While diving is certainly not for everyone, and especially not for all kids, not only is diving a fantastic sport, but it really puts you in touch with the environment.
Now I ain't a tree-huggin,' tofu eatin,' liberal, but having been raised on hunting, fishing, camping, and the outdoors, I have a real appreciation for what the Good Lord gave us in this world. Global warming is pretty much a recognized reality, and one of the first places it will be seen is underwater in reduction of coral reefs - its already happening. I just hope we haven't already screwed things up so much that it's unrecoverable.
Introducing kids to the joys and wonders of diving (even snorkeling) (or any of the outdoors sports for that matter) not only gives them something healthy to enjoy for their entire lives, but may also have a positive effect on things to come since these kids will be the voting public and future leaders of industry and our country in just a few years.
I guess what I'm saying is that what you do to foster our sport may have far reaching and long-term positive effects!!!
(Probably my biggest concern is China
- now coming into the industrial age with their millions of people who will use the machinery, cars, power plants, and other things that produce greenhouse gasses at a fantastic rate. 
For all the controls we place on ourselves, I think the pollution they will produce will far outweigh any benefit we gain from regulating ourselves. - but we can't give up on doing the right thing) A couple of weeks ago, there was a news program on TV dealing with global warming (sort of the same theme as Gore's movie which I haven't seen), and one idea put forward in the show particularly struck me: while it took millions of years for coal, oil, and gas deposits to form, as we use them, we are releasing them into the atmosphere over a matter of a couple of centuries. You know - they're right!
Whatchuguysthink?
