Practical Environmentalism

I have long suspected that the only way to accomplish environmental goals was to compromise with business interests rather than fight them. A previous post, Compromise and Win, explored this hypothesis.

Now in an article in the July 29, 2008 edition of USA Today, Environmentalists, businesses reach compromise, there is evidence that some significant progress is being made in that direction. The two sides are working together to create win-win projects.

Governmental inaction is prompting environmental groups and big business to cut unprecedented deals to promote energy exploration and other development in return for major conservation initiatives.

The agreements preserve large amounts of undeveloped land, impose stricter environmental practices than required by law and generate big investments in alternative energy. The deals also clear the way for oil drilling, new power plants and large residential developments.

The article points out that not all environmentalists, nor all business interests, think that compromise is a good thing. But as more deals are being struck which offer real benefits for the environment without shutting down business, I believe that non-belivers will be converted.

Progress comes in small increments and thank goodness we have some trail-blazers willing to try a new approach! The increments will aggregate to the benefit of all.

Lasting change is a series of compromises. And compromise is all right, as long your values don't change. -- Jane Goodall

Compromise and Win

There are some people who are so single-minded about saving the earth for the creatures who live here, that they forget that we humans live here, too. They would, it seems, throw the baby out with the bath water. Returning to a primitive lifestyle, eschewing technological advances, economic progress, and our modern way of life, is not only impractical, but it is also absolutely impossible.

Such naivete is a luxury that many in the environmental community refuse to give up. Their hearts and their ideals are in the right place, but their understanding of political reality is seriously flawed. Why be an advocate for a solution which hasn't a ghost of a chance of being realized? Why not expend your energies in a more productive venture?

Then there is the other side which values commerce above common sense. Ignoring the environmental impact of human commercial endeavors is the worst form of short-term thinking, and we’ve recently been shown previews of the evils of short-term thinking.

Short-term thinking puts this quarter’s profits above everything including long-term viability (Enron). It puts a company’s stock price and personal enrichment above its business plan (Worldcom, Healthsouth, Tyco, et al.) It puts profit from natural resources (oil drilling in the Arctic, the burning of forests in the Amazon) above the long-term viability of the ecosystem. Short-term thinking promotes the institutionalization and rationalization of greed -- it promotes individual aggrandizement at the expense of humanity. Short-term thinking jeopardizes the future health and the very viability of our planet, and short-term thinking is winning disciples who are eager to prosper at any cost.

On the one hand we have a coalition of environmental concern which realizes that a future without a robust ecosystem and flourishing wildlife would be a depressing prospect. They realize that when America the Beautiful ceases to be an uplifting hymn, and instead becomes an vapid, ironic dirge, the United States of America will no longer have the history to inspire, the resources to empower, or the political will to lead. When the resources are used up and the land is scarred beyond recognition the music of liberty will stop.

On the business and energy side, we have interests which realize that our productivity and the economic engine of our progress require fuel. Our military strength and our ability to defend our freedom depend on energy. Our world class economy and the employability of our citizens depend on power sources. To surrender our energy sources would turn us into a third-world country bound in extreme poverty and fearful for our autonomy and our very existence.

Both sides have their heels dug in for fear that to give an inch would lead to ultimate surrender of those things held dear. Both sides seem to want a better world and a motivated existence, but have great difficulty in compromising their positions in order to harvest solutions.

But solutions always lie in accepting reality and working with truth. We must accept the reality of our environment, our economy, and our technologies, and design solutions around the premise of ensuring our long-term survival as individuals, as families, as a society, and as a planet.

Environmentalists must realize that our economy and our very freedom depend on being able to keep the economic engine running and the wheels of progress turning. If we do away with technology and a fuel-consuming economy we will lose our way of life and risk losing our autonomy and our freedom.

Commercial interests must realize that raping and polluting our planet is a short-sighted philosophy destined to short term viablilty at best. If, in fifty or a hundred years, we have used up all of the oil and timber on the planet and destroyed the ecology and the natural beauty in the process, will we feel better off? Would life be worth living in such a world?

If either side gets what they want, no one will get what they want. Either of the extremes will result in the impoverishment of our society and the surrender of our nation to those that would destroy us and our way of life.

Green energy sources must be pursued, discovered, and developed. Clear-cutting, strip-mining, and fossil fuels have to be replaced with eco-friendly alternatives. But unrealistic environmental demands must also be replaced with feasible alternatives. Somewhere in the middle is a robust economy fueled by environmentally friendly energy and moderated natural resource usage. In this Utopian middle ground, metals, minerals, and fibers would be aggressively recycled and remediation of present-day pollution would become a self-sustaining industry.

We cannot deny economic and cultural progress and return to a pre-industrial age. Nor can we continue on the present path to environmental anihilation. In order to succeed as a nation and ensure a bright future, positions need to be altered, philosophies transformed, and hard lines softened.

The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives. -- Sioux proverb

It's Time!

The environment is in trouble.

I believe it.

There are millions of American citizens who believe it.

With all of that Yankee ingenuity and American initiative to muster, one would think that this problem would soon go the way of the do-do bird. Unfortunately, this equation doesn't compute. Belief and action don't always coalesce.

Regrettably, it is easy to assuage our environmental conscience by sending some money to the Nature Conservancy or the Sierra Club, and then convince ourselves that we have done our part. It's easy and it's relatively painless. But money comes and goes too easily. Effort and action are what's required.

Although the pollution of our environment, deforestation, a general loss of habitat, and the degradation of our natural resources portend very dire consequences for our children and future generations, one can witness an appalling disinterest among friends, neighbors, and coworkers. The environmental laissez-faire attitude of our culture is downright embarrassing!

What will it take to wake these well-meaning but actionless environmental zombies out of their collective stupor? I start to get indignant and self-righteous, but then I have to ask myself, "What am I doing to help?"

The answer which rudely confronts me has inspired me to do a lot of self-examination. I grow weary of my own excuses.

In an attempt to overcome my inertia, I have come up with a new personal battle-cry: "It's time!"

• It's time to quit talking and take action.
  
  
• It's time to quit making excuses.
  
  
• It's time to stand up for what's important.
  
  
• It's time to resurrect the long-buried belief that I can make a difference.
  
  
• It's time to reawaken the passion I felt about changing the world when I was young.
  
  
• It's time to make the time to write to a congressman.
  
  
• It's time to take the time to educate my family, my friends and my acquaintances about my concerns.

There are many things that we environmentally concerned citizens witness that moves us to lament the sad state of the environment, but do we expend any effort to be part of the soution? Are we moved to action? We have become too comfortable, but we cannot afford to be seduced by our comfort any longer! It's time!

If not now, when? Will we go to our graves knowing that we could have made a huge difference in this world and the quality of life we bestow upon our progeny... but we failed to take action? Will we fail to even try? It's time!

Now is the time to start making a difference in this world because the time is extraordinarily propitious.

Have you noticed, as have I, the recent green trend that is invading (if not pervading) the national psyche? It's time!

Have you noticed that many more news stories are about environmental issues? It's time!

Have you witnessed the gradual acceptance of the theoretical relationships and ramifications of global warming? It has been transformed from "a crackpot theory" to a generally accepted doctrine. It's time!

Have you noticed the new trendy buzzwords in the national conversation, "carbon"and "sustainability"? It's time!

Our opportunity to truly build a better world has never been better! The popular wisdom has been primed. The “tribal knowledge” is amenable. The public receptivity for environmental issues is at an all-time high. The field for discourse is very fertile. It's time!

Will you or I be able to make a big difference overnight? Probably not. The solution is a process, not a moment.

Will we be able to have any positive effect in isolation? Maybe.

But isolated efforts would be so much more profound if they were combined in a confluence of voices and efforts - if they came together into a raging torrent of poignant synergy. Such focused energy would surely render a palpable example of how the whole can be much more effective than the sum of the individual parts. It's time!

Perhaps you think that you don't have the time? That is going to be a difficult misconception for you to correct. But I firmly believe that once you start this process, you will find that you do have the time!

Will you have to watch less television? Most definitely.

Fewer computer games? Assuredly.

Less Internet surfing? Of course!

Fewer unimportant calls on your cell phone? Hallelujah! You have a tremendous opportunity to turn those chats into something significant!

Do you need to reevaluate your priorities? It's time!

Today is the day. Now is the moment. I am changing my direction and feeling empowered to make a difference in this world and I am inviting all of my readers to do the same. I encourage you to take my new mantra and embrace it as your own. It's time!

Can we make a difference?

When you realize that "Ye are angels, if ye only but knew it," can there be any doubt?

It's time!

We will be forever known by the tracks that we leave. -- Dakota Indian saying

Environmental Catastrophe? It Doesn’t Have To Be!

I don’t want to sound like an alarmist, but people do need to become alarmed. I don’t want to sound like an extremist, but people do need to realize the extreme importance of this issue. And I don’t want to be overbearing, because I could then easily be dismissed as a “crackpot”. This could then become a red herring which would make it far too easy to dismiss the message.

As I grow older, I become more aware of the degradation and disintegration of our planet and our ecosystem. I have been a birder, a nature lover, and a passive environmentalist for many years. I say “passive” because I have not been an activist. I think that might change. Perhaps it must change.

When my own daughter lectures me on my wasteful habits as regards the environment, I realize that I have been fooling myself into believing that I have been responsive to our ecological responsibilities, and our stewardship of this rapidly disappearing planet. I have been doing the “easy” things, but ignoring the difficult choices; rationalizing that “it is too inconvenient,” or “it won’t really make a difference,” or “I just don’t have the time to worry about it right now.” The irony is that none of us has the luxury to NOT worry about it. We are all running out of time with our environment. We are fiddling while the planet burns. Individuals must disabuse themselves of the notion that they can’t make a difference. We must abandon our excuses and be prepared to make sacrifices, convenient or not.

For a few years, I was a member of the Sierra Club. But I could never really identify with that group, their agenda, or their tactics. They see everything as black and white: they are the good guys in white hats, and anyone who disagrees, or who doesn’t fully embrace their agenda is the bad guy in a black hat. That deliberate polarization around the issues does more harm than good. The Sierra Club has given the term “environmental activist” a bad connotation. I am advocating activism without being adversarially polarized. Rational discussion of the issues and compromise are the only way to move forward.

How does one do this? By subtle reminders. By finding ways to make the topic enter into everyday conversations. By doing what we can as individuals despite the lack of governmental support. By giving each other encouragement. By discovering true compromises that both sides can embrace. And by thanking those that are making an effort, no matter how small, to conserve our energy and our environment.

Any solution to our energy problems will have an impact on our environment. And any solution to our environmental problems will impact the way in which we can manufacture, produce and consume energy. Both sides of both issues must be open-minded and willing to compromise. The two issues, energy and environment are inextricably linked in a symbiotic relationship. Intertwined with them are issues of the economy and of technological progress.

But can any lifestyle be comfortable if our wilderness and our wildlife disappears? Can there be any point in making a living and trying to better our lot, if the fate of our very planet is that of a barren wasteland? Nobody alive today has to worry about witnessing this tragic scenario. It won't happen tomorrow, next week, or next year. That is one reason why it is hard to be heard on this issue. Environmental catastrophe is not imminent even though our current path does make it inevitable.

We may not witness doomsday in our lifetime, but unless attitudes change, we will witness the point of no return – the point at which it truly will be too late to avoid environmental devastation. Unless attitudes change, it will be our legacy that we had a chance to save the environment but ignored it. One day mankind may discover that the earth is dying and it truly will be too late to save it!

But it is not yet too late.

A major obstacle is the fact that everyone is so busy surviving in today's economy, that few have the time to be contemplative about the issues. We may search for answers, but all the while we are serenaded by the siren song of maintaining a comfortable lifestyle - ordinary people tethered to the daily habituation of making a living. Few have the luxury of time to consider the possible ways an individual or a small group can make a positive contribution.

This inertia will be even harder to overcome than the adversarial relations between the environmentalists and the economic interests. Because everyone is overworked, over-stressed, and over-informed, it will be hard to even get their attention, let alone their action. The demands of survival for many Americans seem to dictate disinterest and apathy about all worthy issues that transcend their immediate, personal concerns.

We must fight this mental torpor and properly engage the issues. We need to embrace the problem and make it a cornerstone of our mental framework. It doesn't have to be an all-consuming effort, just a subtle, directed energy. It doesn't have to be in the forefront of our thoughts, just comfortably housed in our subconscious. It doesn't have to be hard, just a habit.

When motivated, thinking individuals can, and will, make a difference. Small contributions do add up. If you listen to public radio and are familiar with their semi-annual fundraising efforts, you know that they set a goal they want to achieve (say, $500,000) and ask everyone to contribute what they can – even as little as $25. That seems like a daunting task to raise a half-million dollars $25 at a time doesn’t it? Yet that is what they consistently do, every time! People are motivated to take small steps if they can see the aggregation being accomplished.

Conservation can be like this. We need to save a billion barrels of oil, one quart at a time. We need to reduce carbon emissions a particle at a time. We need to clean our rivers, a cup at a time. Americans need to eschew environmentally expensive choices, and embrace environmentally friendly ones. We need to reduce our collective footprint on this planet by each of us squeezing into a smaller "shoe".

I am naïve enough to believe that small efforts will not only make a difference, but will also eventually lead to larger efforts. And though we may not be able to reverse some of the damage that has already been done, we can prevent future damage. Perhaps some of the scars can be remediated and others healed. But I predict that concerted efforts will reap a serendipitous bonus: we will be surprised to find that we are not burdened by our sacrifices! The pride of our success in a noble and global venture such as this will ameliorate any pain or discomfort we encounter!

The immovable object which is responsible for preventing the realization of individual efforts is the inertia of attitude. It is far too easy to say, “Someone else will solve this problem.” But conservation is important on a grand and cosmic scale, and the effort to heal the environment is worthy and noble. It demands that we not rationalize our involvement. It demands that we not abdicate our responsibilities. It demands that everyone make better choices.

Conservation of resources and of our environment must be brought to the forefront of public consciousness -- without causing adversarial positioning. Individuals must be made to realize that their small contributions will make a difference. These individual contributions just might combine in a synergistic aggregation which is disproportionately large compared to the effort expended.

I truly and fervently believe that the tipping point from trendy, "feel good" novelty to environmental efficacy is not only within reach, but also much closer than we think. By keeping the easy, low-hanging fruit in the forefront (or at least in the visible periphery) of the consciousness of Americans, we can reach a critical mass of small efforts which will combine to achieve significant results. Many people will feel that they don't have time and can't be bothered by this issue. But if the remediation is portrayed as an adventure of epic proportions, they, too, might be compelled to get on board!

Three things have proven to motivate individuals to high action: catastrophe (Hurricane Katrina), common threat (communism), and magnificent adventure (the race to the moon). In saving the environment, we have all of these elements present. We just need to publicize, proselytize, and organize.

I know it can be done and the key is to recognize that success will come in small increments. But in order to keep individuals motivated about their individual efforts, there needs to be some kind of feedback mechanism to let them see these incremental improvements, and to let them know that they really are making a difference. More on that later.

Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs. -- Henry Ford