Filed under: Society + Media
I disagree with the death of environmentalism. We could act better to prevent the crisis. But I believe environmentalism has been only improving. It’ll be the next generation that will make a big change. Our job is to raise awareness and make a basis so that our future generations can work on the problem smoothly.
I think people’s awareness of global warming or the environment is much higher than twenty or thirty years ago. For example, more people recycle material today. According to the KU Environmental Stewardship Program Web site, it developed the KU Recycling to reduce waste in 1996. Also, last year, I had a chance to talking with the principal of Southwest Junior High. She said children at Southwest are much more aware of recycling than when she was a child.
As the Sierra Club Web site explains, people who’re skeptical of environmentalists might say, “The leadership of the environmental movement, overall, are a bunch of narrowly focused and politically blinded policy wonks – individually smart but collectively stupid.” Each individual’s action, like recycling, using florescent lights and not eating meat, cannot make a big difference. But the important thing is to raise awareness. Children, who’ve learned about global warming, will grow up and change the society. They should be more aggressive to protect the environment. I hope the administration and businesses will have much more understandings toward the environment in the future.
Although we might be more aware of the environment than our parents or grandparents, Elizabeth Schultz, who created a fund for environmental projects in Douglas County, told me something important. She worries young people today know less and less about the natural world. They are afraid of insects, frogs and snakes. They have never grown their own vegetables. Some of them depend on fast food and plastic bottles. They could not imagine a life without a heater or air conditioning. She said, those children “have very little understanding of what it means to live a sustainable life.” When I heard about that, I thought that is me. I grew up in a big city. I’d never really had a “sustainable life,” nor thought about why the earth is so important to us. I learned from her that not only to educate people about global warming, it’s also important to remind people that we’re living with the nature. The earth is not just for humans.
I’m optimistic. Nothing can be too late. Our efforts seem useless to those critics. But we’ll be a bridge to the future of environmentalism. I believe the future will be bright for the environment.
By Sachiko Miyakawa
Filed under: Society + Media
If you care at all about the environment, you’ve got to be an optimist. While there are plenty of victories to talk about, it’s still an uphill battle. That’s why articles like Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus’s “The Death of Environmentalism” seem so disheartening.
Of course, you can’t judge a book by its title… or something like that.
Shellenberger and Nordhaus are attempting to dismantle the fiery rhetoric the environmental movement is known for and rebuild it with something that is not only more edible but stronger and more pervasive. Fortunately, this is something I see happening. Earth-friendly products and services have been showing up in almost every market, from Home Depot to Enterprise. Environmental blogs are increasing by the dozens, making access to news faster and smarter. The IPCC and Al Gore were honored with the Nobel Peace Prize for their work in disseminating knowledge on climate change. It’s hard to call a movement dead when some of its main proponents are being awarded Nobel prizes. Most importantly, you no longer have to worry about being called a hippy when you say you care about the environment.
So when articles with titles like “Environmentalism is Dead” are published, they are clearly meant to be provocative, to “ruffle feathers.” The movement is obviously still alive, but no longer has the treehugging hippy connotations it once did. It’s getting more respect and attention from a larger group of individuals, politicians, scientists, journalists, and businesses than it ever has.
Bobby Grace
