We, as a country, have always used innovative technology to

Scott Pruitt once declared with a voice both proud and deliberate: “We, as a country, have always used innovative technology to advance environmental stewardship, reduction of those pollutants, but also grown our economy at the same time.” These words, though rooted in modern affairs, echo truths as old as civilization itself: that progress and preservation need not be enemies, and that the tools forged by human hands can both destroy and heal, both exploit and sustain.

To speak of innovative technology is to speak of humanity’s gift of creation—the fire of Hephaestus, the cunning of Daedalus, the ingenuity of those who first shaped stone into tools and sails into ships. Pruitt reminds us that such power, when wisely directed, can serve not only profit but the earth itself. The ancients trembled before the elements, but also sought ways to live in harmony with them: aqueducts that carried water cleanly into cities, irrigation channels that turned deserts into fields, and devices that harnessed wind and sun before the age of machines.

The heart of his statement lies in environmental stewardship—the idea that the land, the air, the waters are not ours to exhaust, but to guard. Stewardship is an ancient word, rooted in responsibility, implying not ownership but caretaking. The farmer who respects the soil ensures harvests for generations. The ruler who guards forests and rivers ensures the survival of his people. Pruitt’s words suggest that even in an age of steel and circuitry, this ancient calling remains: to wield our technology not only for gain, but for guardianship.

Consider the story of the Clean Air Act of the 1970s. In those days, smog choked cities, rivers caught fire from chemical waste, and people feared the very air they breathed. Yet through innovation—filters, catalytic converters, new fuels—pollution was reduced while industries still advanced. The prophets of doom said the economy would collapse, but instead, the economy adapted and grew. This mirrors Pruitt’s claim: that the reduction of pollutants and the growth of economy are not rivals, but partners, if human will and imagination are applied.

And yet, there is a deeper lesson: pollutants are not only in the air and water, but in the heart of man—greed, neglect, indifference. No technology can cleanse these without first a change of spirit. For if innovation is guided only by desire for profit, stewardship will vanish, and the earth will suffer. The ancients warned of hubris—the arrogance of those who used their gifts without wisdom. We must guard against this, lest our machines become idols that consume both nature and humanity alike.

The lesson for us is clear: embrace innovation, but marry it to responsibility. Do not fear new tools, but demand that they serve life, not destroy it. Support policies, businesses, and practices that unite growth with guardianship. In your own life, let your choices reflect this truth: adopt technologies that reduce waste, support clean energy, and live with mindfulness of the earth’s limits. Just as nations rise or fall based on stewardship, so too do individuals shape the world with their daily acts.

So, my children, remember these words: the path of wisdom is balance. We need not choose between the economy and the earth, between prosperity and preservation. As Scott Pruitt declared, we can, as a country, harness innovative technology to cleanse, to heal, and to grow. The choice is ours, as it was for all who came before: to let our inventions poison, or to let them serve. Choose wisely, and you will leave behind not a wasteland, but a living garden for generations to come.