOU AS THE REAL
WASHINGTON. [PAUSE] ]]
YOURS IS A LAND OF RICH RESOURCES -- AND
RESOURCEFUL PEOPLE. SALMON, GOLD, AND TIMBER IN
ABUNDANCE BROUGHT US HERE, AS THE PROMISE OF THE
PACIFIC BROUGHT THE RAILROADS WEST.
THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN -- AND WILL ALWAYS BE -- A
SENSE THAT THE FUTURE IS BEING DECIDED HERE IN THIS
GATEWAY TO THE PACIFIC. HERE IN WASHINGTON YOU'RE
DOING WELL. LIVING IN A STATE WITH EXPORTS THAT WENT
UP NEARLY 40 PERCENT LAST YEAR. LEADING THE NATION IN
EXPORTS PER CAPITA. AND CUTTING UNEMPLOYMENT FROM 10
PERCENT TO 6 PERCENT OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS -- DURING
A TIME OF RAPID POPULATION GROWTH.
LAST MONTH YOU HELD A PACIFIC SUMMIT THAT REMINDED
AMERICA HOW CRUCIAL THE INTERRELATIONS BETWEEN NATIONS
ARE FOR OUR FUTURE.
- 3 -
EVEN NOW, GOVERNOR GARDNER IS IN JAPAN. LAST
THURSDAY HE ATTENDED GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONIES FOR
WASHINGTON VILLAGE, A HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN KOBE [KOH-
BAY], JAPAN USING WASHINGTON FINISHED FOREST PRODUCTS
AND U.S. CONSTRUCTION METHODS. THAT MEANS $10 MILLION
FOR THE STATE OF WASHINGTON - -- AND A GREAT AMERICAN
EXPORT TO JAPAN.
WASHINGTON HAS HAD A WONDERFUL 100 YEARS -- AND
YOU DESERVE A GREAT CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. BUT IT'S
THE FUTURE I'M HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT TODAY.
I TOOK THIS TRIP OUT WEST BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED --
AS I THINK WE ALL ARE -- ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE PLANET
WE SHARE.
IT WON'T BE ENOUGH TO RESTORE OUR BALANCE OF TRADE, IF
WE THROW OFF THE BALANCE OF NATURE.
IN SOUTH DAKOTA, I TALKED ABOUT THE NEED TO
RESTORE THE BALANCE OF NATURE HERE AT HOME -- AND HOW
EACH OF US CAN BEGIN BY PLANTING A SINGLE TREE.
- 4 -
IN MONTANA, I TALKED ABOUT INTERDEPENDENCE -- HOW
THE ACTIONS WE TAKE AND THE POLLUTANTS WE CREATE HAVE
CONSEQUENCES THAT ARE BEING FELT THE WORLD OVER.
TODAY, I'M ASKING ALL AMERICANS TO JOIN IN A
RENEWED SPIRIT OF CONSERVATION -- A NEW COMMITMENT, TO
A MORE CAREFUL STEWARDSHIP OF THE NATURAL WORLD.
ANY AT MY SIDE, I'M GLAD TO HAVE SUCH AN ABLE AND
SENSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY -- EPA --
ADMINISTRATOR -- BILL REILLY -- A MAN IN WHOM I HAVE A
GREAT DEAL OF CONFIDENCE AND TRUST.
YOU SEE, I THINK MANY OF US ARE BEGINNING TO
UNDERSTAND SOMETHING THAT NATIVE AMERICANS UNDERSTOOD
LONG BEFORE WE GOT HERE: WHEN IT COMES TO THE
PRESERVATION OF OUR PRECIOUS ENVIRONMENT, THERE'S A
CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SMALLEST INDIVIDUAL ACTION, AND
WIDESPREAD, GLOBAL CONSEQUENCES.
NO WORDS CONVEY THAT BETTER THAN A LEGENDARY
SPEECH GIVEN IN THE 1800S, BY AN INDIAN CHIEF NAMED
SEATTLE:
- 5 -
"THE EARTH DOES NOT BELONG TO MAN," HE SAID, "MAN
BELONGS TO THE EARTH. WHATEVER HAPPENS TO THE EARTH,
HAPPENS TO THE SONS OF THE EARTH. THE SKY, THE LANDS
WHICH APPEAR CHANGELESS AND ETERNAL, MAY CHANGE.
"CONTINUE TO FOUL THE EARTH AND YOU WILL ACHIEVE
AN END TO LIVING - -- AND THE MERE BEGINNING OF SURVIVAL.
YOU MUST TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THAT THE EARTH IS RICH.
TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THAT TO HARM THE EARTH, IS TO HEAP
CONTEMPT UPON ITS CREATOR."
CHIEF SEATTLE UNDERSTOOD WHAT IT HAS TAKEN US A
CENTURY TO LEARN. OUR MATERIAL PROSPERITY AND ECONOMIC
GROWTH HAVE SERVED US WELL. BUT NOW, TOGETHER, WE MUST
FIND NEW WAYS TO APPLY THE CREATIVITY OF THE
MARKETPLACE, IN THE SERVICE OF THE ENVIRONMENT. SOUND
ECOLOGY AND A STRONG ECONOMY CAN COEXIST.
WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO RENEW THE ENVIRONMENTAL
ETHIC IN AMERICA -- AND TO REASSERT U.S. LEADERSHIP ON
ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES, AROUND THE WORLD. THAT'S AN
OPPORTUNITY WE CAN'T AFFORD TO MISS.
- 6 -
IN THE EIGHT MONTHS SINCE I WAS SWORN IN AS
PRESIDENT, WE'VE MOVED FAST AND HARD TO MAKE THE
ENVIRONMENT A PRIORITY. WE'RE SEEKING A WORLDWIDE BAN,
BY THE YEAR 2000, ON THE CFCS WHICH DESTROY THE OZONE
LAYER. WE'VE PROHIBITED IMPORTS OF IVORY, AND PRICES
HAVE DROPPED BY 50 PERCENT -- MAKING ELEPHANT POACHING
LESS PROFITABLE. AND WE'RE WORKING FOR A POLICY THAT
WOULD BAN THE EXPORT OF HAZARDOUS WASTES UNLESS WE'RE
SURE THEY'LL BE DISPOSED OF SAFELY.
WE'VE PROPOSED TOUGHER LAWS TO ELIMINATE MEDICAL
WASTE ON BEACHES. WE WANT TO EXPAND DOZENS OF FORESTS,
PARKS, AND REFUGES ACROSS AMERICA. WE'VE ANNOUNCED A
NATIONAL GOAL OF NO NET LOSS OF WETLANDS.
AND WE'VE LAID OUT DETAILED PROPOSALS TO STEM ACID
RAIN, CUT URBAN SMOG, CLEAN UP AIR TOXICS, AND
ENCOURAGE THE USE OF ALTERNATIVE FUELS -- WITH A CLEAN
AIR BILL THAT ACHIEVES 95 PERCENT OF THE SMOG-CAUSING
VOC REDUCTIONS SOUGHT BY COMPETING LEGISLATION -- AT A
COST OF 6.5 BILLION DOLLARS LESS.
- 7 -
THAT'S JUST IN EIGHT MONTHS -- AND I PLAN TO STAY
INVOLVED, HELPING TO PROTECT OUR PRECIOUS ENVIRONMENT,
AS LONG AS I AM PRESIDENT.
WHEN IT COMES TO CLEAN AIR, WE NEED ACTION ON THE
LEGISLATION WE'VE PROPOSED -- NOW. EVERY DAY THAT
PASSES IS ANOTHER DAY WE'RE POSTPONING PROGRESS ON
CLEAN AIR. WE'VE BROUGHT PEOPLE TOGETHER, AND PUT A
SOUND PROPOSAL ON THE TABLE. NOW IT IS UP TO THE
CONGRESS, TO PASS THIS CLEAN AIR LEGISLATION, THIS
YEAR.
BUT IF WE REALLY HOPE TO RECOVER, RESTORE, AND
PRESERVE OUR NATURAL HERITAGE, THAT "OTHER WASHINGTON"
CAN'T DO IT ALONE. AND THE ANSWER CAN'T SIMPLY BE
LIMITED TO NEW LAWS.
IT MUST BE MORE FUNDAMENTAL. IT LIES IN A SHARED
SENSE OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY -- A NEW ENVIRONMENTAL
AWARENESS -- ON THE PART OF ALL AMERICANS.
- 8 -
THROUGH MILLIONS OF INDIVIDUAL DECISIONS --
SIMPLE, EVERYDAY, PERSONAL CHOICES -- WE'RE DETERMINING
THE FATE OF THE EARTH. SO THE CONCLUSION IS ALSO
SIMPLE: WE'RE ALL RESPONSIBLE.
AND IT'S
SURPRISINGLY EASY TO MOVE FROM BEING PART OF THE
PROBLEM, TO BEING PART OF THE SOLUTION.
SO MANY OF THE BIG PROBLEMS -- COASTAL WATER
POLLUTION, PESTICIDES IN GROUNDWATER, URBAN SMOG, AND
MUNICIPAL GARBAGE -- AREN'T SIMPLY CAUSED BY LARGE
POWERPLANTS AND REFINERIES -- AND MANY CAN'T BE SOLVED
BY NATIONAL LEGISLATION ALONE.
MILLIONS OF SMALL, DIVERSE SOURCES CONTRIBUTE TO
THESE PROBLEMS -- INCLUDING THE EVERYDAY BEHAVIOR OF
PEOPLE AT WORK AND AT HOME. AND SUCH OVERWHELMING
ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES CAN BE SOLVED -- BY INDIVIDUAL
DETERMINATION THAT WE CAN DO BETTER.
LOCAL COMMUNITIES, BUSINESSES LARGE AND SMALL,
INDIVIDUAL FAMILIES -- ALL CAN LEARN TO GENERATE LESS
WASTE, AND RECYCLE MORE OF THE WASTE THAT IS GENERATED.
- 9 -
IN FACT, THOSE THAT DO, HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THERE
ARE SOUND ECONOMIC SIDE-EFFECTS. ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION MAKES ECONOMIC SENSE.
THE PEOPLE OF WASHINGTON STATE, IN FACT, HAVE A
HISTORY OF SHOWING THE REST OF THE NATION THE WAY.
BACK IN THE 1940S, J.P. WEYERHAEUSER [WHERE-HOWZER],
JR. MOVED THE LUMBER INDUSTRY FROM SIMPLY HARVESTING
FOREST RESOURCES, TOWARD COMPREHENSIVE MANAGEMENT OF
TREE FARMS THAT COULD ENDURE INDEFINITELY.
AND AFTER RESEARCH INTO PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT,
WEYERHAEUSER BEGAN INTRODUCING MARKETABLE PRODUCTS MADE
FROM WHAT WAS ONCE TREATED AS WASTE.
THE 3M CORPORATION ANNOUNCED LAST SPRING THAT
SINCE STARTING THEIR POLLUTION PREVENTION PROGRAM IN
1975, THE COMPANY HAS SAVED $408 MILLION -- AND
PREVENTED 111,000 TONS OF AIR POLLUTANTS, 15,000 TONS
OF WATER POLLUTANTS, AND 388,000 TONS OF SOLID WASTE
FROM BEING RELEASED INTO THE ENVIRONMENT. AND THEY'VE
DONE IT BY REWARDING EMPLOYEES FOR COMING UP WITH THE
IDEAS.
- 10 -
IN THE CITY OF SEATTLE, FEES FOR WASTE DISPOSAL
HAVE BEEN AN INCENTIVE FOR BUSINESSES AND HOUSEHOLDS TO
REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF WASTE PRODUCED. I UNDERSTAND THAT
OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, WASTE HAS BEEN CUT BY
NEARLY A FOURTH.
SO THE POWER OF THE MARKETPLACE CAN ENCOURAGE
CONSERVATION -- WITH SPECTACULAR RESULTS. RESULTS THAT
NEED TO BE DUPLICATED EVERYWHERE IN AMERICA.
YOU KNOW, FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, WHEN SPOKANE INVITED
THE WORLD OVER FOR A VISIT, THE 1974 EXPO BECAME THE
FIRST WORLD'S FAIR TO FOCUS ON THE ENVIRONMENT.
IT WAS A GOOD BEGINNING. AND WE HAVE MADE
PROGRESS SINCE THEN. PERHAPS NOTHING BETTER SYMBOLIZES
THAT, THAN THE SURGING RIVER THAT PULSES THROUGH
SPOKANE -- A RIVER THAT FIRST LURED MEN HERE AS A
SOURCE OF PROTECTION, TRANSPORTATION, AND SUSTENANCE.
SUCH DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THIS RIVER BY THE EARLY
PART OF THIS CENTURY, THAT BY 1938, THE SPOKANE RIVER
WAS CALLED "A SERIOUS HEALTH HAZARD."
- 11 -
OVER THE PAST FEW DECADES, YOU HAVE RESTORED AND
RECLAIMED THIS MAGNIFICENT RIVER. THE DAMAGE HAS BEEN
REVERSED -- NATURE'S BALANCE HAS BEEN RESTORED -- AND
THE RIVER HAS BEEN REBORN.
THE ETHIC OF NATIVE AMERICANS LIKE CHIEF SEATTLE
MUST ALSO BE REBORN ON THIS CONTINENT. HIS WAS A
RELIGIOUS UNDERSTANDING, THAT THE WHOLE EARTH HAS A
SOUL THAT CAN BE DESTROYED BY MAN. HE SAW THE WORLD AS
A SPIRITUAL PLACE, OF PRECIOUS BUT FRAGILE BEAUTY.
OVER A CENTURY AGO, HE SAID, "HOLD IN YOUR MIND
THE MEMORY OF THE LAND AS IT WAS WHEN YOU FOUND IT.
AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, WITH ALL YOUR MIND, WITH
ALL YOUR HEART, PRESERVE IT FOR YOUR CHILDREN, AND LOVE
IT AS GOD LOVES US ALL."
THAT IS A CHALLENGE TO US ALL. THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE -- ALL PEOPLE -- NEED A FULLER RELATIONSHIP WITH
THE WORLD THEY LIVE IN. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF
CAUSES, AND EFFECTS.
- 12 -
AND IF THE EARTH IS AN ALTAR, WE MUST MAKE IT AN
ALTAR NOT OF SACRIFICE, BUT OF CELEBRATION. A PLACE
WHERE OUR COMMITMENT TO RESTORING ITS NATURAL BEAUTY IS
FELT IN A THOUSAND EVERYDAY DECISIONS.
YOU'VE MADE ONE OF THOSE DECISIONS TODAY -- BY
DECIDING TO PLANT A CENTENNIAL TREE. MAY IT GROW,
FLOURISH, AND SYMBOLIZE THE HOPE OF A NEW CENTURY:
THAT MAN WILL ONE DAY BE RECONCILED TO NATURE ONCE
AGAIN.
GOD BLESS YOU. GOD BLESS THE GREAT STATE OF
WASHINGTON. AND GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA.
###
FILE
REMARKS: CENTENNIAL OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1989
10:00 A.M.
89 SEP 16 P6: 12
THANK YOU, SPEAKER FOLEY FOR THAT KIND
INTRODUCTION.
WASHINGTON STATE IS VERY LUCKY TO HAVE A FRIEND
LIKE TOM FOLEY IN THE NATION'S CAPITAL. HE IS A MAN OF
INTEGRITY -- OF DECENCY AND FAIR PLAY -- AND A MAN I'M
PROUD AND HONORED TO WORK WITH.
MRS. FOLEY, AND LT. GOVERNOR PRITCHARD THANK YOU
FOR YOUR WARM WELCOME. CONGRATULATIONS TO CO-CHAIRMEN
RALPH MONROE AND JANE GARDNER, WASHINGTON'S FIRST LADY,
ON A GREAT CENTENNIAL. AND MAYOR PRO-TEM HIGGINS:
$00
YOU'VE GOT A BEAUTIFUL CITY HERE TO BE PROUD OF.
AND LET ME JUST
SAY HELLO TO SCADE GORTOW BACK IN D.C. FOR ALL HIS Good WORK
ON BEHALF OF the PEOPLE of you great state.
[[ YOU KNOW, BACK IN 1889, WHEN PRESIDENT HARRISON
SENT A TELEGRAM TO THE FIRST GOVERNOR OF WASHINGTON --
TO TELL HIM THAT WASHINGTON HAD BECOME THE 42ND STATE -
- HE SENT THE TELEGRAM COLLECT. [PAUSE] WELL, THAT'S
ONE WAY TO BALANCE THE BUDGET.
Photocopy-GB Handwriting
- 2 -
IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE, AT THE DAWN OF A
SECOND CENTURY OF STATEHOOD, HERE IN THE EVERGREEN
STATE. I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU THE USUAL "STUMP"
SPEECH. AND I MAY BE GOING OUT ON A LIMB, HERE -- BUT
I THINK MOST OF AMERICA THINKS OF YOU AS THE REAL
WASHINGTON. [PAUSE] I]
YOURS IS A LAND OF RICH RESOURCES -- AND
RESOURCEFUL PEOPLE. SALMON, GOLD, AND TIMBER IN
ABUNDANCE BROUGHT US HERE, AS THE PROMISE OF THE
PACIFIC BROUGHT THE RAILROADS WEST.
THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN -- AND WILL ALWAYS BE -- A
SENSE THAT THE FUTURE IS BEING DECIDED HERE IN THIS
GATEWAY TO THE PACIFIC. HERE IN WASHINGTON YOU'RE
DOING WELL. LIVING IN A STATE WITH EXPORTS THAT WENT
UP NEARLY 40 PERCENT LAST YEAR. LEADING THE NATION IN
EXPORTS PER CAPITA. AND CUTTING UNEMPLOYMENT FROM 10
PERCENT TO 6 PERCENT OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS -- DURING
A TIME OF RAPID POPULATION GROWTH.
LAST MONTH YOU HELD A PACIFIC SUMMIT THAT REMINDED
AMERICA HOW CRUCIAL THE INTERRELATIONS BETWEEN NATIONS
ARE FOR OUR FUTURE.
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- 3 -
EVEN NOW, GOVERNOR GARDNER IS IN JAPAN. LAST
THURSDAY HE ATTENDED GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONIES FOR
WASHINGTON VILLAGE, A HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN KOBE [KOH-
BAY], JAPAN USING WASHINGTON FINISHED FOREST PRODUCTS
AND U.S. CONSTRUCTION METHODS. THAT MEANS $10 MILLION
FOR THE STATE OF WASHINGTON - AND A GREAT AMERICAN
EXPORT TO JAPAN.
WASHINGTON HAS HAD A WONDERFUL 100 YEARS -- AND
YOU DESERVE A GREAT CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. BUT IT'S
THE FUTURE I'M HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT TODAY.
I TOOK THIS TRIP OUT WEST BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED --
AS I THINK WE ALL ARE -- ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE PLANET
WE SHARE.
IT WON'T BE ENOUGH TO RESTORE OUR BALANCE OF TRADE, IF
WE THROW OFF THE BALANCE OF NATURE.
IN SOUTH DAKOTA, I TALKED ABOUT THE NEED TO
RESTORE THE BALANCE OF NATURE HERE AT HOME : AND HOW
EACH OF US CAN BEGIN BY PLANTING A SINGLE TREE.
Photocopy-GB Handwriting
- 4 -
IN MONTANA, I TALKED ABOUT INTERDEPENDENCE -- HOW
THE ACTIONS WE TAKE AND THE POLLUTANTS WE CREATE HAVE
CONSEQUENCES THAT ARE BEING FELT THE WORLD OVER.
TODAY, I'M ASKING ALL AMERICANS TO JOIN IN A
RENEWED SPIRIT OF CONSERVATION -- A NEW COMMITMENT, TO
A MORE CAREFUL STEWARDSHIP OF THE NATURAL WORLD.
AND AT MY SIDE, I'm GLAD TO HAVE SUCH AN ABLE AND SENSIBLE
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY-EPA- ADMINISTRATOR - BILL REILLY-
I THINK MANY OF US ARE BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND
A MAN
#N WHOM
SOMETHING THAT NATIVE AMERICANS UNDERSTOOD LONG BEFORE
I HAVE
WE GOT HERE: WHEN IT COMES TO THE PRESERVATION OF OUR
AGREAT
DEAL OF
PRECIOUS ENVIRONMENT, THERE'S A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE
CONFIDEN
AND
SMALLEST INDIVIDUAL ACTION, AND WIDESPREAD, GLOBAL
TRUST.
B
CONSEQUENCES.
you SEE,
NO WORDS CONVEY THAT BETTER THAN A LEGENDARY
SPEECH GIVEN IN THE 1800S, BY AN INDIAN CHIEF NAMED
SEATTLE:
"THE EARTH DOES NOT BELONG TO MAN, HE SAID, "MAN
BELONGS TO THE EARTH. WHATEVER HAPPENS TO THE EARTH,
HAPPENS TO THE SONS OF THE EARTH. THE SKY, THE LANDS
WHICH APPEAR CHANGELESS AND ETERNAL, MAY CHANGE.
Photocopy-GB Handwriting
- 5 -
"CONTINUE TO FOUL THE EARTH AND YOU WILL ACHIEVE
AN END TO LIVING - -- AND THE MERE BEGINNING OF SURVIVAL.
YOU MUST TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THAT THE EARTH IS RICH.
TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THAT TO HARM THE EARTH, IS TO HEAP
CONTEMPT UPON ITS CREATOR."
CHIEF SEATTLE UNDERSTOOD WHAT IT HAS TAKEN US A
CENTURY TO LEARN. OUR MATERIAL PROSPERITY AND ECONOMIC
GROWTH HAVE SERVED US WELL. BUT NOW, TOGETHER, WE MUST
FIND NEW WAYS TO APPLY THE CREATIVITY OF THE
MARKETPLACE, IN THE SERVICE OF THE ENVIRONMENT. SOUND
ECOLOGY AND A STRONG ECONOMY CAN COEXIST.
WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO RENEW THE ENVIRONMENTAL
ETHIC IN AMERICA -- AND TO REASSERT U.S. LEADERSHIP ON
ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES, AROUND THE WORLD. THAT'S AN
OPPORTUNITY WE CAN'T AFFORD TO MISS.
Photocopy-GB Handwriting
- 6 -
IN THE EIGHT MONTHS SINCE I WAS SWORN IN AS
PRESIDENT, WE'VE MOVED FAST AND HARD TO MAKE THE
ENVIRONMENT A PRIORITY. WE'RE SEEKING A WORLDWIDE BAN,
BY THE YEAR 2000, ON THE CFCS WHICH DESTROY THE OZONE
LAYER. WE'VE PROHIBITED IMPORTS OF IVORY, AND PRICES
HAVE DROPPED BY 50 PERCENT -- MAKING ELEPHANT POACHING
LESS PROFITABLE. AND WE'RE WORKING FOR A POLICY THAT
WOULD BAN THE EXPORT OF HAZARDOUS WASTES UNLESS WE'RE
SURE THEY'LL BE DISPOSED OF SAFELY.
WE'VE PROPOSED TOUGHER LAWS TO ELIMINATE MEDICAL
WASTE ON BEACHES. WE WANT TO EXPAND DOZENS OF FORESTS,
PARKS, AND REFUGES ACROSS AMERICA. WE'VE ANNOUNCED A
NATIONAL GOAL OF NO NET LOSS OF WETLANDS.
AND WE'VE LAID OUT DETAILED PROPOSALS TO STEM ACID
RAIN, CUT URBAN SMOG, CLEAN UP AIR TOXICS, AND
ENCOURAGE THE USE OF ALTERNATIVE FUELS -- WITH A CLEAN
AIR BILL THAT ACHIEVES 95 PERCENT OF THE SMOG-CAUSING
VOC REDUCTIONS SOUGHT BY COMPETING LEGISLATION -- AT A
COST OF 6.5 BILLION DOLLARS LESS.
Photocopy-GB Handwriting
- 7 -
THAT'S JUST IN EIGHT MONTHS -- AND I PLAN STAY
INVOLVED, HELPING TO PROTECT OUR PRECIOUS ENVIRONMENT,
AS LONG AS I AM PRESIDENT.
WHEN IT COMES TO CLEAN AIR, WE NEED ACTION ON THE
LEGISLATION WE'VE PROPOSED -- NOW. EVERY DAY THAT
PASSES IS ANOTHER DAY WE'RE POSTPONING PROGRESS ON
CLEAN AIR. WE'VE BROUGHT PEOPLE TOGETHER, AND PUT A
SOUND PROPOSAL ON THE TABLE. NOW IT IS UP TO THE
CONGRESS, TO PASS THIS CLEAN AIR LEGISLATION, THIS
YEAR.
BUT IF WE REALLY HOPE TO RECOVER, RESTORE, AND
PRESERVE OUR NATURAL HERITAGE, THAT "OTHER WASHINGTON"
CAN'T DO IT ALONE. AND THE ANSWER CAN'T SIMPLY BE
LIMITED TO NEW LAWS.
IT MUST BE MORE FUNDAMENTAL. IT LIES IN A SHARED
SENSE OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY -- A NEW ENVIRONMENTAL
AWARENESS -- ON THE PART OF ALL AMERICANS.
Photocopy-GB Handwriting
- 8 -
THROUGH MILLIONS OF INDIVIDUAL DECISIONS --
SIMPLE, EVERYDAY, PERSONAL CHOICES -- WE'RE DETERMINING
THE FATE OF THE EARTH. so THE CONCLUSION IS ALSO
SIMPLE: WE'RE ALL RESPONSIBLE. AND IT'S
SURPRISINGLY EASY TO MOVE FROM BEING PART OF THE
PROBLEM, TO BEING PART OF THE SOLUTION.
SO MANY OF THE BIG PROBLEMS -- COASTAL WATER
POLLUTION, PESTICIDES IN GROUNDWATER, URBAN SMOG, AND
MUNICIPAL GARBAGE -- AREN'T SIMPLY CAUSED BY LARGE
POWERPLANTS AND REFINERIES -- AND MANY CAN'T BE SOLVED
BY NATIONAL LEGISLATION ALONE.
MILLIONS OF SMALL, DIVERSE SOURCES CONTRIBUTE TO
THESE PROBLEMS -- INCLUDING THE EVERYDAY BEHAVIOR OF
PEOPLE AT WORK AND AT HOME. AND SUCH OVERWHELMING
ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES CAN BE SOLVED -- BY INDIVIDUAL
DETERMINATION THAT WE CAN DO BETTER.
LOCAL COMMUNITIES, BUSINESSES LARGE AND SMALL,
INDIVIDUAL FAMILIES -- ALL CAN LEARN TO GENERATE LESS
WASTE, AND RECYCLE MORE OF THE WASTE THAT IS GENERATED.
Photocopy-GB Handwriting
- 9 -
IN FACT, THOSE THAT DO, HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THERE
ARE SOUND ECONOMIC SIDE-EFFECTS. ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION MAKES ECONOMIC SENSE.
THE PEOPLE OF WASHINGTON STATE, IN FACT, HAVE A
HISTORY OF SHOWING THE REST OF THE NATION THE WAY.
BACK IN THE 1940S, J.P. WEYERHAEUSER [WHERE-HOWZER],
JR. MOVED THE LUMBER INDUSTRY FROM SIMPLY HARVESTING
FOREST RESOURCES, TOWARD COMPREHENSIVE MANAGEMENT OF
TREE FARMS THAT COULD ENDURE INDEFINITELY.
AND AFTER RESEARCH INTO PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT,
WEYERHAEUSER BEGAN INTRODUCING MARKETABLE PRODUCTS MADE
FROM WHAT WAS ONCE TREATED AS WASTE.
THE 3M CORPORATION ANNOUNCED LAST SPRING THAT
SINCE STARTING THEIR POLLUTION PREVENTION PROGRAM IN
1975, THE COMPANY HAS SAVED $408 MILLION -- AND
PREVENTED 111,000 TONS OF AIR POLLUTANTS, 15,000 TONS
OF WATER POLLUTANTS, AND 388,000 TONS OF SOLID WASTE
FROM BEING RELEASED INTO THE ENVIRONMENT. AND THEY'VE
DONE IT BY REWARDING EMPLOYEES FOR COMING UP WITH THE
IDEAS.
Photocopy-GB Handwriting
- 10 -
IN THE CITY OF SEATTLE, FEES FOR WASTE DISPOSAL
HAVE BEEN AN INCENTIVE FOR BUSINESSES AND HOUSEHOLDS TO
REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF WASTE PRODUCED. I UNDERSTAND THAT
OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, WASTE HAS BEEN CUT BY
NEARLY A FOURTH.
SO THE POWER OF THE MARKETPLACE CAN ENCOURAGE
CONSERVATION -- WITH SPECTACULAR RESULTS. RESULTS THAT
NEED TO BE DUPLICATED EVERYWHERE IN AMERICA.
YOU KNOW, FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, WHEN SPOKANE INVITED
THE WORLD OVER FOR A VISIT, THE 1974 EXPO BECAME THE
FIRST WORLD'S FAIR TO FOCUS ON THE ENVIRONMENT.
IT WAS A GOOD BEGINNING. AND WE HAVE MADE
PROGRESS SINCE THEN. PERHAPS NOTHING BETTER SYMBOLIZES
THAT, THAN THE SURGING RIVER THAT PULSES THROUGH
SPOKANE -- A RIVER THAT FIRST LURED MEN HERE AS A
SOURCE OF PROTECTION, TRANSPORTATION, AND SUSTENANCE.
SUCH DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THIS RIVER BY THE EARLY
PART OF THIS CENTURY, THAT FOR YEARS IT SERVED AS
BY
oat
LITTLE MORE THAN AN OPEN SEWER IN 1938, THE SPOKANE
strong
RIVER WAS CALLED "A SERIOUS HEALTH HAZARD."
Photocopy-GB Handwriting
- 11 -
OVER THE PAST FEW DECADES, YOU HAVE RESTORED AND
RECLAIMED THIS MAGNIFICENT RIVER. THE DAMAGE HAS BEEN
REVERSED -- NATURE'S BALANCE HAS BEEN RESTORED -- AND
THE RIVER HAS BEEN REBORN.
THE ETHIC OF NATIVE AMERICANS LIKE CHIEF SEATTLE
MUST ALSO BE REBORN ON THIS CONTINENT. HIS WAS A
RELIGIOUS UNDERSTANDING, THAT THE WHOLE EARTH HAS A
SOUL THAT CAN BE DESTROYED BY MAN. HE SAW THE WORLD AS
A SPIRITUAL PLACE, OF PRECIOUS BUT FRAGILE BEAUTY.
OVER A CENTURY AGO, HE SAID, "HOLD IN YOUR MIND
THE MEMORY OF THE LAND AS IT WAS WHEN YOU FOUND IT.
AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, WITH ALL YOUR MIND, WITH
ALL YOUR HEART, PRESERVE IT FOR YOUR CHILDREN, AND LOVE
IT AS GOD LOVES US ALL."
THAT IS A CHALLENGE TO US ALL. THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE -- ALL PEOPLE -- NEED A FULLER RELATIONSHIP WITH
THE WORLD THEY LIVE IN. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF
CAUSES, AND EFFECTS.
Photocopy-GB Handwriting
- 12 -
AND IF THE EARTH IS AN ALTAR, WE MUST MAKE IT AN
ALTAR NOT OF SACRIFICE, BUT OF CELEBRATION. A PLACE
WHERE OUR COMMITMENT TO RESTORING ITS NATURAL BEAUTY IS
FELT IN A THOUSAND EVERYDAY DECISIONS.
YOU'VE MADE ONE OF THOSE DECISIONS TODAY -- BY
DECIDING TO PLANT A CENTENNIAL TREE. MAY IT GROW,
FLOURISH, AND SYMBOLIZE THE HOPE OF A NEW CENTURY:
THAT MAN WILL ONE DAY BE RECONCILED TO NATURE ONCE
AGAIN.
GOD BLESS YOU. GOD BLESS THE GREAT STATE OF
WASHINGTON. AND GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA.
###
Photocopy-GB Handwriting
Document No. 07281855
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 9/16/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
--
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: CENTENNIAL OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON
SUBJECT:
TUESDAY. SEPTEMBER 19, 1989
(4:50 p.m. 9/15 draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
ROGERS
BREEDEN
WINSTON
CARD
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
The attached has been forwarded to the President.
RESPONSE:
15:60 81 PEP 68
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
33 SEP 15 P5: 32
SEPTEMBER 15, 1989
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON cw
FROM:
MARK LANGE ML
SUBJECT:
ENVIRONMENTAL ADDRESS, SPOKANE
Attached are draft remarks for your address to the Washington
State Centennial Celebration ("The Celebration of the Century"),
on Tuesday, September 19, at 10:00 a.m.
Some 15,000 will attend your speech, to be given outdoors.
Adopting the theme of stewardship, you recap your trip out West,
outline the environmental accomplishments of the first eight
months, and challenge Americans to make a more personal
commitment to environmental quality.
(Lange/Dooley)
September 15, 1989
4:50 p.m.
[SPOKE.DOC]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
CENTENNIAL OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1989
[TIME]
Thank you, Speaker Foley. [Acknowledgements]
Washington state is very lucky to have a friend like Tom
Foley in the Nation's capital. He is a man of integrity -- of
decency and fair play -- and a man I'm proud and honored to work
with.
[[
You know, back in 1889, when President Harrison sent a
telegram to the first governor of Washington -- to tell him that
Washington had become the 42nd state -- he sent the telegram
collect. [PAUSE] Well, that's one way to balance the budget.
It's a pleasure to be here, at the dawn of a second century
of statehood, here in the Evergreen state. I'm not going to give
you the usual "stump" speech. And I may be going out on a limb,
here -- but I think most of America thinks of you as the real
Washington. [PAUSE] 1]
Yours is a land of rich resources -- and resourceful people.
Salmon, gold, and timber in abundance brought us here, as the
promise of the Pacific brought the railroads west.
There has always been -- and will always be -- a sense that
the future is being decided here in this gateway to the Pacific.
Here in Washington you're doing well. Living in a state
with exports that went up nearly 40 percent last year. Leading
2
the nation in exports per capita. And cutting unemployment from
10 percent to 6 percent over the last five years -- during a time
of rapid population growth.
Last month you held a Pacific Summit that reminded America
how crucial the interrelations between nations are for our
future.
Even now, Governor Gardner is in Kobe, Japan -- at
groundbreaking ceremonies for Washington Village, a housing
development using Washington finished forest products and U.S.
construction methods. That means $10 million for the state of
Washington -- and a great American export to Japan.
Washington has had a wonderful 100 years -- and you deserve
a great Centennial celebration. But it's the future I'm here to
talk to you about today.
I took this trip out West because I'm concerned -- as I
think we all are -- about the future of the planet we share.
It won't be enough to restore our balance of trade, if we throw
off the balance of nature.
In South Dakota, I talked about the need to restore the
balance of nature here at home -- and how each of us can begin by
planting a single tree.
In Montana, I talked about interdependence -- how the
actions we take and the pollutants we create have consequences
that are being felt the world over.
Today, I'm asking all Americans to join in a renewed spirit
3
of conservation -- a new commitment, to a more careful
stewardship of the natural world.
I think many of us are beginning to understand something
that Native Americans understood long before we got here: when
it comes to the preservation of our precious environment, there's
a connection between the smallest individual action, and
widespread, global consequences.
No words convey that better than a legendary speech given in
the late 1800s, by an Indian Chief named Seattle:
"The earth does not belong to man," he said, "Man belongs to
the earth. Whatever happens to the earth, happens to the sons of
the earth. The sky, the lands which appear changeless and
eternal, may change.
"Continue to foul the earth and you will achieve an end to
living -- and the mere beginning of survival. You must teach
your children that the earth is rich. Teach your children that
to harm the earth, is to heap contempt upon its creator."
Chief Seattle understood what it has taken us a century to
learn. Our material prosperity and economic growth have served
us well. But now, together, we must new find ways to apply the
creativity of the marketplace, in the service of the environment.
Sound ecology and a strong economy can coexist.
We have an opportunity to renew the environmental ethic in
America -- and to reassert U.S. leadership on environmental
challenges, around the world. That's an opportunity we can't
afford to miss.
4
In the eight months since I was sworn in as President, we've
moved fast and hard to make the environment a priority. We're
seeking a worldwide ban, by the year 2000, on the CFCs which
destroy the ozone layer. We've prohibited imports of ivory, and
prices have dropped by 50 percent -- making elephant poaching
less profitable. And we're working for a policy that would ban
the export of hazardous wastes unless we're sure they'll be
disposed of safely.
We've proposed tougher laws to eliminate medical waste on
beaches. We want to expand dozens of forests, parks, and refuges
across America. We've announced a national goal of no net loss
of wetlands.
And we've laid out detailed proposals to stem acid rain, cut
urban smog, clean up air toxics, and encourage the use of
alternative fuels -- with a Clean Air Bill that achieves 95
percent of the smog-causing VOC reductions sought by competing
legislation -- at a cost of 6.5 billion dollars less.
That's just in eight months -- and I plan to devote four
eight?
years to protecting our precious environment.
But if we really hope to recover, restore, and preserve our
natural heritage, that "other Washington" can't do it alone. And
the answer can't simply be limited to new laws.
It must be more fundamental. It lies in a shared sense of
personal responsibility -- a new environmental awareness -- on
the part of all Americans.
5
Through millions of individual decisions -- simple,
everyday, personal choices -- we're determining the fate of the
earth. So the conclusion is also simple: We're all responsible.
And it's surprisingly easy to move from being part of the
problem, to being part of the solution.
So many of the big problems -- coastal water pollution,
pesticides in groundwater, urban smog, and municipal garbage --
aren't simply caused by large powerplants and refineries -- and
many can't be solved by national legislation alone.
Millions of small, diverse sources contribute to these
problems -- including the everyday behavior of people at work and
at home. And such overwhelming environmental challenges can be
solved -- by individual determination that we can do better.
Local communities, businesses large and small, individual
families -- all can learn to generate less waste, and recycle
more of the waste that is generated.
In fact, those that do, have discovered that there are sound
economic side-effects. Environmental protection makes economic
sense.
The people of Washington state, in fact, have a history of
showing the rest of the nation the way. Back in the 1940s, J.P.
Weyerhaeuser moved the lumber industry from simply harvesting
forest resources, toward comprehensive management of tree farms
that could endure indefinitely.
And after research into product development, Weyerhaeuser
began introducing marketable products made from what was once
6
treated as waste.
The 3M Corporation announced last spring that since starting
their pollution prevention program in 1975, the company has saved
$408 million -- and prevented 111,000 tons of air pollutants,
15,000 tons of water pollutants, and 388,000 tons of solid waste
from being released into the environment. And they've done it by
rewarding employees for coming up with the ideas.
In the city of Seattle, fees for waste disposal have been an
incentive for businesses and households to reduce the amount of
waste produced. I understand that over the last several years,
waste has been nearly cut in half.
So the power of the marketplace can encourage conservation
-- with spectacular results. Results that need to be duplicated
everywhere in America.
You know, fifteen years ago, when Spokane invited the world
over for a visit, the 1974 Expo became the first World's Fair to
focus on the environment.
It was a good beginning. And we have made progress since
then. Perhaps nothing better symbolizes that, than the surging
river that pulses through Spokane -- a river that first lured men
here as a source of protection, transportation, and sustenance.
Such damage was done to this river early in this century,
that for years it served as little more than an open sewer. In
1938, the Spokane River was called "a serious health hazard."
Over the past few decades, you have restored and reclaimed
this magnificent river. The damage has been reversed -- nature's
7
balance has been restored -- and the river has been reborn.
The ethic of Native Americans like Chief Seattle must also
be reborn on this continent. His was a religious understanding,
that the whole earth has a soul that can be destroyed by man. He
saw the world as a spiritual place, of precious but fragile
beauty.
About a century ago, he said, "Hold in your mind the memory
of the land as it was when you found it. And with all your
strength, with all your mind, with all your heart, preserve it
for your children, and love it as God loves us all."
That is a challenge to us all. The American people -- all
people -- need a fuller relationship with the world they live in.
A better understanding of causes, and effects.
And if the earth is an altar, we must make it an altar not
of sacrifice, but of celebration. A place where our commitment
to restoring its natural beauty is felt in a thousand everyday
decisions.
You've made one of those decisions today -- by deciding to
plant a centennial tree. May it grow, flourish, and symbolize
the hope of a new century: that man will one day be reconciled
to nature once again.
God bless you. God bless the great state of Washington.
And God bless the United States of America.
# # #
REMARKS: CENTENNIAL OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1989
10:00 A.M.
THANK YOU, SPEAKER FOLEY FOR THAT KIND
INTRODUCTION.
WASHINGTON STATE IS VERY LUCKY TO HAVE A FRIEND
LIKE TOM FOLEY IN THE NATION'S CAPITAL. HE IS A MAN OF
INTEGRITY -- OF DECENCY AND FAIR PLAY -- AND A MAN I'M
PROUD AND HONORED TO WORK WITH.
MRS. FOLEY, AND LT. GOVERNOR PRITCHARD THANK YOU
FOR YOUR WARM WELCOME. CONGRATULATIONS TO CO-CHAIRMEN
RALPH MONROE AND JANE GARDNER, WASHINGTON'S FIRST LADY,
ON A GREAT CENTENNIAL. AND MAYOR PRO-TEM HIGGINS:
YOU'VE GOT A BEAUTIFUL CITY HERE TO BE PROUD OF.
[[ YOU KNOW, BACK IN 1889, WHEN PRESIDENT HARRISON
SENT A TELEGRAM TO THE FIRST GOVERNOR OF WASHINGTON --
TO TELL HIM THAT WASHINGTON HAD BECOME THE 42ND STATE -
- HE SENT THE TELEGRAM COLLECT. [PAUSE] WELL, THAT'S
ONE WAY TO BALANCE THE BUDGET.
- 2 -
IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE, AT THE DAWN OF A
SECOND CENTURY OF STATEHOOD, HERE IN THE EVERGREEN
STATE. I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU THE USUAL "STUMP"
SPEECH. AND I MAY BE GOING OUT ON A LIMB, HERE -- BUT
I THINK MOST OF AMERICA THINKS OF YOU AS THE REAL
WASHINGTON. [PAUSE] ]]
YOURS IS A LAND OF RICH RESOURCES -- AND
RESOURCEFUL PEOPLE. SALMON, GOLD, AND TIMBER IN
ABUNDANCE BROUGHT US HERE, AS THE PROMISE OF THE
PACIFIC BROUGHT THE RAILROADS WEST.
THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN -- AND WILL ALWAYS BE -- A
SENSE THAT THE FUTURE IS BEING DECIDED HERE IN THIS
GATEWAY TO THE PACIFIC. HERE IN WASHINGTON YOU'RE
DOING WELL. LIVING IN A STATE WITH EXPORTS THAT WENT
UP NEARLY 40 PERCENT LAST YEAR. LEADING THE NATION IN
EXPORTS PER CAPITA. AND CUTTING UNEMPLOYMENT FROM 10
PERCENT TO 6 PERCENT OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS -- DURING
A TIME OF RAPID POPULATION GROWTH.
LAST MONTH YOU HELD A PACIFIC SUMMIT THAT REMINDED
AMERICA HOW CRUCIAL THE INTERRELATIONS BETWEEN NATIONS
ARE FOR OUR FUTURE.
- 3 -
EVEN NOW, GOVERNOR GARDNER IS IN JAPAN. LAST
THURSDAY HE ATTENDED GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONIES FOR
WASHINGTON VILLAGE, A HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN KOBE [KOH-
BAY], JAPAN USING WASHINGTON FINISHED FOREST PRODUCTS
AND U.S. CONSTRUCTION METHODS. THAT MEANS $10 MILLION
FOR THE STATE OF WASHINGTON -- AND A GREAT AMERICAN
EXPORT TO JAPAN.
WASHINGTON HAS HAD A WONDERFUL 100 YEARS -- AND
YOU DESERVE A GREAT CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. BUT IT'S
THE FUTURE I'M HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT TODAY.
I TOOK THIS TRIP OUT WEST BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED --
AS I THINK WE ALL ARE -- ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE PLANET
WE SHARE.
IT WON'T BE ENOUGH TO RESTORE OUR BALANCE OF TRADE, IF
WE THROW OFF THE BALANCE OF NATURE.
IN SOUTH DAKOTA, I TALKED ABOUT THE NEED TO
RESTORE THE BALANCE OF NATURE HERE AT HOME -- AND HOW
EACH OF US CAN BEGIN BY PLANTING A SINGLE TREE.
- 4 -
IN MONTANA, I TALKED ABOUT INTERDEPENDENCE -- HOW
THE ACTIONS WE TAKE AND THE POLLUTANTS WE CREATE HAVE
CONSEQUENCES THAT ARE BEING FELT THE WORLD OVER.
TODAY, I'M ASKING ALL AMERICANS TO JOIN IN A
RENEWED SPIRIT OF CONSERVATION -- A NEW COMMITMENT, TO
A MORE CAREFUL STEWARDSHIP OF THE NATURAL WORLD.
I THINK MANY OF US ARE BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND
SOMETHING THAT NATIVE AMERICANS UNDERSTOOD LONG BEFORE
WE GOT HERE: WHEN IT COMES TO THE PRESERVATION OF OUR
PRECIOUS ENVIRONMENT, THERE'S A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE
SMALLEST INDIVIDUAL ACTION, AND WIDESPREAD, GLOBAL
CONSEQUENCES.
NO WORDS CONVEY THAT BETTER THAN A LEGENDARY
SPEECH GIVEN IN THE 1800S, BY AN INDIAN CHIEF NAMED
SEATTLE:
"THE EARTH DOES NOT BELONG TO MAN,' HE SAID, "MAN
BELONGS TO THE EARTH. WHATEVER HAPPENS TO THE EARTH,
HAPPENS TO THE SONS OF THE EARTH. THE SKY, THE LANDS
WHICH APPEAR CHANGELESS AND ETERNAL, MAY CHANGE.
- 5 -
"CONTINUE TO FOUL THE EARTH AND YOU WILL ACHIEVE
AN END TO LIVING -- AND THE MERE BEGINNING OF SURVIVAL.
YOU MUST TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THAT THE EARTH IS RICH.
TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THAT TO HARM THE EARTH, IS TO HEAP
CONTEMPT UPON ITS CREATOR."
CHIEF SEATTLE UNDERSTOOD WHAT IT HAS TAKEN US A
CENTURY TO LEARN. OUR MATERIAL PROSPERITY AND ECONOMIC
GROWTH HAVE SERVED US WELL. BUT NOW, TOGETHER, WE MUST
FIND NEW WAYS TO APPLY THE CREATIVITY OF THE
MARKETPLACE, IN THE SERVICE OF THE ENVIRONMENT. SOUND
ECOLOGY AND A STRONG ECONOMY CAN COEXIST.
WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO RENEW THE ENVIRONMENTAL
ETHIC IN AMERICA -- AND TO REASSERT U.S. LEADERSHIP ON
ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES, AROUND THE WORLD. THAT'S AN
OPPORTUNITY WE CAN'T AFFORD TO MISS.
- 6 -
IN THE EIGHT MONTHS SINCE I WAS SWORN IN AS
PRESIDENT, WE'VE MOVED FAST AND HARD TO MAKE THE
ENVIRONMENT A PRIORITY. WE'RE SEEKING A WORLDWIDE BAN,
BY THE YEAR 2000, ON THE CFCS WHICH DESTROY THE OZONE
LAYER. WE'VE PROHIBITED IMPORTS OF IVORY, AND PRICES
HAVE DROPPED BY 50 PERCENT -- MAKING ELEPHANT POACHING
LESS PROFITABLE. AND WE'RE WORKING FOR A POLICY THAT
WOULD BAN THE EXPORT OF HAZARDOUS WASTES UNLESS WE'RE
SURE THEY'LL BE DISPOSED OF SAFELY.
WE'VE PROPOSED TOUGHER LAWS TO ELIMINATE MEDICAL
WASTE ON BEACHES. WE WANT TO EXPAND DOZENS OF FORESTS,
PARKS, AND REFUGES ACROSS AMERICA. WE'VE ANNOUNCED A
NATIONAL GOAL OF NO NET LOSS OF WETLANDS.
AND WE'VE LAID OUT DETAILED PROPOSALS TO STEM ACID
RAIN, CUT URBAN SMOG, CLEAN UP AIR TOXICS, AND
ENCOURAGE THE USE OF ALTERNATIVE FUELS -- WITH A CLEAN
AIR BILL THAT ACHIEVES 95 PERCENT OF THE SMOG-CAUSING
VOC REDUCTIONS SOUGHT BY COMPETING LEGISLATION -- AT A
COST OF 6.5 BILLION DOLLARS LESS.
- 7 -
THAT'S JUST IN EIGHT MONTHS -- AND I PLAN STAY
INVOLVED, HELPING TO PROTECT OUR PRECIOUS ENVIRONMENT,
AS LONG AS I AM PRESIDENT.
WHEN IT COMES TO CLEAN AIR, WE NEED ACTION ON THE
LEGISLATION WE'VE PROPOSED -- NOW. EVERY DAY THAT
PASSES IS ANOTHER DAY WE'RE POSTPONING PROGRESS ON
CLEAN AIR. WE'VE BROUGHT PEOPLE TOGETHER, AND PUT A
SOUND PROPOSAL ON THE TABLE. NOW IT IS UP TO THE
CONGRESS, TO PASS THIS CLEAN AIR LEGISLATION, THIS
YEAR.
BUT IF WE REALLY HOPE TO RECOVER, RESTORE, AND
PRESERVE OUR NATURAL HERITAGE, THAT "OTHER WASHINGTON"
CAN'T DO IT ALONE. AND THE ANSWER CAN'T SIMPLY BE
LIMITED TO NEW LAWS.
IT MUST BE MORE FUNDAMENTAL. IT LIES IN A SHARED
SENSE OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY -- A NEW ENVIRONMENTAL
AWARENESS -- ON THE PART OF ALL AMERICANS.
- 8 -
THROUGH MILLIONS OF INDIVIDUAL DECISIONS --
SIMPLE, EVERYDAY, PERSONAL CHOICES -- WE'RE DETERMINING
THE FATE OF THE EARTH. so THE CONCLUSION IS ALSO
SIMPLE: WE'RE ALL RESPONSIBLE.
AND IT'S
SURPRISINGLY EASY TO MOVE FROM BEING PART OF THE
PROBLEM, TO BEING PART OF THE SOLUTION.
so MANY OF THE BIG PROBLEMS -- COASTAL WATER
POLLUTION, PESTICIDES IN GROUNDWATER, URBAN SMOG, AND
MUNICIPAL GARBAGE -- AREN'T SIMPLY CAUSED BY LARGE
POWERPLANTS AND REFINERIES -- AND MANY CAN'T BE SOLVED
BY NATIONAL LEGISLATION ALONE.
MILLIONS OF SMALL, DIVERSE SOURCES CONTRIBUTE TO
THESE PROBLEMS -- INCLUDING THE EVERYDAY BEHAVIOR OF
PEOPLE AT WORK AND AT HOME. AND SUCH OVERWHELMING
ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES CAN BE SOLVED -- BY INDIVIDUAL
DETERMINATION THAT WE CAN DO BETTER.
LOCAL COMMUNITIES, BUSINESSES LARGE AND SMALL,
INDIVIDUAL FAMILIES -- ALL CAN LEARN TO GENERATE LESS
WASTE, AND RECYCLE MORE OF THE WASTE THAT IS GENERATED.
- 9 -
IN FACT, THOSE THAT DO, HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THERE
ARE SOUND ECONOMIC SIDE-EFFECTS. ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION MAKES ECONOMIC SENSE.
THE PEOPLE OF WASHINGTON STATE, IN FACT, HAVE A
HISTORY OF SHOWING THE REST OF THE NATION THE WAY.
BACK IN THE 1940S, J.P. WEYERHAEUSER [WHERE-HOWZER],
JR. MOVED THE LUMBER INDUSTRY FROM SIMPLY HARVESTING
FOREST RESOURCES, TOWARD COMPREHENSIVE MANAGEMENT OF
TREE FARMS THAT COULD ENDURE INDEFINITELY.
AND AFTER RESEARCH INTO PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT,
WEYERHAEUSER BEGAN INTRODUCING MARKETABLE PRODUCTS MADE
FROM WHAT WAS ONCE TREATED AS WASTE.
THE 3M CORPORATION ANNOUNCED LAST SPRING THAT
SINCE STARTING THEIR POLLUTION PREVENTION PROGRAM IN
1975, THE COMPANY HAS SAVED $408 MILLION -- AND
PREVENTED 111,000 TONS OF AIR POLLUTANTS, 15,000 TONS
OF WATER POLLUTANTS, AND 388,000 TONS OF SOLID WASTE
FROM BEING RELEASED INTO THE ENVIRONMENT. AND THEY'VE
DONE IT BY REWARDING EMPLOYEES FOR COMING UP WITH THE
IDEAS.
- 10 -
IN THE CITY OF SEATTLE, FEES FOR WASTE DISPOSAL
HAVE BEEN AN INCENTIVE FOR BUSINESSES AND HOUSEHOLDS TO
REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF WASTE PRODUCED. I UNDERSTAND THAT
OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, WASTE HAS BEEN CUT BY
NEARLY A FOURTH.
so THE POWER OF THE MARKETPLACE CAN ENCOURAGE
CONSERVATION -- WITH SPECTACULAR RESULTS. RESULTS THAT
NEED TO BE DUPLICATED EVERYWHERE IN AMERICA.
YOU KNOW, FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, WHEN SPOKANE INVITED
THE WORLD OVER FOR A VISIT, THE 1974 EXPO BECAME THE
FIRST WORLD'S FAIR TO FOCUS ON THE ENVIRONMENT.
IT WAS A GOOD BEGINNING. AND WE HAVE MADE
PROGRESS SINCE THEN. PERHAPS NOTHING BETTER SYMBOLIZES
THAT, THAN THE SURGING RIVER THAT PULSES THROUGH
SPOKANE -- A RIVER THAT FIRST LURED MEN HERE AS A
SOURCE OF PROTECTION, TRANSPORTATION, AND SUSTENANCE.
SUCH DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THIS RIVER BY THE EARLY
PART OF THIS CENTURY, THAT FOR YEARS IT SERVED AS
LITTLE MORE THAN AN OPEN SEWER. IN 1938, THE SPOKANE
RIVER WAS CALLED "A SERIOUS HEALTH HAZARD."
- 11 -
OVER THE PAST FEW DECADES, YOU HAVE RESTORED AND
RECLAIMED THIS MAGNIFICENT RIVER. THE DAMAGE HAS BEEN
REVERSED -- NATURE'S BALANCE HAS BEEN RESTORED -- AND
THE RIVER HAS BEEN REBORN.
THE ETHIC OF NATIVE AMERICANS LIKE CHIEF SEATTLE
MUST ALSO BE REBORN ON THIS CONTINENT. HIS WAS A
RELIGIOUS UNDERSTANDING, THAT THE WHOLE EARTH HAS A
SOUL THAT CAN BE DESTROYED BY MAN. HE SAW THE WORLD AS
A SPIRITUAL PLACE, OF PRECIOUS BUT FRAGILE BEAUTY.
OVER A CENTURY AGO, HE SAID, "HOLD IN YOUR MIND
THE MEMORY OF THE LAND AS IT WAS WHEN YOU FOUND IT.
AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, WITH ALL YOUR MIND, WITH
ALL YOUR HEART, PRESERVE IT FOR YOUR CHILDREN, AND LOVE
IT AS GOD LOVES US ALL."
THAT IS A CHALLENGE TO US ALL. THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE -- ALL PEOPLE -- NEED A FULLER RELATIONSHIP WITH
THE WORLD THEY LIVE IN. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF
CAUSES, AND EFFECTS.
- 12 -
AND IF THE EARTH IS AN ALTAR, WE MUST MAKE IT AN
ALTAR NOT OF SACRIFICE, BUT OF CELEBRATION. A PLACE
WHERE OUR COMMITMENT TO RESTORING ITS NATURAL BEAUTY IS
FELT IN A THOUSAND EVERYDAY DECISIONS.
YOU'VE MADE ONE OF THOSE DECISIONS TODAY -- BY
DECIDING TO PLANT A CENTENNIAL TREE. MAY IT GROW,
FLOURISH, AND SYMBOLIZE THE HOPE OF A NEW CENTURY:
THAT MAN WILL ONE DAY BE RECONCILED TO NATURE ONCE
AGAIN.
GOD BLESS YOU. GOD BLESS THE GREAT STATE OF
WASHINGTON. AND GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA.
###
072818SS
Document No.
9/19
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
9/14/89
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
9/15/89 NOON
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: CENTENNIAL OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT N/C phone
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
WINSTON
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY N/C phone
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston,
Rm. 122, x2930, no later than NOON, Friday, September 15,
with a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
It alv SI PEP 68
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Lange/Dooley)
September 14, 1989
7:20 p.m.
89 SEP 14 P 7 : 25
[SPOKE.DOC]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
CENTENNIAL OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1989
[TIME]
Thank you, Speaker Foley. [Acknowledgements]
[[ You know, back in 1889, when President Harrison sent a
telegram to the first governor of Washington -- to tell him that
Washington had become the 42nd state -- he sent the telegram
collect.
Well, that's one way to balance the budget. 1]
[[ Joke to come. ]]
Today you and I are very lucky to have a friend like Tom
Foley in the Nation's capital. He is a man of integrity -- of
decency and fair play -- and a man I'm proud and honored to work
with.
It's a pleasure to be here, at the dawn of a second century
of statehood here in Washington state. The Evergreen state. The
real Washington. [PAUSE]
Yours is a land of rich resources -- and resourceful people.
Salmon, gold, and timber in abundance brought us here, as the
promise of the Pacific brought the railroads west.
There has always been -- and will always be -- a sense that
the future is being decided here in this gateway to the Pacific.
Here in Washington you're in a strong position. Living in a
state with exports that went up over 30 percent last year.
2
Leading the nation in exports per capita. A vital, vibrant,
thriving economy.
And the Pacific Summit that was held here last month
reminded America how crucial the interrelations between nations
are for our future.
Even now, Governor Gardner is in Kobe, Japan -- at
groundbreaking ceremonies for Washington Village, a housing
development using Washington finished forest products and U.S.
construction methods. That means $10 million for the state of
Washington -- and a great American export to Japan.
Washington has had a wonderful 100 years -- and you deserve
a great Centennial celebration. But it's the future I'm here to
talk to you about today.
I took this trip out West because I'm concerned -- as I
think we all are -- about the future of the planet we share.
What good is a strong balance of trade, if we throw off the
balance of nature?
In South Dakota, I talked about the need to restore the
balance of nature here at home -- and how each of us can
begin by planting a single tree.
In Montana, I talked about interdependence -- how the
actions we take and the pollutants we create have consequences
that are being felt the world over.
Today, I'm asking all Americans to join in a renewed spirit
of conservation -- a new commitment, to a more careful
stewardship of the natural world.
3
I think many of us are beginning to understand something
that Native Americans understood long before we got here: when
it comes to the preservation of our precious environment, there's
a connection between the smallest individual action, and
widespread, global consequences.
No words convey that better than the legendary speech given
in the late 1800s, by an Indian Chief named Seattle:
"The earth does not belong to man," he said, "Man belongs to
the earth. Whatever happens to the earth, happens to the sons of
the earth. The sky, the lands which appear changeless and
eternal, may change.
"Continue to foul the earth and you will achieve an end to
living -- and the mere beginning of survival. You must teach
your children that the earth is rich. Teach your children that
to harm the earth, is to heap contempt upon its creator."
Chief Seattle understood what it has taken us a century to
learn. Our material prosperity and economic growth have served
us well. But now, together, we must new find ways to apply the
creativity of the marketplace, in the service of the environment.
Sound ecology and a strong economy can coexist. We have an
opportunity to renew the environmental ethic in America -- and to
reassert U.S. leadership on environmental challenges, around the
world.
In the eight months since I was sworn in as President, we've
moved fast and hard to make the environment a priority. We've
banned CFCs, imports of elephant ivory, and exports of hazardous
seeking a worldwide bar on the CFC'o which destroy the ozone layer bythe
year 2000. we've prohibited imports of ivory and prices have fallen by
50% making
thatwould bau the export of hazardous wastes unless we've rere they will be
of elephants less profitable. and we're working for a policy
disposed of safely.
check Grade
Weve proposed tougher laws) 4
waste. Worked to eliminate medical waste on beaches. Pledged no
net loss of wetlands -- and we'll keep that pledge. Laid out detailed
proposals to stem acid rain, cut urban smog, clean up air toxics,
That's just "eight months. I
and encourage the use of alternative fuels. And more.
Plan to devote four years to protect ing our preccous environment.
But if we really hope to recover, restore, and preserve our
natural heritage, that "other Washington" can't do it alone. And
the answer can't simply be limited to new laws.
It must be more fundamental. It lies in a shared sense of
personal responsibility -- a new environmental awareness -- on
the part of all Americans.
Through millions of individual decisions -- simple,
everyday, personal choices -- we're determining the fate of the
earth. So the conclusion is also simple: We're all responsible.
And it's surprisingly easy to move from being part of the
problem, to part of the solution.
So many of the big problems -- coastal water pollution,
pesticides in groundwater, urban smog, and municipal garbage --
are not caused by large powerplants and refineries -- and they mony
n't simples
cant be solved
alone
don't lend themselves to solution by national legislation.
contri bute to
They're caused by millions of small, diverse sources: the
the
problems
everyday behavior of people at work and at home. And such
mcluding
overwhelming environmental challenges can be solved, by
individual determination that we can do better.
Local communities, businesses large and small, individual
families -- all can learn to generate less waste, and recycle
more of the waste that is generated.
5
In fact, those that do, have discovered that there are sound
economic side-effects. Environmental protection makes economic
sense.
The people of Washington state, in fact, have a history of
showing the rest of the nation the way. Back in the 1940s, J.P.
havestug
Weyerhaeuser moved the lumber industry from simply liquidating
forest resources, toward comprehensive management of tree farms
that could endure indefinitely.
And after research into product development, Weyerhaeuser
began introducing marketable products made from what was once
treated as waste.
The 3M Corporation announced last spring that since starting
their pollution prevention program in 1975, the company has saved
$408 million -- and prevented 111,000 tons of air pollutants,
15,000 tons of water pollutants, and 388,000 tons of solid waste
from being released into the environment. And they've done it by
rewarding employees for coming up with the ideas.
In the city of Seattle, fees for waste disposal have been an
incentive for businesses and households to reduce the amount of
waste produced. I understand that over the last several years,
waste has been nearly cut in half.
So the power of the marketplace can encourage conservation
-- with spectacular results. Results that need to be duplicated
everywhere in America.
6
You know, fifteen years ago, when Spokane invited the world
over for a visit, the 1974 Expo became the first World's Fair to
focus on the environment.
It was a good beginning. And we have made progress since
then. But perhaps nothing better symbolizes that, than the
surging river that pulses through Spokane -- a river that first
lured men here as a source of protection, transportation, and
sustenance.
But such damage was done to this river early in this
century, that for years it served as little more than an open
sewer. In 1938 it was called "a serious health hazard.'
nower
But over the past few decades, you have restored and
reclaimed this magnificent river. The damage has been reversed
-- nature's balance has been restored -- and the river has been
reborn.
The ethic of Native Americans like Chief Seattle must also
be reborn on this continent. His was a religious understanding,
that the whole earth has a soul that can be destroyed by man. He
saw the world as a spiritual place, of precious but fragile
beauty.
About a century ago, he said, "Hold in your mind the memory
of the land as it was when you found it. And with all your
strength, with all your mind, with all your heart, preserve it
for your children, and love it as God loves us all."
7
That is a challenge to us all. The American people -- all
people -- need a fuller relationship with the world they live in.
A better understanding of causes, and effects.
And if the earth is an altar, we must make it an altar not
of sacrifice, but of celebration. A place where our commitment
to restoring its natural beauty is felt in a thousand everyday
decisions.
You've made one of those decisions today -- by deciding to
plant a centennial tree. May it grow, flourish, and symbolize
the hope of a new century: that man will one day be reconciled
to nature once again.
God bless you. God bless the great state of Washington.
And God bless the United States of America.
# # #
- 3 -
EVEN NOW, GOVERNOR GARDNER IS IN JAPAN. LAST
THURSDAY HE ATTENDED GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONIES FOR
WASHINGTON VILLAGE, A HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN KOBE [KOH-
BAY], JAPAN USING WASHINGTON FINISHED FOREST PRODUCTS
AND U.S. CONSTRUCTION METHODS. THAT MEANS $10 MILLION
FOR THE STATE OF WASHINGTON -- AND A GREAT AMERICAN
EXPORT TO JAPAN.
WASHINGTON HAS HAD A WONDERFUL 100 YEARS -- AND
YOU DESERVE A GREAT CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. BUT IT'S
THE FUTURE I'M HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT TODAY.
I TOOK THIS TRIP OUT WEST BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED --
AS I THINK WE ALL ARE -- ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE
PLANET WE SHARE.
IT WON'T BE ENOUGH TO RESTORE OUR BALANCE OF TRADE, IF
WE THROW OFF THE BALANCE OF NATURE.
IN SOUTH DAKOTA, I TALKED ABOUT THE NEED TO
RESTORE THE BALANCE OF NATURE HERE AT HOME -- AND HOW
EACH OF US CAN BEGIN BY PLANTING A SINGLE TREE.
- 2 -
YOURS IS A LAND OF RICH RESOURCES -- AND
RESOURCEFUL PEOPLE. SALMON, GOLD, AND TIMBER IN
ABUNDANCE BROUGHT US HERE, AS THE PROMISE OF THE
PACIFIC BROUGHT THE RAILROADS WEST.
THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN -- AND WILL ALWAYS BE -- A
SENSE THAT THE FUTURE IS BEING DECIDED HERE IN THIS
GATEWAY TO THE PACIFIC. HERE IN WASHINGTON YOU'RE
DOING WELL. LIVING IN A STATE WITH EXPORTS THAT WENT
UP NEARLY 40 PERCENT LAST YEAR. LEADING THE NATION IN
EXPORTS PER CAPITA. AND CUTTING UNEMPLOYMENT FROM 10
PERCENT TO 6 PERCENT OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS -- DURING
A TIME OF RAPID POPULATION GROWTH.
LAST MONTH YOU HELD A PACIFIC SUMMIT THAT REMINDED
AMERICA HOW CRUCIAL THE INTERRELATIONS BETWEEN NATIONS
ARE FOR OUR FUTURE.
- 3 -
EVEN NOW, GOVERNOR GARDNER IS IN JAPAN. LAST
THURSDAY HE ATTENDED GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONIES FOR
WASHINGTON VILLAGE, A HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN KOBE [KOH-
BAY], JAPAN USING WASHINGTON FINISHED FOREST PRODUCTS
AND U.S. CONSTRUCTION METHODS. THAT MEANS $10 MILLION
FOR THE STATE OF WASHINGTON -- AND A GREAT AMERICAN
EXPORT TO JAPAN.
WASHINGTON HAS HAD A WONDERFUL 100 YEARS -- AND
YOU DESERVE A GREAT CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. BUT IT'S
THE FUTURE I'M HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT TODAY.
I TOOK THIS TRIP OUT WEST BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED --
AS I THINK WE ALL ARE -- ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE
PLANET WE SHARE.
IT WON'T BE ENOUGH TO RESTORE OUR BALANCE OF TRADE, IF
WE THROW OFF THE BALANCE OF NATURE.
IN SOUTH DAKOTA, I TALKED ABOUT THE NEED TO
RESTORE THE BALANCE OF NATURE HERE AT HOME -- AND HOW
EACH OF US CAN BEGIN BY PLANTING A SINGLE TREE.
- 4 -
IN MONTANA, I TALKED ABOUT INTERDEPENDENCE -- HOW
THE ACTIONS WE TAKE AND THE POLLUTANTS WE CREATE HAVE
CONSEQUENCES THAT ARE BEING FELT THE WORLD OVER.
TODAY, I'M ASKING ALL AMERICANS TO JOIN IN A
RENEWED SPIRIT OF CONSERVATION -- A NEW COMMITMENT, TO
A MORE CAREFUL STEWARDSHIP OF THE NATURAL WORLD.
I THINK MANY OF US ARE BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND
SOMETHING THAT NATIVE AMERICANS UNDERSTOOD LONG BEFORE
WE GOT HERE: WHEN IT COMES TO THE PRESERVATION OF OUR
PRECIOUS ENVIRONMENT, THERE'S A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE
SMALLEST INDIVIDUAL ACTION, AND WIDESPREAD, GLOBAL
CONSEQUENCES.
NO WORDS CONVEY THAT BETTER THAN A LEGENDARY
SPEECH GIVEN IN THE 1800S, BY AN INDIAN CHIEF NAMED
SEATTLE:
"THE EARTH DOES NOT BELONG TO MAN," HE SAID, "MAN
BELONGS TO THE EARTH. WHATEVER HAPPENS TO THE EARTH,
HAPPENS TO THE SONS OF THE EARTH. THE SKY, THE LANDS
WHICH APPEAR CHANGELESS AND ETERNAL, MAY CHANGE.
- 5 -
"CONTINUE TO FOUL THE EARTH AND YOU WILL ACHIEVE
AN END TO LIVING -- AND THE MERE BEGINNING OF SURVIVAL.
YOU MUST TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THAT THE EARTH IS RICH.
TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THAT TO HARM THE EARTH, IS TO HEAP
CONTEMPT UPON ITS CREATOR."
CHIEF SEATTLE UNDERSTOOD WHAT IT HAS TAKEN US A
CENTURY TO LEARN. OUR MATERIAL PROSPERITY AND ECONOMIC
GROWTH HAVE SERVED US WELL. BUT NOW, TOGETHER, WE MUST
NEW FIND WAYS TO APPLY THE CREATIVITY OF THE
MARKETPLACE, IN THE SERVICE OF THE ENVIRONMENT. SOUND
ECOLOGY AND A STRONG ECONOMY CAN COEXIST.
WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO RENEW THE ENVIRONMENTAL
ETHIC IN AMERICA -- AND TO REASSERT U.S. LEADERSHIP ON
ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES, AROUND THE WORLD. THAT'S AN
OPPORTUNITY WE CAN'T AFFORD TO MISS.
- 6 -
IN THE EIGHT MONTHS SINCE I WAS SWORN IN AS
PRESIDENT, WE'VE MOVED FAST AND HARD TO MAKE THE
ENVIRONMENT A PRIORITY. WE'RE SEEKING A WORLDWIDE BAN,
BY THE YEAR 2000, ON THE CFCS WHICH DESTROY THE OZONE
LAYER. WE'VE PROHIBITED IMPORTS OF IVORY, AND PRICES
HAVE DROPPED BY 50 PERCENT -- MAKING ELEPHANT POACHING
LESS PROFITABLE. AND WE'RE WORKING FOR A POLICY THAT
WOULD BAN THE EXPORT OF HAZARDOUS WASTES UNLESS WE'RE
SURE THEY'LL BE DISPOSED OF SAFELY.
WE'VE PROPOSED TOUGHER LAWS TO ELIMINATE MEDICAL
WASTE ON BEACHES. WE WANT TO EXPAND DOZENS OF FORESTS,
PARKS, AND REFUGES ACROSS AMERICA. WE'VE ANNOUNCED A
NATIONAL GOAL OF NO NET LOSS OF WETLANDS.
AND WE'VE LAID OUT DETAILED PROPOSALS TO STEM ACID
RAIN, CUT URBAN SMOG, CLEAN UP AIR TOXICS, AND
ENCOURAGE THE USE OF ALTERNATIVE FUELS -- WITH A CLEAN
AIR BILL THAT ACHIEVES 95 PERCENT OF THE SMOG-CAUSING
VOC REDUCTIONS SOUGHT BY COMPETING LEGISLATION -- AT A
COST OF 6.5 BILLION DOLLARS LESS.
- 7 -
THAT'S JUST IN EIGHT MONTHS -- AND I PLAN STAY
INVOLVED, HELPING TO PROTECT OUR PRECIOUS ENVIRONMENT,
AS LONG AS I AM PRESIDENT.
WHEN IT COMES TO CLEAN AIR, WE NEED ACTION ON THE
LEGISLATION WE'VE PROPOSED -- NOW. EVERY DAY THAT
PASSES IS ANOTHER DAY WE'RE POSTPONING PROGRESS ON
CLEAN AIR. WE'VE BROUGHT PEOPLE TOGETHER, AND PUT A
SOUND PROPOSAL ON THE TABLE. NOW IT IS UP TO THE
CONGRESS, TO PASS THIS CLEAN AIR LEGISLATION, THIS
YEAR.
BUT IF WE REALLY HOPE TO RECOVER, RESTORE, AND
PRESERVE OUR NATURAL HERITAGE, THAT "OTHER WASHINGTON"
CAN'T DO IT ALONE. AND THE ANSWER CAN'T SIMPLY BE
LIMITED TO NEW LAWS.
IT MUST BE MORE FUNDAMENTAL. IT LIES IN A SHARED
SENSE OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY -- A NEW ENVIRONMENTAL
AWARENESS -- ON THE PART OF ALL AMERICANS.
- 8 -
THROUGH MILLIONS OF INDIVIDUAL DECISIONS --
SIMPLE, EVERYDAY, PERSONAL CHOICES -- WE'RE DETERMINING
THE FATE OF THE EARTH. so THE CONCLUSION IS ALSO
SIMPLE: WE'RE ALL RESPONSIBLE.
AND IT'S
SURPRISINGLY EASY TO MOVE FROM BEING PART OF THE
PROBLEM, TO BEING PART OF THE SOLUTION.
so MANY OF THE BIG PROBLEMS -- COASTAL WATER
POLLUTION, PESTICIDES IN GROUNDWATER, URBAN SMOG, AND
MUNICIPAL GARBAGE -- AREN'T SIMPLY CAUSED BY LARGE
POWERPLANTS AND REFINERIES -- AND MANY CAN'T BE SOLVED
BY NATIONAL LEGISLATION ALONE.
MILLIONS OF SMALL, DIVERSE SOURCES CONTRIBUTE TO
THESE PROBLEMS -- INCLUDING THE EVERYDAY BEHAVIOR OF
PEOPLE AT WORK AND AT HOME. AND SUCH OVERWHELMING
ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES CAN BE SOLVED -- BY INDIVIDUAL
DETERMINATION THAT WE CAN DO BETTER.
LOCAL COMMUNITIES, BUSINESSES LARGE AND SMALL,
INDIVIDUAL FAMILIES -- ALL CAN LEARN TO GENERATE LESS
WASTE, AND RECYCLE MORE OF THE WASTE THAT IS GENERATED.
- 9 -
IN FACT, THOSE THAT DO, HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THERE
ARE SOUND ECONOMIC SIDE-EFFECTS. ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION MAKES ECONOMIC SENSE.
THE PEOPLE OF WASHINGTON STATE, IN FACT, HAVE A
HISTORY OF SHOWING THE REST OF THE NATION THE WAY.
BACK IN THE 1940S, J.P. WEYERHAEUSER [WHERE-HOWZER],
JR. MOVED THE LUMBER INDUSTRY FROM SIMPLY HARVESTING
FOREST RESOURCES, TOWARD COMPREHENSIVE MANAGEMENT OF
TREE FARMS THAT COULD ENDURE INDEFINITELY.
AND AFTER RESEARCH INTO PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT,
WEYERHAEUSER BEGAN INTRODUCING MARKETABLE PRODUCTS MADE
FROM WHAT WAS ONCE TREATED AS WASTE.
THE 3M CORPORATION ANNOUNCED LAST SPRING THAT
SINCE STARTING THEIR POLLUTION PREVENTION PROGRAM IN
1975, THE COMPANY HAS SAVED $408 MILLION -- AND
PREVENTED 111,000 TONS OF AIR POLLUTANTS, 15,000 TONS
OF WATER POLLUTANTS, AND 388,000 TONS OF SOLID WASTE
FROM BEING RELEASED INTO THE ENVIRONMENT. AND THEY'VE
DONE IT BY REWARDING EMPLOYEES FOR COMING UP WITH THE
IDEAS.
REMARKS:
CENTENNIAL OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1989,10:00 A.M.
THANK YOU, SPEAKER FOLEY FOR THAT KIND
INTRODUCTION.
WASHINGTON STATE IS VERY LUCKY TO HAVE A FRIEND
LIKE ToM FOLEY IN THE NATION'S CAPITAL. HE IS A MAN OF
INTEGRITY -- OF DECENCY AND FAIR PLAY -- AND A MAN I'M
PROUD AND HONORED TO WORK WITH.
- 2 -
MRS. FOLEY, AND LT. GOVERNOR PRITCHARD, THANK YOU
FOR YOUR WARM WELCOME. CONGRATULATIONS TO CO-CHAIRMEN
RALPH MONROE AND JANE GARDNER, WASHINGTON'S FIRST LADY,
ON A GREAT CENTENNIAL. AND MAYOR PRO-TEM HIGGINS:
YOU'VE GOT A BEAUTIFUL CITY HERE TO BE PROUD OF.
- 3 -
[[ You KNOW, BACK IN 1889, WHEN PRESIDENT HARRISON
SENT A TELEGRAM TO THE FIRST GOVERNOR OF WASHINGTON -
TO TELL HIM THAT WASHINGTON HAD BECOME THE 42ND STATE -
- HE SENT THE TELEGRAM COLLECT. [PAUSE] WELL, THAT'S
ONE WAY TO BALANCE THE BUDGET.
IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE, AT THE DAWN OF A SECOND
CENTURY OF STATEHOOD, HERE IN THE EVERGREEN STATE. I'M
NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU THE USUAL "STUMP" SPEECH.
- 4 -
AND I MAY BE GOING OUT ON A LIMB, HERE -- BUT I THINK
MOST OF AMERICA THINKS OF YOU AS THE REAL WASHINGTON.
[PAUSE] ]]
- 5 -
YOURS IS A LAND OF RICH RESOURCES -- AND
RESOURCEFUL PEOPLE. SALMON, GOLD, AND TIMBER IN
ABUNDANCE BROUGHT US HERE, AS THE PROMISE OF THE
PACIFIC BROUGHT THE RAILROADS WEST.
THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN -- AND WILL ALWAYS BE -- A
SENSE THAT THE FUTURE IS BEING DECIDED HERE IN THIS
GATEWAY TO THE PACIFIC. HERE IN WASHINGTON YOU'RE
DOING WELL. LIVING IN A STATE WITH EXPORTS THAT WENT
UP NEARLY 40 PERCENT LAST YEAR.
- 6 -
LEADING THE NATION IN EXPORTS PER CAPITA. AND CUTTING
UNEMPLOYMENT FROM 10 PERCENT TO 6 PERCENT OVER THE LAST
FIVE YEARS -- DURING A TIME OF RAPID POPULATION GROWTH.
LAST MONTH YOU HELD A PACIFIC SUMMIT THAT REMINDED
AMERICA HOW CRUCIAL THE INTERRELATIONS BETWEEN NATIONS
ARE FOR OUR FUTURE.
- 7 -
EVEN NOW, GOVERNOR GARDNER IS IN JAPAN. LAST
THURSDAY HE ATTENDED GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONIES FOR
WASHINGTON VILLAGE, A HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN KoBe [KOH-
BAY], JAPAN USING WASHINGTON FINISHED FOREST PRODUCTS
AND U.S. CONSTRUCTION METHODS. THAT MEANS $10 MILLION
FOR THE STATE OF WASHINGTON -- AND A GREAT AMERICAN
EXPORT TO JAPAN.
- 8 -
WASHINGTON HAS HAD A WONDERFUL 100 YEARS -- AND YOU
DESERVE A GREAT CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. BUT IT'S THE
FUTURE I'M HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT TODAY.
I TOOK THIS TRIP OUT WEST BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED --
AS I THINK WE ALL ARE -- ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE PLANET
WE SHARE.
IT WON'T BE ENOUGH TO RESTORE OUR BALANCE OF TRADE, IF
WE THROW OFF THE BALANCE OF NATURE.
- 9 .
IN SOUTH DAKOTA, I TALKED ABOUT THE NEED TO RESTORE
THE BALANCE OF NATURE HERE AT HOME -- AND HOW EACH OF
US CAN BEGIN BY PLANTING A SINGLE TREE.
IN MONTANA, I TALKED ABOUT INTERDEPENDENCE -- HOW
THE ACTIONS WE TAKE AND THE POLLUTANTS WE CREATE HAVE
CONSEQUENCES THAT ARE BEING FELT THE WORLD OVER.
TODAY, I'M ASKING ALL AMERICANS TO JOIN IN A
RENEWED SPIRITOF CONSERVATION -- A NEW COMMITMENT, TO A
MORE CAREFUL STEWARDSHIP OF THE NATURAL WORLD.
- 10 -
I THINK MANY OF US ARE BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND
SOMETHING THAT NATIVE AMERICANS UNDERSTOOD LONG BEFORE
WE GOT HERE: WHEN IT COMES TO THE PRESERVATION OF OUR
PRECIOUS ENVIRONMENT, THERE'S A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE
SMALLEST INDIVIDUAL ACTION, AND WIDESPREAD, GLOBAL
CONSEQUENCES.
- 11 -
No WORDS CONVEY THAT BETTER THAN A LEGENDARY SPEECH
GIVEN IN THE 1800s, BY AN INDIAN CHIEF NAMED SEATTLE:
"THE EARTH DOES NOT BELONG TO MAN," HE SAID, "MAN
BELONGS TO THE EARTH. WHATEVER HAPPENS TO THE EARTH,
HAPPENS TO THE SONS OF THE EARTH. THE SKY, THE LANDS
WHICH APPEAR CHANGELESS AND ETERNAL, MAY CHANGE.
"CONTINUE TO FOUL THE EARTH AND YOU WILL ACHIEVE AN
END TO LIVING -- AND THE MERE BEGINNING OF SURVIVAL.
You MUST TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THAT THE EARTH IS RICH.
- 12 -
TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THAT TO HARM THE EARTH, IS TO HEAP
CONTEMPT UPON ITS CREATOR."
CHIEF SEATTLE UNDERSTOOD WHAT IT HAS TAKEN US A
CENTURY TO LEARN. OUR MATERIAL PROSPERITY AND ECONOMIC
GROWTH HAVE SERVED US WELL. BUT NOW, TOGETHER, WE MUST
NEW FIND WAYS TO APPLY THE CREATIVITY OF THE
MARKETPLACE, IN THE SERVICE OF THE ENVIRONMENT. SOUND
ECOLOGY AND A STRONG ECONOMY CAN COEXIST.
- 13 -
WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO RENEW THE ENVIRONMENTAL
ETHIC IN AMERICA -- AND TO REASSERT U.S. LEADERSHIP ON
ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES, AROUND THE WORLD. THAT'S AN
OPPORTUNITY WE CAN'T AFFORD TO MISS.
IN THE EIGHT MONTHS SINCE I WAS SWORN IN AS
PRESIDENT, WE'VE MOVED FAST AND HARD TO MAKE THE
ENVIRONMENT A PRIORITY. WE'RE SEEKING A WORLDWIDE BAN,
BY THE YEAR 2000, ON THE CFCs WHICH DESTROY THE OZONE
LAYER.
- 14 -
WE'VE PROHIBITED IMPORTS OF IVORY, AND PRICES HAVE
DROPPED BY 50 PERCENT -- MAKING ELEPHANT POACHING LESS
PROFITABLE. AND WE'RE WORKING FOR A POLICY THAT WOULD
BAN THE EXPORT OF HAZARDOUS WASTES UNLESS WE'RE SURE
THEY'LL BE DISPOSED OF SAFELY.
WE'VE PROPOSED TOUGHER LAWS TO ELIMINATE MEDICAL
WASTE ON BEACHES. WE WANT TO EXPAND DOZENS OF FORESTS,
PARKS, AND REFUGES ACROSS AMERICA. WE'VE ANNOUNCED A
NATIONAL GOAL OF NO NET LOSS OF WETLANDS.
- 15 -
AND WE'VE LAID OUT DETAILED PROPOSALS TO STEM ACID
RAIN, CUT URBAN SMOG, CLEAN UP AIR TOXICS, AND
ENCOURAGE THE USE OF ALTERNATIVE FUELS -- WITH A CLEAN
AIR BILL THAT ACHIEVES 95 PERCENT OF THE SMOG-CAUSING
VOC REDUCTIONS SOUGHT BY COMPETING LEGISLATION -- AT A
COST OF 6.5 BILLION DOLLARS LESS.
THAT'S JUST IN EIGHT MONTHS -- AND I PLAN STAY
INVOLVED, HELPING TO PROTECT OUR PRECIOUS ENVIRONMENT,
AS LONG AS I AM PRESIDENT.
- 16 -
WHEN IT COMES TO CLEAN AIR, WE NEED ACTION ON THE
LEGISLATION WE'VE PROPOSED -- NOW. EVERY DAY THAT
PASSES IS ANOTHER DAY WE'RE POSTPONING PROGRESS ON
CLEAN AIR. WE'VE BROUGHT PEOPLE TOGETHER, AND PUT A
SOUND PROPOSAL ON THE TABLE. Now IT IS UP TO THE
CONGRESS, TO PASS THIS CLEAN AIR LEGISLATION, THIS
YEAR.
- 17 -
BUT IF WE REALLY HOPE TO RECOVER, RESTORE, AND
PRESERVE OUR NATURAL HERITAGE, THAT "OTHER WASHINGTON"
CAN'T DO IT ALONE. AND THE ANSWER CAN'T SIMPLY BE
LIMITED TO NEW LAWS.
IT MUST BE MORE FUNDAMENTAL. IT LIES IN A SHARED
SENSE OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY -- A NEW ENVIRONMENTAL
AWARENESS -- ON THE PART OF ALL AMERICANS.
- 18 -
THROUGH MILLIONS OF INDIVIDUAL DECISIONS -- SIMPLE,
EVERYDAY, PERSONAL CHOICES -- WE'RE DETERMINING THE
FATE OF THE EARTH. So THE CONCLUSION IS ALSO SIMPLE:
WE'RE ALL RESPONSIBLE. AND IT'S SURPRISINGLY EASY TO
MOVE FROM BEING PART OF THE PROBLEM, TO BEING PART OF
THE SOLUTION.
- 19 -
So MANY OF THE BIG PROBLEMS -- COASTAL WATER
POLLUTION, PESTICIDES IN GROUNDWATER, URBAN SMOG, AND
MUNICIPAL GARBAGE -- AREN'T SIMPLY CAUSED BY LARGE
POWERPLANTS AND REFINERIES -- AND MANY CAN'T BE SOLVED
BY NATIONAL LEGISLATION ALONE.
MILLIONS OF SMALL, DIVERSE SOURCES CONTRIBUTE TO
THESE PROBLEMS -- INCLUDING THE EVERYDAY BEHAVIOR OF
PEOPLE AT WORK AND AT HOME.
- 20 -
AND SUCH OVERWHELMING ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES CAN BE
SOLVED -- BY INDIVIDUAL DETERMINATION THAT WE CAN DO
BETTER.
LOCAL COMMUNITIES, BUSINESSES LARGE AND SMALL,
INDIVIDUAL FAMILIES -- ALL CAN LEARN TO GENERATE LESS
WASTE, AND RECYCLE MORE OF THE WASTE THAT IS GENERATED.
IN FACT, THOSE THAT DO, HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THERE
ARE SOUND ECONOMIC SIDE-EFFECTS. ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION MAKES ECONOMIC SENSE.
- 21 -
THE PEOPLE OF WASHINGTON STATE, IN FACT, HAVE A
HISTORY OF SHOWING THE REST OF THE NATION THE WAY.
BACK IN THE 1940s, J.P. WEYERHAEUSER [WHERE-HOWZER],
JR. MOVED THE LUMBER INDUSTRY FROM SIMPLY HARVESTING
FOREST RESOURCES, TOWARD COMPREHENSIVE MANAGEMENT OF
TREE FARMS THAT COULD ENDURE INDEFINITELY.
AND AFTER RESEARCH INTO PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT,
WEYERHAEUSER BEGAN INTRODUCING MARKETABLE PRODUCTS MADE
FROM WHAT WAS ONCE TREATED AS WASTE.
- 22 -
THE 3M CORPORATION ANNOUNCED LAST SPRING THAT SINCE
STARTING THEIR POLLUTION PREVENTION PROGRAM IN 1975,
THE COMPANY HAS SAVED $408 MILLION -- AND PREVENTED
111,000 TONS OF AIR POLLUTANTS, 15,000 TONS OF WATER
POLLUTANTS, AND 388,000 TONS OF SOLID WASTE FROM BEING
RELEASED INTO THE ENVIRONMENT. AND THEY'VE DONE IT BY
REWARDING EMPLOYEES FOR COMING UP WITH THE IDEAS.
- 23 -
IN THE CITY OF SEATTLE, FEES FOR WASTE DISPOSAL
HAVE BEEN AN INCENTIVE FOR BUSINESSES AND HOUSEHOLDS TO
REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF WASTE PRODUCED. I UNDERSTAND THAT
OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, WASTE HAS BEEN CUT BY
NEARLY A FOURTH.
So THE POWER OF THE MARKETPLACE CAN ENCOURAGE
CONSERVATION -- WITH SPECTACULAR RESULTS. RESULTS THAT
NEED TO BE DUPLICATED EVERYWHERE IN AMERICA.
- 24 -
You KNOW, FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, WHEN SPOKANE INVITED
THE WORLD OVER FOR A VISIT, THE 1974 EXPO BECAME THE
FIRST WORLD'S FAIR TO FOCUS ON THE ENVIRONMENT.
IT WAS A GOOD BEGINNING. AND WE HAVE MADE PROGRESS
SINCE THEN. PERHAPS NOTHING BETTER SYMBOLIZES THAT,
THAN THE SURGING RIVER THAT PULSES THROUGH SPOKANE -- A
RIVER THAT FIRST LURED MEN HERE AS A SOURCE OF
PROTECTION, TRANSPORTATION, AND SUSTENANCE.
- 25 -
SUCH DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THIS RIVER BY THE EARLY
PART OF THIS CENTURY, THAT FOR YEARS IT SERVED AS
LITTLE MORE THAN AN OPEN SEWER. IN 1938, THE SPOKANE
RIVER WAS CALLED "A SERIOUS HEALTH HAZARD."
OVER THE PAST FEW DECADES, YOU HAVE RESTORED AND
RECLAIMED THIS MAGNIFICENT RIVER. THE DAMAGE HAS BEEN
REVERSED -- NATURE'S BALANCE HAS BEEN RESTORED -- AND
THE RIVER HAS BEEN REBORN.
a 26 -
THE ETHIC OF NATIVE AMERICANS LIKE CHIEF SEATTLE
MUST ALSO BE REBORN ON THIS CONTINENT. HIS WAS A
RELIGIOUS UNDERSTANDING, THAT THE WHOLE EARTH HAS A
SOUL THAT CAN BE DESTROYED BY MAN. HE SAW THE WORLD AS
A SPIRITUAL PLACE, OF PRECIOUS BUT FRAGILE BEAUTY.
- 27 -
OVER A CENTURY AGO, HE SAID, "HOLD IN YOUR MIND THE
MEMORY OF THE LAND AS IT WAS WHEN YOU FOUND IT. AND
WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, WITH ALL YOUR MIND, WITH ALL
YOUR HEART, PRESERVE IT FOR YOUR CHILDREN, AND LOVE IT
AS GOD LOVES US ALL."
THAT IS A CHALLENGE TO US ALL. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
--- ALL PEOPLE -- NEED A FULLER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
WORLD THEY LIVE IN. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF CAUSES,
AND EFFECTS.
- 28 -
AND IF THE EARTH IS AN ALTAR, WE MUST MAKE IT AN
ALTAR NOT OF SACRIFICE, BUT OF CELEBRATION. A PLACE
WHERE OUR COMMITMENT TO RESTORING ITS NATURAL BEAUTY IS
FELT IN A THOUSAND EVERYDAY DECISIONS.
You've MADE ONE OF THOSE DECISIONS TODAY -- BY
DECIDING TO PLANT A CENTENNIAL TREE. MAY IT GROW,
FLOURISH, AND SYMBOLIZE THE HOPE OF A NEW CENTURY:
THAT MAN WILL ONE DAY BE RECONCILED TO NATURE ONCE
AGAIN.
- 29 -
GOD BLESS YOU. GOD BLESS THE GREAT STATE OF
WASHINGTON. AND GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA.
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