For the first issue of 2018, the R&L editorial board wanted to put together a very special themed issue. They traveled across the country and talked to many experts to produce essays, interviews, reviews and more focusing on the environment, good stewardship and the importance of property rights.
Director of Communications John Couretas ventured to Bozeman, Montana, and Yellowstone National Park. In “Growing pains in the romance lands,” he describes the difficulties of preserving land while also allowing for businesses to grow and new communities to be built. In an accompanying feature, “Betting the ranch,” Couretas profiles John and Ramona Baden, who put their Montana ranch into a conservation easement.
Also featured is a conversation that took place in Washington state with Todd Myers, director of the Center for the Environment at the Washington Policy Center. This feature looks at dolphin-safe tuna, leaded gasoline and the importance of where people who care about the environment actually live. You can find all that in “A conversation about the best policies for the environment.”
For the transatlantic sections, you can find an essay from Bishop Dominique Rey about why our language is so important when discussing environmental concerns in “Going back to the grammar of creation.” Philip Booth talks about Pope Francis’ Laudato si’ and what it’s missing. “Laudato si’ would have been a more rounded document if it had considered the importance of private property for the protection of the environment,” Booth argues.
Bruce Edward Walker reviews The Death and Life of the Great Lakes and discusses why these bodies of water are so important to us in the Midwest.
The “green” liberal tradition is Aldo Leopold, the “father of ecology.” Leopold truly practiced what he preached and used his own land to test conservation and restoration efforts. He spoke about the importance of “individual responsibility for the health of the land” and the importance of private property rights for the good of the land.
This is the first themed issue since last year’s redesign.
