Tim - So sad that this is even still being discussed. The economy and the environment are two sides of the same coin - you can not have one without the other. Repeatedly we see that environmental protection initiatives create jobs and stimulate the economy. A report CBF commissioned from UVA released yesterday shows that for every dollar invested in agricultural pollution reduction in Virginia, over $1.55 was returned to the economy. As Lisa Jackson said in a recent speech, "This is what smart environmental protection does, it creates a need, in other words, a market for clean technology; and then it drives innovation and invention, in other words, new products for that market. This is our convenient truth, smart environmental protection creates jobs." Legislation recently introduced to Congress by Senator Cardin and Representative Cummings will require long term environmental protection for the Bay and tributary rivers. The economy will be a co-beneficiary. - Will Baker, Chesapeake Bay Foundation

1,000 is such a small number of people to mark a trend in thinking. Will's comment is right on. Quite frankly it is insane to think we don't have to focus on a poorly functioning bay. The last time I checked we need food and water to survive. Equally, GNP needs a product for it to function. Crabs, oysters, recreational fishing = $$$. Why would we want to deplete our treasured resources for such a short term gain? - Lisa, Charles Village

I totally support the comments made by Will Baker. Maybe folks living in other parts of the US cannot appreciate a direct correlation between the economy and the environment but those of us living in the Chesapeake Bay watershed should be especially supportive of green intitatives and improving the quality of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. There is no question that smart growth, green energy and a plentiful crab population create economic growth, support employment and improve the recreational value of our Bay, our very own national treasure .

Terry Winter

Restaurant owners know the impact of environmental degradation: more scarce oysters require more resources to harvest; their cost is passed on to the diner; the diner either stops coming to the restaurant, or orders less expensive food. So the waterman turns to another harvest, which leads to overfishing of the different "critter", which leads to declining supply, which leads to further increased price. Or the over-fishing leads to tighter restrictions on the catch, which drives more watermen out of the business. And increased dead zonescaused by the runoff of pollutants into the Bay drive the remaining fishermen further out to sea for their harvests, increasing the operating expenses for those who can afford to continue in the business.
Or how about crabs? When the impact on watermen, crab processors, wholesalers, grocers, and restaurants is all added up, the decline in crabs in the Bay has meant a cumulative loss to Maryland and Virginia of about $640 million between 1998 and 2006. Jobs related to crabbing in Maryland and Virginia fell 40% from 1998 to 2006. And the recreation industry? In 2008, eighty-three swimming beaches in Maryland and Virginia tested positive for unhealthy levels of bacteria typically associated with human waste--beach-goers will not long continue to patronize the hotels, inns, restaurants, and souvenir shops nearby to these beaches--they'll simply stop coming. That's a lot of jobs to be lost.
Oh, yes: Degrading the environment definitely degrades the economy. We must NOT be less worried about environment than jobs.

As a recent college graduate, I would love to see the economy bounce back but I wouldn't so much as think about sacrificing the quality of the environment to do so. I completely agree with the others here, we can create green jobs, all we need is the support of our government. Once we have passed bills to regulate water quality and Total Maximum Daily Loads of Nutrients and sediments, we will need people to be testing, regulating and enforcing. We not only will see jobs for those with an environmental background, but all professions. Think of the places people like to spend money...they are all pretty and healthy. It's been so unfortunate to see Sandy Point Park closed due to unhealthy conditions for swimming when we could be bringing in state revenue from tourists. What about green energy? Someone has to be the thinking cap, the constructor, and the salesman. The examples are endless. I think the best way to encourage economic growth is push our government officials to fight for the environment, so that they in turn provide funding for us job seekers to be the green soldiers!

Tim,
I think it is definitely short sighted. The poll results demonstrates how much needs to be done to educate people in order to make the shift from thinking in terms of such "win-lose" trade-offs. The comments above have cited many good examples of the benefits of a "win-win" approach.
It should greatly concern all of us that the Bay may suffer irreparable damage in our lifetimes due to our lack of stewardship. If that time comes we'll have no trade-off options. We'll be left with "lose-lose".