New Wave Environmentalism Focuses on Issues Beyond Eco-Tips
by George Spyros, New York City, USA 
on 04.29.08
The New Environmentalism Is About Issues in Addition to Eco-Tips
We're heartened to see a shift in environmental focus taking root around the past Earth Day. This Enviro New Wave is committed to supplementing eco-tips and individual action by tackling the issues facing life on Earth through a whole-systems approach. This includes nurturing local action as well as doggedly advocating for large-scale political shifts in policy.
Colleague Ben Jervey, admittedly a bit sour, writes on his blog and The Huffington Post that "Earth Day is All Wrong" and symptomatic of our eco-tip addiction:
How we, as environmentalists, keep willingly pushing this singular day as some sort of blessed holiday -- this random day in April, all-too-easily forgotten by May -- to celebrate all the "solutions" (organic t-shirts! "Ten Ways to Green Your Life" lists! biodegradable forks!) that won't get us anywhere close to where we need to be to truly deal with the ecological crises at hand. Crises that the Earth will easily, given a few thousand years, rebound from, but we, as a species, may well not.
Jervey however says that he was awfully encouraged to read John Javna also writing in The Huffington Post that The New Environmentalism Is Issues, Not Eco-Tips. Javna, who co-authored one of the original eco-tips books 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Planet originally published in 1989 (free PDF download of the entire book here), now has a brand new edition as well as a sparkling new web site with an online community. The idea is to go further than simple individual effort, to harness the power of cooperation and community working to change not only individual personal habits, but also to change society’s laws, business practices, and values. The goal being to develop a sustained, committed effort to solve specific problems, rather than simply encouraging random environmental action.
Additionally, our dauntless colleague Simran Sethi has a new joint over at Sundance Channel: THE GOOD FIGHT, a web series that looks at the places where environmentalism is a necessity, not a luxury. Says Sethi:
I created this series, with the help of many inspiring people, because I am impatient and hopeful. Impatient that we have to get beyond changing light bulbs and carrying reusable bags to effect systemic change. Hopeful, because I know we can get there. Please don’t get me wrong—making small, meaningful changes in your own life is very important. But we can’t shop our way to sustainability. We have to look at the root causes of climate change, pollution, and other problems and figure out how to work together to solve them. I see it happening everywhere – and you will, too...Today, most of our pollution, waste, and environmental toxins end up in low-income communities and communities of color. These blog posts, audio podcasts, and videos will shed light on the activists and grassroots organizations that are working to transform this challenge—increasing access to housing, food, and water; supporting indigenous communities; building a green collar economy; and, with optimism and creativity, striving vigorously and resolutely for environmental justice for all.
...Environmental rights are civil rights, and climate change has no boundaries. What brings us together is stronger than what keeps us apart....
WATCH>> The Good Fight with Simran Sethi Episode 01: The Greening of Greensburg 30 second Video
One final colleague, Sarah Rich, notes on Earth Day 2008 over at Inhabitat that many people who see looming gargantuan crises are arguing that small individual actions are inconsequential. A year prior she, along with Alex Steffen, called for the end of Earth Day in favor of a widespread priority shift from trying to create change at the level of consumer-oriented minutiae, to rethinking systems, governments, and corporations. Writes Rich:
I still believe that massive change won’t be possible without a wholesale reconfiguration of policy and industrial production.... So this Earth Day, as the Beijing Olympics approach and anti-China sentiment builds, perhaps we can ask ourselves how to merge the merits of individual action with the necessity of whole systems thinking. Pitting the US against China on an environmental score arms political administrations with ammunition to prevent the very progress we hope for, and sets up the next generation for a new kind of sanctioned prejudice. China and the US may have different problems and different needs, but we are entwined everywhere from the economy to the atmosphere. There is no such thing as sustainability that is not global.
Here's to tackling the issues and the Enviro New Wave -- surf's up, dude!
WATCH>> Alex Steffen, Sarah Rich, Graham Hill and Simran Sethi in conversation:
HauteGREEN Salon Part One [2 minutes]
HauteGREEN Salon Part Two [3 minutes]
via: Susty.tv
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While the looming crises certainly needs bold and sweeping change, the simple paradigm change of the unconvinced in the First World is of itself a bold, sweeping change with huge paybacks. In convincing someone to take that first step on the journey of a thousand miles, we gain allies in the larger struggle. I particularly liked Michael Pollan's take in a recent Times article, especially the Vaclav Havel example...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/magazine/20wwln-lede-t.html
So let's not throw the baby greens out with the bathwater...
HG
Of course, it's sad to see that Earth Day is used for small, but helpful tips, but it's one day out of the year. What would it be used for otherwise? Zeal for one day is nothing.
The small, but helpful tips for everyday people are great, because it shows that people are willing to take a little time to change. Usually, the mass is resilient to change. Green is the new fad. Most large companies are trying to get a piece of it and it's going to be considered "negative" if you don't have a green spin or are doing something to save energy.
In the end, hopefully the masses speak out to all governments and the government listens and changes...
While I understand their point, that "pop-culture green" isn't going to solve our problems, I think it's a mistake to criticize the budding green movement among mainstream consumers.
My co-workers, friends and family know I'm "very green" (compared to them, in their view. Actually they're all quite green already) because of the way I live my life. As a result, they're sometimes wary of me - assuming that I judge their "ungreen" actions or will hop on a soap box if given the slightest provocation. But I don't do the soap box scene, and I try very hard not to criticize because I know it's usually counter-productive. No one wants to be preached to. So I think there's a stereotype of environmentalists that we need to battle. It's already changing as "green goes mainstream", but complaining that people "aren't doing enough" after they spend time and money on lightbulbs, etc. is not just negative - it's a big turn-off for fresh greenies. Unfortunately we're dealing with people who are used to being catered to. They just went out of their way to feel good about themselves.
Instead, let's praise their efforts and try to use those first steps as a foundation for future action. Instead of "this is urgent and your efforts are shallow and insufficient", let's say "Thank you, good job. Now if you *really* want to go green, go vote for your fav. green candidate... or support *this* bill. It could make an even bigger difference."
I'm not an uber-optimist. I'm not even a morning person. But I do see a strategic need to continue to engage our fresh crop of greenies, and negativity will just not cut it. This is urgent. We're working towards nothing less than saving ourselves from ourselves. I 100% agree that we need large societal/ structural changes. If we have to smile and play the "pop-culture green" scene, let's do it with pearly whites and flawless skin. In short, lets do *whatever* we can to encourage change on the wide-scale we need to. Let's hit every angle we can. At the end of the day we will need the mainstream behind us to pull in votes, and telling them that their first steps are too-little-too-late will turn them away - even if it just happens to be the truth.
This is great. Before we can afford to have a dollars-and-cents, every percentage point counts approach to environmentalism, we need to see that social change is the most powerful tool of environmentalism, and it's what is needed to help the environment.
If you change your light bulb, but still leave it on 24/7, you're not doing anything for the environment. Sure you save a few watts, but at this point in history that doesn't matter.
Sure, it's great that you're changing the light bulb, and it helps, it does. But it doesn't mean anything, it doesn't change anything if you don't know why you're changing the light bulb.
Michael Pollan suggested in the NYTimes Magazine that the epitome of environmentalism should be planting a garden, not changing a light bulb. Because when you plant a garden, you are fighting the culture of convenience, you are eating your own fruit, you are opting out of the current system, not just improving on the current system.
Hey, I just read the other comments, and that's the exact Michael Pollan article I was talking about!