Environmentalists needs to stop working against each other. When I was at Kansas State University, I was very involved in the environmental group on campus. We did many activities, trying to promote recycling, bike riding, Earth day, etc. We also held a speaker/discussion panel each semester. One semester it centered around wind energy, which at the time was (and may still be) a hot topic in Kansas. The most interesting thing about it was that it was a big split for environmentalists in Kansas. Many were against wind power for reasons of not wanting it in their backyard, concern about bird populations, disturbing the foothills and their native grasses that are very limited in quantity, and other reasons I cannot remember. I personally was for wind farms and still am. As a group we went visited some of the first turbines in Kansas and camped there for a night. It was a really great experience. Now seeing them on 1-70 while driving from Colorado to Missouri is really great; I find them fascinating to watch.
But that isn’t the point of this post. What I really want to say is that I feel environmentalists keep working against each other. I get that everyone has opinions but in the end we all want what is best for the environment, so why not work together for that. There are enough non-environmentalists working against us. Why should we work against each other? We need to agree on all major environmental topics and join together to make plans happen. Decide as a group if we think nuclear is an option or if electric cars should be the focus. We need to agree on how the food system should be set up and what is the most efficient way, whether it be local or commercial farming; grass fed/pasture raised animals or focusing on vegetarianism.
It seems we could be more productive as a group if we all work together toward the same goal, be that renewable energy or GMO labeling. Even if you don’t fully agree with an idea maybe there is a way you can still support it without degrading the original message. Hopefully we can all work toward a unified cause and it will help promote a more sustainable country.
