As we baby boomers were “raised up,” we gleaned from our parents and their wise, old tales a few nuggets of wisdom. One of those passed down by my father H.W. Brown Jr. was that travel is educational.

A young military man by the name of Dwight D. Eisenhower marveled at our country as his military troops journeyed across the land in open convoy. They covered the better part of the lower 48 from coast to coast over 39 days. Upon seeing the Autobahn in Germany, Eisenhower dreamed of such a system for the United States, hence the development of the Eisenhower Interstate System.

During recent years, while on Christmas Break, I have been fortunate in using the Interstate system to travel to West Virginia for a little recreation known as snow skiing. Generally, one skis down the mountain and then rides the ski lift back to the top to ski down again, repeating this cycle over and over. On the ride up I often take the opportunity to strike up a conversation with some strangers for my own amusement and education.

Once this year, I loaded the lift with a guy donning an Atlanta Falcons baseball cap. He bemoaned as I mused over the deterioration of their professional football team. Shortly thereafter, I decried our governor’s efforts to give away our state to foreign investors, while spoiling our natural heritage. We found common ground.

This guy from Atlanta is an environmental engineer and upon his return home was set to testify against a major oil company and ADEM, our own environmental watchdog. It seems ADEM — the taxpayer’s overseer of land, water, and air quality — is allowing this major oil company to run roughshod over the oil fields of Alabama.

This should come as no surprise to those who can and do read. In recent weeks, print press has reported that Alabama has been found to rank 48th out of 50 in regard to its failure to go green. Our state, once again, is at the bottom, having been identified as one of the worst polluters per capita in the country. Additional reporting the foreign investment which contaminates Alabama’s landscape as more and more habitat fragmenting businesses and industry provide needed jobs here in Alabama by slashing them elsewhere.

And yet again much of this new investment is centered around the old economy, which continues to foul the air, water and land with no concern for the green lifestyle of sustainability that is gaining momentum nationally, and which we all must embrace in order to pass along any kind of nuggets to the next generation.