ConserveLand Blog

Environmental Activism – Why and How

An Ecologist Speaks

Activism is intimately attached to the profession of an ecologist.  To become a part of a discipline that is as important to human survival and quality of life as protecting the natural world from human ignorance, willfulness and greed is to become an activist.  To be separate from the political debate and social activism goes against the grain of being an ecologist.

Belief alone is never enough.  Unless belief is active and a natural part of an ecologist’s life, it is empty words, useless gestures and meaningless research.  In other fields scientists can be detached from the world around them.  Ecologists do not have that choice by the nature of our field.  Our research needs to be open and unbiased even though our actions are naturally going to be biased by our beliefs.  Our activism is a natural outgrowth of our beliefs and our research.

There are three essential pillars to activism:

1.)   Be a member of an organization that stands and advocates for a cause.

2.)   Be connected locally.

3.)   Belong to and be active in a major political party.

The first pillar, being a member of an organization that stands and advocates for a cause, gives the activist validity by attaching that person to a definable cause and organization.  This helps define what the person is standing for and their degree of commitment.  If possible, be part of one of the committees or the board of directors.  Show that this is important to you by leading activities and volunteering as needed.  Having a title attached to your name gives policy makers another way of remembering and recognizing you.  It also shows that this cause is important enough to you that you became an integral part of an organization representing this cause.

Local connection, the second pillar, serves as both a base of support and a way of keeping in touch with the needs of the local community by being a part of it.  Emotional support and the knowledge that what you are doing matters comes from the local community.  A person who loses this will lose touch with what is important and lose focus.  That person will begin to follow their ego doing the personally/politically expedient, not the moral and right. This trap can be avoided by being a vital part of your community such as by being on the EAC, a planning board or member of a related activity such as a hiking club, naturalist society or nature education center.

The third pillar, belonging to a major political party, gives an activist access to policy makers or the ability to become one.  Good policy can only come from good policy makers.  There are only two ways of having good policy makers – teaching the present/future policy makers or becoming one.  Policy makers cannot make good decisions about policies they either know little about or misunderstand.  The challenge in educating policy makers is to put the issues in terms they can understand, showing how they benefit their constituency and the American people.  Being a part of a major political party allows the access to policy makers or ability to become one that being outside the system does not.

How does this relate to my life?  I am on the Upper Bern Township Environmental and Agriculture Advisory Committee.  I am a member of a political party.  I have actively campaigned for candidates, local and national.   I am a member of several professional organizations at which I have done professional presentations.  Recently, we joined the Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club.­  We hike the trails in and around Upper Bern Township and are becoming intimately familiar with the Kittatinny Matrix.  When hiking, we make an effort to talk with the people hiking and hunting in the state game lands and forests.  This has helped us to understand the concerns and misunderstandings of the people who live in and use our township.  At the same time it establishes us as caring and informed members of the township.

Being an ecologist is more than just doing research.  It is a large part activism and involvement.  It is participating in the local community and becoming an important voice for change at whatever level we feel we can make the greatest contribution; local, state, national or world.  It is doing my part to make sure that at least my part of the world is better when I leave than when I was born.  It is leadership by example and participation.