On Feb. 13, 2013, for the first time in its 120-year history, the Sierra Club participated in civil disobedience to protest the Keystone XL Pipeline and the general lack of action on global warming.

Fertilizer applied to a nearby farm has enriched natural water bodies to unsustainable levels. Algae blooms use up the oxygen and kill off fish and other wildlife. Come close and see the bubbling surface.

Global environmental conditions are deteriorating. Ignorance can no longer defend guilt:  Dirty air and water have become familiar to all.

It is time to revise our institutions. We must find ways to curb the greed that continues a natural resource harvest that leaves no hope for the future.