He publicizes a planetary slogan

Yarmouth man explains to school
his pledge of allegiance to earth

By CYNTHIA McCORMICK

' STAFF WRITER

Jerry Schmeer's global pledge
has a copyright registration, but
that doesn't mean he wants the
message restricted to a privileged
few.

Everywhere he goes, the com-
puter technician at Cape Cod Com-
munity College spreads news of
the pledge:

I pledge my allegiance
to the planet Earth

to make it a better,
healthier and safer
world for all.

Schmeer, a West Yarmouth resi-
. dent, distributed the pledge at
schools on his recent vacation in
_ England. The pledge has appeared
in a newspaper in Egypt, where peo-
' ple were planning a cleanup around
the pyramids of Giza.

Last week he was back in school
with Barnstable teacher Susan Pe-
ters, whose fifth-grade class gave the
pledge — written in 1989 to protest
the boundaries that divide nations
and people — an ecological
interpretation.

Ina "read and recyle" assembly at
the Grade Five School in Hyannis
marking the 25th anniversary of
Earth Day in Hyannis, Schmeer told
the youngsters it was their responsi-
bility to care for the earth — and
each other.

"What Earth Day is, is a celebra-

tion of life,'' Schmeer told the.

youngsters.

44 Each and every one
of you have a strong
voice. Speak out when
things are not going

right.gy
JERRY SCHMEER

The earth needs its rainforest and
animal species, he said. "It's our re-
ponsibility to take care of these
things and keep them in balance."

Also important are the people
whose lives are being lost and
ruined in wars around the globe.

"These people are important,"
Schmeer said. He urged students to
write to political leaders to protest
inhumane treatment.

"With just one letter, you can
change the world," he said. "People
do listen. Each and every one of you
have a strong voice. Speak out when
things are not going right."

Students in Susan Peters' class
are encouraged to speak out about
issues, particularly environmental
concerns.

In fact, a few years ago her stu-
dents wrote to Schmeer asking him
to change the ending of his pledge to
make it "'a better, healthier and safer
world for all creatures who live here
and for the generations of all living
things that follow us." '

Schmeer explained back then he

Y¥Cape Cod Times

SATURDAY, APRIL 15, 1995

I pledge my allegiance
to the planet Earth,

<>

to make it a better,
healthier and safer
world for all.

liked his original version, because it
is simpler and probably easier to
translate. He gave the youngsters a
framed photo of the planet earth,
taken from outer space.

Ms. Peters said children seem to

have a natural interest in protecting
plants and animals.

"J realized a lot of adults were sort
of numb to it, and the kids were nat-
urally interested in the world around
them," Ms. Peters said.