View from the Gulf: A Local Seaman’s Perspective

Several weeks ago, when the Deepwater Horizon explosion triggered an oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, those who live along the coast and around the country began praying for containment and clean-up of the oil. Many, like me, also began getting better educated...

Showing Stubborn Courage to Protect Environment

I heard my friend Larry Schweiger, president of the National Wildlife Federation, speak recently at a conference in Nashville about the connection between the Gulf spill and our need to address global warming. I’ve known Larry since 1994 and have been privileged...

Oil Companies Take Risks to Feed Our Addiction

Recently, my mom sent me a news clipping containing yet another searing image of a raging petroleum fire. The bright yellow inferno at the burn site is belching an ugly, black plume of smoke into the sky. Only this picture was not one of the many shocking photos to...

Five Lessons Learned From Gulf Oil Catastrophe

Some of the most valuable lessons in life are learned during seasons of hardship, suffering or adversity. Wisdom is often forged from mistakes, mishaps and miscalculations. John Maxwell reminds us that “A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart...

Can We End Our Dependence on Fossil Fuels?

On the last night of my Panama City Beach, Fla., vacation, I sat on the balcony of our borrowed sixth-floor condominium watching the sun set on my time of rest – and perhaps on a way of life that is as American as baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and, yes, Chevrolet. I...