Dear Friends,

As we celebrate Earth Day this year, I encourage us to share a vision for Pennsylvania in the 21^st century -- a vision to respect and replenish our environment by preserving and protecting our air, water and land. As citizens of Pennsylvania, each of us -- in his or her own way -- must do our share to improve our environment. That's why we've chosen "Do Your Share!" as our theme.

Today, the "rules of the game" have changed. Community and business leaders are no longer talking about doing the least they can do to just get by. They are talking about how they can do more, because economic competition and the future of our children demand it. This new spirit was clearly evident when I presented the 1996 Governor's Awards for Environmental Excellence last October. Fifty-two businesses, community groups and local officials were recognized for their innovative efforts to reduce pollution by billions of pounds, not because government regulations demanded it, but because it made sense to do it.

We encourage you as individuals, students, local government officials and businesspeople to strive toward achieving a goal of zero pollution in your home, school, community, or business. The goal of zero pollution is of course, very ambitious, but many forward-looking organizations already have adopted it as a goal and made significant strides toward achieving it. It only makes sense; preventing harmful pollutants from getting into the environment is better than trying to clean up the pollution after it happens.

Let us use the occasion of Earth Day 1997 to celebrate what each of us have done to prevent pollution over the last year and how we can do more. We also should take time to recognize and thank the thousands of Pennsylvanians -- many of them volunteers -- who work to protect our watersheds, educate us about out environment, and prevent pollution in our communities, businesses and schools.

Let us each "Do Our Share" and work as partners to achieve what Pennsylvania's Constitution guarantees each of us -- "a right to clean air, pure water and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment."

Very truly yours,

TOM RIDGE
Governor