While many people are working to address climate change by reducing consumption and protecting biodiversity, ArborGen and other tree biotechnology companies, hope to use the crisis to make a big profit.

In 2010, ArborGen won USDA permission to field-test a quarter million genetically engineered (GE) eucalyptus trees across South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

The new community garden at the Macon County Heritage Center at Cowee School is ready to go and raised beds are available to whoever would like a nice spot to garden this summer. Many people helped out to make this a reality.

First, we are very grateful for a generous donation from the Annie Dee Leatherman Smith family, which made the project possible. A memorial bench and a bed of flowers will commemorate her love for the Cowee Valley, its people and its wildflowers.

Most of us have heard the term fracking by now. In states where this underground energy extraction method is being used, the track record is not good for the folks who live there. Contamination of drinking water, associated health problems and even earthquakes have been tied to fracking.

There has been such a rush to make a profit from these energy sources that the welfare of people living over or near these extraction areas has been largely ignored. North Carolina is poised to give the green light to fracking — in its most populated areas — with virtually no safeguards in place.

It should be obvious to our legislators that a short term profit from a relative small amount of energy resources should not leave land and drinking water contaminated for centuries. Apparently this is not the case. There is action that you can – and should – take immediately.

For many of us we seem to be asking, where is truth? People have always been in search of this, whether in religion, self or political systems. Even Pilate was asking this of Christ when he asked, “What is truth?” and he never waited to receive the answer. (John 18:38) At the end of the day, everything we seek, search, and live for is to know truth. It’s instilled within all of us. Our justice, science and medical systems are founded and based upon getting to the truth of the matter or diagnosis. We ask this of relationships as well. We look for a trust and truthfulness in everything.

Christ was so bold in stating “I am the way and the truth.” (Jn. 14:6) And for this reason he came to testify of the truth. If we can possibly look at this with open eyes as we do with most questions we wrestle with and try to resolve, we just may find this to be a very reasonable process. Christ also asked of us to “ Come now, let us reason together,” (Isa.1:18) This is asking for a discussion and a search of what He's saying to be truthful. He's asking us to be true to ourselves and drop our inborn defenses against Him.