Environmentalism is a touchy subject. Have you ever tried doing a Google Image search of the term 'environmentalist'? Do. It's borderline funny... tree huggers, 'nutty environmentalists', activists, protesters, and generally lots of very green and earthy pictures. However this is misleading. I would consider myself an environmentalist... yet you would never ever catch me hugging a tree. Well, not unless I was at a particularly good party.
So I call myself a '21st Century Environmentalist'. Environmentalist 2.0 if you will. What does that mean? Well, roughly...
I don't believe that societal growth and development should be curbed to return to a 'traditional' and 'localised' way of life. But I do believe that society should stop being ignorant, and realise that we can only live within our means. There's an uncompromising and dangerous greediness embedded in 'western' society which I feel we should be aware of. And that doesn't only affect the environment; the recent economic recessions and societal upheaval are proof of that. It's all a backlash of the way we live. I also believe that change is coming... and that's when I get excited about sustainability.
Sustainability is such a buzzword these days, it's hard to get away from it, and yet it means different things to different people. Check out the 'What is Sustainability?' page for a clearer idea of the concept. For now, all I will say is that, in its true form, sustainability is the key to an exciting future, a future that is not only clean and green, that does not abuse resources, but that is efficient and safe. It is a promoter of excellence and of growth. It is - at its very heart - limitless. I wrote a short post on my views of sustainability, you can find that here.
That's what this blog is about. I want people to get a more realistic idea of what environmentalism can achieve. I want to get people excited about sustainability. I also track my progress as an environmentalist, whether in my career or otherwise.
Enjoy!
