Treehugger.com is running several articles covering conflicts between neighbors over environmental issues.  They range from the aesthetic to the violent.

(Getty Images via TreeHugger.com)

First up is a story about a blind man who responded to a complaint by his neighbor complaining about the site and smell of his compost pile for his homegrown garden.  The article goes on to talk about the "not in my back yard" mentality, literally, as wind turbines begin to show up in residential back yards.  A similar conflict arose when the notoriously green Kennedys didn't want their view obstructed in Nantucket by a wind farm on the horizon in the ocean.  Since we are in an all hands on deck point in history it is time to redefine what is beautiful. I think a healthy planet without energy wars but with compost fed veggie gardens and windmills is a beautiful thing.  It is time for a massive media campaign on shifting aesthetics of a clean and healthy planet.

The second story is disturbing.  In Australia, an elderly man was beaten to death by an activist neighbor because the older gentleman was watering his lawn, even though he was doing so according to regulations that allow lawn watering before 10AM and after 4PM on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  Violence will never bring us closer to a healthy planet and it flies in the face of the holistic goal of creating a healthy environment in every respect.  Ghandi and Dr. Martin Luthor King's vision was not tied exclusively to race and we all need to remember that.   The author of the article sums up the causality this way:

At least in my view, this is a perfect example of one of the potential "retail" effects of climate change as opposed to the "wholesale" effects of whole nations and states going to war with each other.

This author points to what could be called a "Waterworld Effect" where it's everyman for himself.  Though it is wise to point out the potential pitfalls of such a realignment of tensions we must make every effort to treat each other civilly.  This is another reason why a massive re-education is imperative if we are all going to get along and work toward the same goals.  Though this education initiative is required wide-scale, I would bet that the best suited for the job are the non-governmental entities rather than government itself.  Mothers Against Drunk Driving, love 'em or hate 'em, have been incredibly effective in reducing deaths caused by drunk drivers.  It is time for an environmental NGO to take the lead in educating our societies about the shifting aesthetics of our changing world and to pitch that we are all in this together.  Lawsuits and violence are no solution at all.