TrailCross

In the last few weeks, I watched three environmental documentaries: Monumental: David Brower’s Fight for Wild America, At the Edge of the World, and If a Tree Falls. These documentaries magnified my understanding of how humans are transforming this planet. These stirring films were unrestrained, much like the wild subjects they covered: the conservation of natural land, the protection of Antarctic whales, and eco-terrorism (a terrible word). The subjects of these films certainly varied; however, each film hit me with the same question: what legacy will my generation’s environmental movement leave behind?

Will the environmentalists of my generation be remembered as bad-ass renegades using threats and destruction as a means to fight back? Will they be remembered as populists who united individuals from various political and economic backgrounds to achieve a common goal? And regardless of their means, with what accomplishments will they be remembered? Will it be the defeat of the keystone xl pipeline? Will it be the abolition of hydraulic fracturing? Will it be the decommissioning of nuclear power? Or will we be the force behind an international green energy boom?

The truth is the legacy or reputation of an environmentalist is not as important as the actions they took to improve The Environment. Every act is significant because environmentalism is not a philosophy; it is a physical movement. Environmentalism only exists with action. If you view Planet Earth as one living eco-system (as I do), deciding not to chop a living tree down in your backyard is as important as showing up for a protest against a pipeline. Humans do not live in a vacuum; they live on Planet Earth; therefore, every human action effects the global eco-system, and it is the job of the environmentalist to teach others how to conserve our natural world.

Evolution teaches us that everything has a place in this world: plants, trees, and bugs fertilize and pollinate each other; animals exist along an important food-chain; elements and minerals travel the global atmosphere to regulate weather patterns. Humans negatively effect this process when they begin forcing things around the planet.  There is a reason why most governments ban foreign animals, food products, plants, and other biologicals when entering the country. Just look at the destruction of the timber of the American West caused from the accidental introduction of the Japanese Beetle; however, from the destruction caused by the extraction of natural resources to the transporting of raw materials and finished goods all over the planet, there is no larger threat to the health of our planet than spread of global capitalism. We cannot avoid our place in and our responsibility for the health of Planet Earth.

The beauty of environmental conservationism is the desire to keep landscapes wild: to let Mother Earth, not humans, dictate how the Earth changes. We need a proactive, consistent, and dedicated environmentalism movement to be effective: a movement constantly highlighting the problems of human over-development. And then maybe one day, we will be without this problem. This is the world I want. A world without destruction for the sake of profit under the guise of human need. Then environmentalists, and all humans, can spend their energies enjoying the sight of Mother Nature’s work, and sharing this gift with as many people as we can.

Here are some links to the films that inspired this post: