Dr. Jack Vallentyne, who passed away this week, was a Canadian scientist who did much to educate and inform the Great Lakes public and policymakers about the "ecosystem approach" to conservation. In retirement, he educated school kids in the persona of Johnny Biosphere. Here is one of his great moments, partially in his own words:
In July 1978, Vallentyne presented the arguments for an ecosystem approach to the International Joint Commission in an unorthodox manner. Standing in front of the commissioners and onlookers, he produced a bottle of whisky and four glasses from under a table. He poured a shot of whisky into the first glass, two into the second, four into the third and eight into the fourth glass.
"Commissioners," he said, "you and our leaders of government and industry believe that constant growth is a good thing. I am sure you are right. I am going to drink this whisky the way you say our society should grow." He promised to drink one glass each 10 minutes, and began making his formal presentation. It discussed growth as an exponential function -- constant growth meaning a doubling of the initial quantity over constant intervals of time. Just like his body, Vallentyne said, the Great Lakes Basin had limits of adaptability to the stresses of population growth and technology.
Vallentyne took a second drink, blinked and cleared his throat. He explained the ecosystem approach, citing acid rain, toxic chemicals and even road salt as examples of problems affecting water quality that couldn't be addressed by only considering water.
After the third drink, a reporter in the front row of the audience gasped, "It really is whisky!" Growing more theatrical with his ingestion of the liquid, Vallentyne demonstrated that there is no "away" in nature by crumpling a piece of paper and throwing it at the feet of the commissioners.
"After the fourth drink, my hands instinctively went to my chest as the whisky burned down my throat. After regaining my breath, I spent the better part of a minute looking unsuccessfully for the summary sheet of my text. Knocking himself on the head, Vallentyne realized the summary sheet was the one he had wadded up and hurled to the floor. He read it "cool and collected" to the commissioners.
The commissioners verified the validty of Vallentyne's stunt by sniffing the bottle, which did contain whisky, though diluted by tea. The chair of the Canadian section of the commission told a CBC reporter that the presentation had been "a simply staggering performance.
The timing was right for an ecosystem approach. Responding to suggestions made by Vallentyne and others, the U.S. and Canada incorporated the idea in the new Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, signed November 22, 1978.
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