Like Jon, I reject an environmentalism built on doomsday scenarios for the same reasons he relates. I also reject an environmentalism built on Gaia-worship and Luddism: I respect the environment, I don't worship it.

However, I grew up close to some of the greatest scenery in the world, and I want to keep the wonders of God's creation around for my children and their children to follow. How, then, do free-market capitalists reconcile keeping our economy healthy and growing and yet conserve and keep what is precious to all of us?

Newt Gingrich may have found a way. During my drive to work each day, I'm listening to "A Contract with the Earth", his new book on the environment, and I like what I'm hearing so far. Newt proposes five principles designed to create and energize a sound environmental policy that's built on growth and hope, not doom and collapse. His plan builds a future that allows for humanity's quest to better our world to continue and also allows for the environment to prosper and grow.

1. Demand objectivity. Find ways to pull politics out of the environmental debate. If there's one thing that should unite us, it's maintaining the health of the planet we live on and the people who inhabit it.
   
2. Educate and inspire. Make environmentalism cool and hopeful, not backwards-looking and gloomy.
   
3. Encourage "green" enterprise as a hopeful alternative to gloom-and-doom environmentalism
4. Give, help and share technology with other nations to encourage them to develop their resources in an environmentally sound manner.
   
5. Think long term and locally. Local people know their area best, and they should be empowered to effect positive environmental change, not have it placed on their shoulders by an out-of-touch, bureaucratic Federal government.
   

The words "conservation" and "conservatism" both spring from the same Latin word, conservare, meaning to keep and preserve what is near and dear to us. It's time for the GOP to truly take up the mantle of T.R. and preserve the wonders of this Earth for those who follow in our footsteps.