Quotations

"And in this sense the extinction crisis- the race to save the composition, structure, and organization of biodiversity as it exists today- is over, and we have lost."

-Stephen M. Meyer, The End of the Wild

"A regulation is a signal of design failure..."

-Bill McDonough in the Cradle to Cradle film

Final Quotes

Our groups interpretation of the Lorax

"I won’t take the seed but I will take a stand
Against the capitalist forces destroying our land"

Cradle to Cradle

"What would it mean to become, once again, native to this place, the Earth--the home of all our relations? This is going to take us all and it is going to take forever. But then, that's the point."

Creating Real Change

I really liked reading the "Leverage Points" piece by Donella Meadows. I'll admit when I first started reading it, I thought that it was going to be very dry and full of a bunch of crazy ideas that made no sense. However, she was very clear about her definitions and the different jargon that she used. Her analogies were incredibly helpful in understanding just exactly what she meant when discussing the different leverage points that are in a system.

From her definitions of the different leverage points to intervene in the environmental realm, it seems as though today's environmental movement is stuck too far near the bottom of her list of 12 leverage points. Most of the actions taken by those who deem themselves as environmentalists are somewhere around number 12 on her line of effectiveness. It has become ingrained in the minds of most Americans that by simply tinkering around the edges of a major problem, we are actually solving it. By creating slightly more efficient cars, lightbulbs, and other electronics, we are saving the world. Or so says the conventional wisdom. However, these small changes are really only putting off the inevitable and are simply buying time.

Instead of focusing the environmental movement on these "edges," we need to begin to focus on the real issue at hand: the system itself. When we get to numbers 1, 2, and 3 on her list, we see how we need to change the goals of the system, the mindset out of which the paradigm arises, and to harness the power to transcend paradigms. These goals are all about changing the heart of the issue and acknowledging that without considering these problems, we will never really be changing anything. I think that if people who truly care about the environment and are passionate about creating positive change begin to look at these ideas, we can actually get somewhere.

But still many people think that it simply is not possible. They are content with playing with the margins instead of getting down to some real work. They always say that the system is too much a part of our culture and our lives to be able to be changed. I admit that I still think this way a lot of the time. There are so many people who may not be willing to go for these far-fetched, "crazy liberal" ideas. But as we have seen this semester, there are a lot of people on our side. In just 20 minutes in class, we came up with 5 off the wall ideas to create a real change in our society. So lets do it. Stop whining about how things can never get done and get out there and try. The future of the environmental movement need not be one in which we know nothing truly helpful will be done. The future can be bright if we are just willing to try.

With the given assignment to have a conversation about environmentalism and climate change, I set out over Thanksgiving to coax anyone willing to take the bait into a discussion. I'm normally extremely passive in my environmental views, speaking with others about them only when prompted or when they've shown interest, and I jumped at the opportunity to be a bit more aggressive in my approach. However, no one would entertain my activist advances, which I found strange, due to the often volatile nature of the topic. My first victim was my dentist, who engaged me in light conversation about college, how it feels to be back at home, etc. The reasoning was that even if the conversation didn't go well, she still had to stick around and clean my teeth. I divulged my major, environmental studies, which usually puts people on the defensive, now aware of my tree hugger ways. When she asked me how my break had been so far, I saw my chance. I said something about the increasing suburban sprawl in our town, especially the new Walmart that had been built right across from my neighborhood at the expense of farmland. Her response? Nothing.

I chose my mother as my next prey. She's been dealing with my pet causes and soapboxes since about second grade, so I knew that a discussion about consumerism, capitalism, and their connections to climate change would be no novelty to her, and while she might not listen, she also wouldn't explode in an offended rage. When she asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I told her nothing, explaining both the philosophical and practical reasons for eschewing the equivocation of love and goodwill with the acquisition of material goods that is the status quo during the holiday season. I expected at least some discussion, but all I got from her was, "Sarah, if you keep being this weird, you're not going to have any friends." Thanks, Mom.

I gave up on trying to talk to people about climate change, which was frustrating, because I felt that I had so much more to say on the subject, armed with facts and resources after having taken this class. It was my aunt's wayward comment at dinner on Friday night, however, that made me really think about how environmentalists perceive and express our movement. She asked me if my long-term vegetarianism was still ideological, or more of an identity. Perhaps the biggest hindrance to the environmental movement is that is has created a community and an identity, which can be a good thing, but can also alienate people. The best way to get people on board is to create a movement based on action, not identity.

Last Post :(

Over the break I talked to my dad a little about climate change. I am definitely not one for a provocative approach because I think that can easily turn someone off. I tried to talk about what I have learned this semester as calmly and as scientifically I could but on the spot I wasn't able to communicate all my ideas as accurately as I wanted. I have a hard time articulating my thoughts when I'm wrapped up in the heat of the moment. I tried to talk to him about the climate change and even how the individualistic approach isn't the right way to go about the problem. I also tried to talk to him about the wedges exercise in class. He thought some of the wedges were kind of extreme and not going to happen within the next half century. He was glad to talk about it though with me. I think everyone has different styles of communications and are better at some than other. Sometimes I feel like debates or trying to enlighten someone over the holidays just comes off as condescending. I feel like I am more of a behind the scenes person such as I would rather design promotional materials for my beliefs than talk about them. The project I'm working for the presentations is more my style. I hope to show him it when I go back for break.

Although I did end up having a brief environment related conversation with my grandmother over the break, I avoided having the discussion I should have had with my cousins out of fear. My cousins are slightly older, both graduated from college, and live in Pittsburgh. I dont see them all that often, but when I do I always notice the differences between their experiences and my own. Although they hold most of the same values that I do, and were raised in a more or less similar family, their actions and beliefs about the world are drastically different from mine.

The reason I avoided speaking with them was due to a handful of conversations I have had in the past with them, including one on environmental issues. Even though they are substantially liberal guys at heart, they tend to be much more passive and pessimistic about politics and social change. For some reason, they have gone through life with the understanding that big systems like government and the economy are neither fundamentally misguided or succeptable to change, so they have somewhat given up on supporting any real change. When I discussed climate change with them a few years ago, they essentially agreed with all of the points I made, but they refused to accept that any of the proposed solutions would ever work. They cited pragmatism and practicality when arguing about changing our transportation system, and hid behind governmental inertia to ignore claims that meaningful legislation to curb emissions would ever come to pass.

It seems to me that this is a common affliction among Democrats in this country. Sitting back and refusing to participate in social movements is easy, and the arguments against getting involved can be convincing. After all, changing the way we structure our economy is an extremely daunting task, and its hard to blame someone for feeling insignificant in the fight for sustainable living. However, I ended up regretting my avoidance of the conversation, because I bet that the new ideas that I picked up this semester, especially recently, such as leverage points, and Professor Maniates trinity of despair, could have been much more helpful in convincing them that their attitude about environmental change could be improved without too much effort.

I have always prided myself in being a pragmatist, and avoiding grandiose idealism, something that seems common in environmental politics. However, one of the many things this class has taught me is to never give up on long term goals, and to believe in the power and importance of every small step in the right direction. I hope the next time I see my cousins I will get up the courage to engage them about their beliefs, and maybe I can convert a couple more people to subscribe to a more optimistic and involved view on envrionmental issues.

Oh hey, blog group!

I know this is kind of far-fetched, but would anyone be interested in perhaps putting our CRADLES idea, or something like it, into action over winter break? We have the vision, the contacts, and the time (I know I don't do anything but eat cereal and watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia over breaks), and Professor Nicholson's reaction made me think that this is all very feasible. Or maybe I just woke up on the right side of the bed today. Thoughts?