Our catch phrase is on its way.

Dear Fellow Earthlings,

A couple of days ago I took a break from my job and flew up to the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido to visit Lake Toya. The lake and the area around it have constituted Shikotsu-Toya National Park since 1949. The scenery is magnificent, as you can see from the photos.

I stayed at the Windsor Hotel, constructed some 2,000 feet above Lake Toya and affording a view that is breathtaking! The Windsor has been the site of several high-level summit meetings since its construction in 1992. The G8 summit was held at the Windsor Hotel in July 2008.

However, the beauty of the Lake Toya area is under siege. As can be seen in Photograph 5, the natural occurring clouds above the lake have been joined by plumes of pollution, the bulk of it drifting over from mainland Asia. The nations of Earth must cut their production of greenhouse gases. We are on the verge of a chain reaction, wherein methane gas will be released from the bowels of this planet.

Methane will poison us all if it emerges in sufficient quantity. Formerly pristine Lake Toya (and its Oregon cousin Crater Lake) are both serving as canaries in the coal mine.

All people in high places, middle places, and low: Let’s act! To the high fliers, I say:“Use your skills to change the momentum of things!” To the those of you in the middle: “Urge those above you to act – and present them with lists of things they can do to help engender a momentum change.” To those of you who feel powerless, first of all, do not create babies when there is no space or resources for them.

Let’s hope that five years from now I can report that Lake Toya’s clouds are no longer imbued with colors of impending doom…

Steve Walker Earthsaver and Jingles Creator

© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.