by Rose Jimenez

Recently our PBS station, Channel 9 aired an interesting program on the anniversary of Princess Diana's death. It offered a close-up view of the nation's grief and of the British public, as well as visitors, alike, who flocked to Kensington Palace and erected a shrine of flowers, cards, toys, etc. When it came time to clean the area, the government crews separated the offerings and what could be composted went in the grinder. At the end of the program, a crew is raking the compost over the once shrine area that will eventually go back into the earth.

Here at San Fernando Cemetery II, 90% of the offerings are not biodegradable. During the general cleanup the grounds crew pile up the rubbish and eventually it has to be hauled away in truckloads to a landfill at a great expense. We are taught early on that CLEANINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS. During this age and time I believe ENVIRONMENTALNESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS, too. Wouldn't it be wonderful if more attention could be paid to this issue?