A Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation in northeastern Wisconsin. Photo by Jim Lundstrom.

“There is no business on a dead planet,” David Brower (1912 – 2000), environmentalist and Sierra Club leader.  

It is hard to understand how anyone can be opposed to protecting the natural world on which all life depends. Clean water, breathable air and uncontaminated soils are essential “ecosystem services” that only nature provides.

Environmental degradation has been a major factor in the decline and collapse of past human societies. Many examples have been documented by historians and anthropologists.  

Yet many people in our country consider environmental protection a hindrance to economic growth and a frill we can't afford. Making money, this quarter's bottom line, our highly consumptive lifestyles and freedom from “big government” regulation are more important than a sensible, healthy, sustainable future.  

Clean water is the most basic and essential requirement for any community. But all over the country the water supply is being degraded and used up at alarming rates. Multiple sources report that underground aquifers are being depleted. Excessive agricultural, industrial and human water use is mining underground water faster than nature can put it back. Kansas corn yields are declining due to a lack of water, there is not enough water to support the construction of new homes in parts of Arizona, and rivers across the country are drying up.  

An aquifer is an underground strata of sand and rock that holds water. Water in aquifers can move through spaces in the sand and rock. Some aquifers are very deep and were formed by glacial melt water millions of years ago. Some aquifers are shallow and easily impacted by surface pollution or over pumping. 

Aquifers also are connected to lakes and rivers and over pumping wells can result in lower water levels in springs, streams and lakes.  

It can take thousands, or even millions, of years to create an aquifer. Humans can pump one dangerously close to dry in 50 to 100 years. The Ogallala aquifer in the high plains is being  pumped out for agriculture (especially corn) faster than precipitation can recharge it. Overuse of underground water in coastal areas is resulting in salt water intrusion into wells. The Colorado River is used so heavily it is barely makes it to the ocean. The Rio Grande avoids the same fate because of one tributary from Mexico. Some cities in wet regions of the country are experiencing water shortages.  

We must use water to live but we don't have to waste or pollute it with agricultural runoff, PFAS chemicals, oil spills, lead pipes or contamination from fracking. We can conserve water, control our population and change our consumptive lifestyles. Yet we continue to mine water for agriculture in deserts, sprawling suburban developments and ridiculous individual or business over consumption.  

A prime example of unnecessary use is the bottled water industry. Consumers have been convinced that bottled water is better than tap water by deceptive advertising. Bottled water is no safer or healthier than properly run municipal water systems.

In 2022, U.S. consumers bought 15.9 billion gallons of bottled water – more than any other bottled beverage. People  could easily use refillable containers greatly reducing plastic bottle trash. But bottled water makes big profits for large companies.  

The water pollution caused by industrial agriculture is another example. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are a major cause of rural water contamination in Wisconsin. These large “factory farms” produce huge amounts of manure that is usually spread on farm fields. This is the source of 90% of all nitrate groundwater pollution in Wisconsin.

A typical CAFO of 1,200 animals (some have tens of thousands) produces the equivalent amount of sewage as a city of 46,000 people. According to the DNR Wisconsin has 327 CAFOs. The largest concentration is in Northeast Wisconsin, which has porous, karst geology prone to water contamination.  

The DNR has been taking action to reduce groundwater contamination by CAFOs. They have  set standards for siting and expansion of CAFOs that include setbacks, odor control, air emissions, runoff management and manure-handling procedures. But some large agribusiness interests don't like these restrictions. They are suing to overturn the DNR rules and eliminate the only protections for the rural neighbors from these factory farms.  

Proponents of CAFOs claim they are more efficient and produce more food at less cost. This may be good for consumers but at what cost to the future? Is cheaper food now more important than the long-term harm done to people, rural communities or Mother Nature? Again, it is all about making money.  

Plastic water bottles are only one item in plastic trash. Every year some 400 million metric tons of plastic trash wind up in landfills, streams, on shorelines and in the ocean. Plastics break down into tiny pieces called microplastics, which spread everywhere in the environment, including human bodies.  

The United Nations is working on international agreements to reduce plastic trash. The oil and plastic industries are working to limit the impact of this effort. Industry apologists claim recycling is the solution and limiting plastic production is not needed. But many investigations have shown that recycling is failing to deal with plastic waste. Reducing new plastic production is essential to solving the problems. Reduce and reuse must come before recycle for effective solutions.      

Plastic production exploded from 15 million tons in 1964 to 311 million tons in 2014 (a 2,000% increase) Today more plastic, more types of plastic and more plastic products are being produced. It is estimated that only 5-10% are recycled and 85% go to landfills.  

Why is recycling plastics not happening? The cost of plastic fluctuates with the price of oil. Low oil costs make new plastic less expensive than reprocessing recycled plastic. Markets for recycled plastic products have never adequately developed. Many plastics are not recyclable. Unlike metal or glass, which can be perpetually recycled, many plastics degrade and can't be recycled multiple times. Plus with our disposable, throw-away, consumer culture, too few people care. Out of sight, out of mind is the general rule.  

Why is protecting the environment so hard to do? There are many reasons but they all come back to greed as the foundation of our economy. Making money – especially for the 1% at the top – is the most important goal regardless of the consequences.  

Novelist Barbara Kingsolver asks the question we all should consider, “If life must be a race to use up everything we have, who exactly will win that race?”