In theory, ecovillages are a great concept – conserving energy through community. In reality, ecovillages are not feasible. When the guest speaker was speaking on the costs and such of ecovillages, it is just not possible for most people. Yes, in Ithaca, it may be possible to live green. However, most of the American population does not live in Ithaca; they mostly live in urban cities (New York City, Los Angeles, Houston, etc…). This type of village is also a community only white people could achieve peacefully. If a person of color attempted to have a village like this, the police would constantly have a suspicious eye on the community. Not only is there a constant police in communities filled with people of color, but the act of slaughtering animals and creating greenhouses will seem suspicious. This type of living would not end well for most people. Plus, most people cannot just drop everything they know to essentially start over. Not everyone is privileged in that fashion. I think when environmental activism is addressed, people of color, low-income people, and those that are indirectly affected by environmental activism (migrant workers, people who create environmentally safe objects, etc…) are largely ignored.
Ten Square Miles
An Environmental Activism Resource
Author: Taylor Walker
According to the U.S. State Department, there has been a 35 percent increase in terrorist attacks. This data is relative to what exactly is considered a terrorist attack and if domestic terrorism is considered, but I digress. Recently, there has been many debates regarding the longevity of resources such as oil and water. Because a water and oil shortage is upon us, many have become desperate to obtain these resources resulting in violence. As Bill Nye states, “The more we let [climate change] go on, the more trouble there’s going to be.”
If you’d like to see the entire interview, please click here.
In Woodland, North Carolina, voters rejected a solar panel farm because of their alleged capabilities to soak up all of the sun’s energy. No, this is not an Onion article. This is real life. People are preventing measures that could help the environment due to misinformation and blatant ignorance. Although some places are more environmentally aware and conscious, many other towns are not, This town, and many others, need a proper education on environmentalism. After all, environmentalism could literally save their lives. Check out more information regarding the rejection of the solar panels here.
As we are all aware, many natural landscapes are depleting. As a result of global climate change stemming from a multitude of factors such as fracking, consumerism, and more, many natural landscapes such as the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon simply are not (or will not) be what they once were. In this parody video asking children about the natural wonders of the world (or lack of), we see that the beauties of the natural world will disappear soon if there is no action to slow the rate of climate change. We are at the point where we can no longer prevent climate change, and must work with the steadily decreasing amount of resources we have left. If you want to read more on the effects of global climate change in the nearby future, click here.
Environmentalism is known to be classist and exclusive. Many people cannot afford to partake in the well-known acts of being environmentally friendly such as shopping locally or going vegan. Many people do not even have the environmental knowledge to begin to be conscious. However, here’s a list of ways to be environmentally conscious and save money while doing so!
Drink tap
Not only is bottled water bad for the environment because plastic takes at least 450 years to decompose, but it also is unhealthy for you! The bottled water is regulated by the FDA unlike tap water meaning that its origin and other important factors are not questioned. Because bottled water sometimes travel through trucks, the heat of the truck can help some parts of the plastic the water is contained in to infiltrate the water thus indirectly poisoning yourself. Also, the carbon footprint of plastic water is substantial. Not only does bottled water have to be packaged, but also shipped (who knows the distance?) to different stores. By not buying bottled water you not only decrease your carbon footprint, but also save money!
Thrift Shop
Thrifting is not only cheaper, but also takes money away from corporations which is always a good thing. Clothes at thrift stores tend to be cheaper than clothes at corporate stores because of the fact that they are secondhand. By thrifting, you are lessening the amount of clothes having to be made by larger corporations which takes money away from those corporations and puts the money in the pocket of locally owned businesses (thrift shops tend to be locally owned). Not only will you be buying staples that no other person probably has, but you will also be saving the environment and taking money away from corporations while doing so!
Turn Off the Lights!
This one is a bit more obvious. Turn the lights off whenever you leave a room. By turning the lights off not only do you save money on your electricity bill, but also allows your house to use less energy (specifically fossil fuels) to sustain.
Turn Off Other Electronics in the House
Like turning off the lights, turning off other electronics when not in use could lower your electricity bill and use less fossil fuels to sustain whatever electronics you may own.
Eat Less Meat
Not only will you be saving money by buying less meat and using alternatives such as beans, but you indirectly will be saving water and animals. Because raising livestock uses a lot of water, by cutting down the amount of meat consumed, you will not be a part of that water-taking process.
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