The Most Effective Environmental Movement – Blog Post 17 - Oct 31

Through the evolution of my blogs and studies, it has become increasingly clear that in order for America to become more sustainable and environmentally-friendly, America needs a movement.  America needs a big change to happen to help save the environment that we have been rapidly degrading, and a large environmental movement is the only way that it is going to happen on a big enough scale to make an impact.  But what makes a movement successful?  How would members of this movement organize in the most effective way?
            This week I read three different articles in The Global Warming Reader, each with a different perspective on this question.  One of the articles, which was mentioned in a past blog post, is written by Bill McKibben and is titled “This is Fucked Up.”  In this article, McKibben insists that three steps need to be taken to help prevent climate change.  The first is that people need to begin talking about climate change itself, not the other more immediate issues around it like oil security.  McKibben argues that people need to realize that the planet is warming and that we need to stop it.  His second step is for people to fight for what we need and compromise later if need be.  The final step is to actually get in the streets and start a movement.  McKibben has many good steps here, especially with the second one.  In social movements in American history, people fought for their rights.  They did not compromise, except when they had to, and continued to fight until they got what they wanted.  Today’s environmentalists in Congress compromise relentlessly until the bill is only marginally helpful environmentally.  The third step is equally as strong because it emphasizes the fact that people need to get out into the streets and show their support.  This is needed to fight lobbyism; it is the only way that Congress will do something about this problem.

            McKibben’s first point is debatable.  Although it is imperative to educate people on the facts of climate change, not linking it to immediate interests of people will weaken the movement.  People need that emotional appeal to care enough to support a movement; otherwise, they will invest their limited free time elsewhere.  A purely environmentalist cause will not attract many dedicated supporters.  People need to understand that everything is connected to the environment and that we rely on it.  The immediate interests of people, such as employment and community involvement, are the things that will bring people together under one cause.  It is what will make a movement strong, and it will make people passionate. 

            The link between green jobs, community, and climate change has been made in some areas, such as in Los Angeles.  As discussed in “The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems,” the Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE) works in Los Angeles to increase the energy efficiency of buildings.  These projects do not only help the environment but also provide clean, well-paying maintenance and construction jobs while improving the community.  The group integrates all of these components into one group, which is making such an impact on Los Angeles that the city has decided to retrofit about one-hundred buildings owned by the city.  This type of movement obviously is impacting Los Angeles greatly, in a very positive way, but as McKibben as mentioned in his second two steps, the movement now needs to be increased and continue to push for and demand what it needs to help save the environment.  In other words, this trend needs to get bigger.

            The final author, Mike Tidwell, describes the need for an environmental movement today, but does not do a very good job in doing so.  Although he calls for people to start a big movement, he strongly discourages the green consumerism that many Americans have adopted.  Tidwell says that green consumerism is really a waste of time and that it is counterproductive to the goal of saving the environment.  Although it is true that a bigger movement is needed and that people could be spending their time better, I think green consumerism is a good start.  Green consumerism is a cultural change where people may actually begin caring about the impacts that they have on the environment.  The more they care and the more this culture spreads, the easier it may be to upscale this movement and push for what we need.  In addition, a green culture could lead to more of a community feel around environmental science.  Finally, the green consumerism that Tidwell says can wait could teach a person the skills needed to start doing helpful jobs in a neighboring community, such as retrofitting a building.  He is right in the fact that people need to get out and begin a movement, and he is right to point out that green consumerism will not solve the problem.  On the other hand, I think that it is a good start to lead to a group like SCOPE forming in a community, which is why I think green consumerism should not be denounced.