In the spring of 1970, 20 million people from all over the country showed their support for the planet by engaging in environmental educational workshops. They sat in high school gymnasiums, public parks and places of worship. These people set the stage for groundbreaking legislation: the Clean Air Act of 1970, dedicated to protecting and improving air quality, the Clean Water Act of 1972, which regulated the amount of pollutants discharged in our water and preserved the quality of our surface waters; and the Endangered Species Act of 1973, designed to conserve plants and animals in danger of dwindling or disappearing.
Today, in California, although we understand what reducing, reusing or recycling means, the environmental activism movement continues to push for a way to redefine how we live in the golden state as they see these legislative victories under threat. Carcinogens from oil refineries flood our waters while polluting factories compromise our air. The communities that lack political and economic clout and the communities of non-Caucasian citizens are where most of the toxic industries are located. These areas are filled with children growing up with the normality of having asthma as these communities are increasingly toxic.
Small changes are important first steps but the environmental activism movement is a platform to ignite citizens to understand that everything we care about exists within our ecosystem and if we disregard or damage it, everything we love is at risk. Gone are the days when dropping off your recycling, weather stripping your windows or stopping the use of plastic bottles is good enough. The environmental activism movement is not satisfied with a select few hearing their message. The movement is about going green for all. In order to bring more people into the conversation, all citizens need to understand what we really care about and what we are willing to sacrifice to achieve a lasting consensus to save Mother Earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment