Environmental leadership
October 15, 2007
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There are two environmental movements in this country that don’t come together very well. The distinction is one of class. Basically this is the difference. One group of people consume too much and threaten the environment. They have a decent life and can painlessly decrease their impact on the environment by becoming smarter consumers. That is the gist of Leo Babauta’s post on 50 quick painless ways you can help the environment today.
And then there is a class of people who suffer because the waist gets dumped where they live. They don’t have the money too make consumer choice and they don’t have the political power to force clean up of garbage dumps, toxic waste in their backyards and other health threats. And as this is the US, class shows its face in race. That is the warning of this important article about Eco-Apartheid. If the title scares you, the article does have a positive point to make:
More importantly, they could begin a complete realignment of American politics. The idea of “social uplift environmentalism” could serve as the cornerstone for an unprecedented “Green Growth Alliance.” Imagine a coalition that unites the best of labor, business, racial justice activists, environmentalists, intellectuals, students and more. That combination would rival the last century’s New Deal and New Right coalitions.
The point about eco-apartheid was terrificly made by Majora Carter at the TED conference. I love TED and the ideas that come from it, but I am struck and horrified by the extremely white color of all the faces that are on the stage. Majora Carter is an exception, highlighting my point about race and class. Watch this talk. She address Al Gore and shows that he didn’t get what she was offering him: a movement that joins his consumer based version of environmentalism with her social justice, anti-racism based activism for a better environment.
Is takes leadership to develop a vision beyond yourself. Majora Carter, winner of a MacArthur genius grant, showed more of it that Al Gore, who stuck with what he knew. The environmental movement is getting to cosy and self congratulatory already. Ignoring racism will get the movement stuck. That is what it means to live in the US. Get used to it.
Technorati Tags: leadership, environment, class, race, racism, eco-apartheid, consumption
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