We don't care if you're sick of hearing complaints about pollution. People have been complaining about pollution since the 1960's when the problem grew especially bad. It seemed then that people wanted a clean environment and looked as if they were going to do something about it.

The media began urging people to clean up their neighborhoods, special ecology and environmental committees were formed, and they even designed a special ecology symbol and flag. At one point there was even an "Earth Day" set aside. Everyone was to do something to clean up their environment. What a front.

It is now the spring of 1977, and the pollution problem is growing worse all the time. Those special committees aren't heard about too much any more, and the attitude toward pollution is, "Who cares?" It seems we're living in a society where anything can happen, but no one does anything about it anymore. The Des Plaines area is being destroyed quickly by all three kinds of pollution. The nearby factories and O'Hare Airport are polluting our air; people throwing things into the Des Plaines River have almost totally killed the fish and have turned its banks into eyesores. In the streets there is plenty of garbage. This goes for lawns, parking lots, and even inside the buildings too. What are the people saying to all of this? "That river stinks! How come someone doesn't clean it up?" They don't say anything about the garbage in the streets.

The only thing we can do about the pollution in the air is to constantly complain to the factory owners and to the airlines to make them cut down their pollution output. If you can't be bothered complaining, just think back a couple of weeks. Around the middle of April we were under an "ozone warning" as the sky filled with more and more pollution. According to environmentalists, ozone is a colorless, ordorless gas. According to Webster's dictionary ozone is a triatomic form of oxygen that is a blueish irritating gas of pungent odor. The second definition claims it to be pure and refreshing air. Why then an ozone warning? Today ozone seems to imply all types of pollution. You never do hear too much about carbon monoxide, sulphur, dust, dirt, and smoke anymore, only ozone.

If nothing else gets you concerned, think about this. When you're outside for any length of time, you will feel a burning sensation in your eyes, nose, and throat. The tiny particles stick to you, creating an air about you that not too many people like. After a long spell of pollution, if you're out in a rainstorm, all that gunk will stick to you even worse.

If you don't believe that you can be affected by this, just go to Mexico City where nearly 100 people die annually of. pollution. The sky is rarely clear there. Another sick sight is the sun rising later than normal and setting prematurely due to the heavy smog. The air takes on a brownish white hue on an otherwise clear day.

Okay, the editorial is done. Go back to what you were doing. We know you don't really want to hear about pollution again anyway.