I am an environmentalist because I
can afford to be one. In the fall of my senior year I took a basic economics
class. My teacher loved opinions and he loved visuals. He asked if we would be
willing to pay more, significantly more for a good if we knew it was produced
ethically. He didn’t ask us what we thought people as whole would do, he asked
us what we would do. And, much to my regret, I stood on the side of the room
whose answer was no, we want the cheapest goods possible. But then, my teacher
told us that of a girl who said since she could afford to there was no reason
for her not to pay more. So there I
was in class filled with relatively well off individuals feeling like an idiot.
Of course I’m willing to pay more. But,
all of this came with a strange realization. I had to make a conscious effort
to care and I wouldn’t have cared unless someone else told me I could.
A picture from my trip in Yosemite
I had already been introduced to
the world of conservation the summer before. I spent 5 weeks of the summer in
backcountry in Yosemite National Park with the Student Conservation
Association. We hiked around the park cleaning up dozens of fire rings left by
wayward campers. The problem with the fire rings was that there were too many
of them and that they were built in the wrong place. There were simply areas
where there were far too many fire rings than could be sustained. It was our
job to remove them. Did we do a lot to protect the ecosystems in the park? No.
However, I made a conscious effort to make dent at migrating the ongoing damage
to the park.
Ben, I really like you brought up the question of ethics and privilege. Thanks for reminding us that the decision to consume in an eco-friendly way is not as easy for those on a strict budget. In my other environmental studies course (environmental ethics) this semester, I always have to remind myself that some people can't really prioritize the environment and that is not because they are selfish or driven by this capitalistic society. For those people, it is a question of survival and providing for their families. In a way, it is unethical for us to criticize them for using coal to harness the energy they need.
ReplyDeleteIt's always very difficult for the individual to make an impact on the environment–and it's always an uphill battle for the environmentalist side. Still, fighting the losing battle is so important and I'm glad you realize that. As humans, environmental ethics are very interesting and difficult to completely understand, but very important.
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