The Environmentally Environmental Environment

            "Environmentalist" is a term that has mixed connotations in this day and age.  Before the 1950s and 60s, the term did not even exist.  There was the concept of conservation, protecting and preserving Earth's natural resources, environment and wildlife, both for their intrinsic and economic value.  The environmental movement quickly rose to national attention with Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring, all about the harmful environmental effects of DDT and other problems caused by mankind.  I asked my father (avid Fox News watcher) what he thinks of when he hears the term "environmentalist," and his first response was a chuckle.  He used the words "liberal", "barefoot", "treehugger", and a few other quite generic phrases pulled directly from his Bill O'Reilly dictionary that is always ready to be used.  Funny to think he was describing his own son in such terms.

             Before coming to college, I would have used similar words to a lesser extent to describe an environmentalist as well.  However, that was before I ever hiked in the woods for more than a few hours.  A few weeks after I graduated high school in 2010, some friends and I went backpacking for 4 days in Shenandoah National Park, located in northern Virginia.  We wanted to go on some sort of trip, and one friend (a former boy scout) suggested hiking.  And we figured, why not?  It would be a good challenge and most importantly, would be cheap!  Little did I know however, I would come back from that trip with a changed perspective.  Growing up, I had never camped for more than one night, and that was only car camping.  My family was never one to venture deep into the outdoors, just the occasional walk in the park or visit to Eastfork State Park to go to the free public beach located there.  But after returning from Shenandoah and not seeing a road, car, or building for 3 days straight, I was thrilled by the prospect of going and doing it again.  And in the years since, I have gone on numerous 3-5 hiking outings, climbed mountains, whitewater rafted, kayaked, rock climbed, and even gone caving.  

             The feeling and kind of person I am when I am doing these things is kind of hard to describe if you have not experienced it for yourself.  The best way I can think of is that it just feels natural (no pun intended, not even sure if that is a pun).  There is a sense of calm and serenity, the likes of which I have never experienced before.  When you wake up in the morning, peer over the edge of your hammock and see small rainbows radiating from the dew covered spider webs, nothing compares.  It's both the small sights and the large vistas alike that draw me back time and time again.  You feel ever the accomplishment when you realize that the only way to see what you're seeing is to walk there for days on end, and nothing can take that away from you.  I always like to imagine that every sight or object that I'm seeing has never been seen before in the way in which I am observing.  Whether it be because I climbed a tree to get a better look, the stream was running especially high and fast that day, or even I'm standing two feet to the left of a friend, what I am viewing is 100% original.

              It is because of this new found reverence for the intrinsic value of nature I suppose that I would use the word "environmentalist" to help describe who I am today.  I know that without the environment, personally, I would have become a much different person.  Not saying I would have gone down some deep, dark path to being a cigar smoking, suit wearing, corporate hot shot or something, but I would be fundamentally different.  I use the environment to make decisions such as people I hang out with and consequently the people who join me on excursions into nature, as well as to help form political and ethical ideologies.  To me, an environmentalist obviously thinks environmental issues should have more attention on the national stage.  The media does a great job at masking a lot of these concerns.  Also, some vocalization is necessary.  A picture people often get when they think of environmentalists are Green Peace rallies where they are calling for drastic, fundamental social reform.  I for one, am more on the other edge of the spectrum.  I just try to do my part and inform others of why I may be doing certain things when they ask it of me.  I've never been the kind of person to stand on a soapbox and preach my beliefs.  I'm not totally dismissing the tactics of the more radical environmentalists, I just know as more of a calm-mannered person I could never do that.  It is the smaller, grassroots environmental movements that institute the most change at the community level, where reform is most effective and apparent.  If everyone just did little things like recycle, buy filters instead of more disposable plastic bottles, cut down a little of their meat intake, buy from local farmers, and even try to just ride to work with one other person, a lot of big changes would soon follow.  

            The hardest part for some people is to simply be associated with the concept of environmentalism.  One major hurdle are their political ideologies, namely which party to which they align themselves.  I apologize in advance for all the ideological stereotyping that is about to occur.  It's hard to be a conservative and support the environment in some people's eyes because their fellow conservatives might dismiss them as being too "liberal" and that they don't have the best interests at heart for big business.  Even liberals for that matter have a hard time focusing on the environment despite all of the conservative lashing.  Despite our "liberal" president and our "liberal" congress and our "liberal" everything else nowadays, environmental spending by the national government is still at the bottom of the barrel as far as the budget goes.  No more money is being funneled into saving the earth than if a former Massachusetts governor with nice hair and a nice smile had been elected Commander in Chief.  

            Another issue some people have with environmentalism is that they are just unaware of the current state of the global environment.  Through a communications class I took last semester, I was reminded of the fact that a good portion of Americans when asked in a poll, considered themselves environmentalists.  The major problem is though, they just don't have readily available information that would aid in further persuading them to bolster their support for the environmental effort.  Personally, I think many Americans may consider themselves environmentalists because they have a recycling bin they use when they remember. I know many people's eyes are opened when they take some sort of environment related course in college, but even then, out of how many of the 30,000 students at UC actually take an environmentally related course?  If the number of informed students is small at UC, then imagine how insignificant the number is when you're looking at a population of 350 million, and even 7 billion.  If people voluntarily pursue articles about the world's current state of affairs, and not just want the television wants you to hear, then I'm sure many minds will change.