The 'Deep Throat' of Green

No one was more surprised when Made To Break won an environmental award in 2007. I was not an environmentalist then, and my impression of these people ranged from the nasality of John Denver to dogmatic feminists cramming political correctness into any available ear while claiming that they would save the world by recycling, biking to work or changing out the incandescent light bulbs. I was unconvinced and, when pressed, I often said so. (Actually, what I said was more like 'Phooey!')

I avoided them. Environmentalists, yuck!

Made To Break, I thought, was a history book. It described the life history of disposables, an overlooked idea that shaped American culture. Around the time Robert Putnam published Bowling Alone, I was trying to understand the century-long curve of our worsening human relationships. This is what made me look at our use of manufactured goods. The book deals with technology only because technology is a central part of American culture. Like it or not, Kitty Hawk, the model T, atomic bombs, satellites and integrated circuits are as American as apple pie.

Then while exploring mankind's propensity for throwing away used consumer goods, I ran into electronic waste, a huge problem that few North Americans had heard of. I wondered why more people weren't outraged by the systematic poisoning of North America's groundwater or by our dirty, greedy electronics industry. This precipitated a change in me that was a bit like what happened to Dr. Bruce Banner. Suddenly, I turned alarmingly green.

Now as this happened, I simultaneously began wondering why environmentalists had such difficulty getting the message out. If it was remarkable and alarming enough to impact me, surely others with greater social consciences, and more highly developed senses of responsibility must also be susceptible...

Since then, I've been talking about these problems with North America's leading greenies. The wisest, oldest and most honest of the people I've met, admits that the word 'environmentalist' marginalizes his project by allowing people to "put us into a 'Birkenstock, tree hugging, special interest crowd."

"Environmental groups," he says, "talk about being grassroots organizations but for the most part it's' ...[a complete falsehood]. We go out and talk to or even work in the communities, but basically we go out and tell people what the problem is and what they have to do to solve it."

This man -- call him the 'Deep Throat' of Green-- is filled with admiration for the current President's ability to engage America's grassroots. Obama does this, he says, by ignoring old-fashioned top-down approaches that enforce preordained agendas. Instead, 'the People's Prez' uses new technologies to send out the message that a certain issue will present a major policy challenge, and that people should come together to discuss it.

And They Do.

Participation, in this model, begins at the level of discussion and discovery. Out of this come sensible compromises, balanced policies, and an informed active electorate whose involvement is sustained by the knowledge that they are having an impact. 'Technological Grassrootism', in other words, is a partial remedy for political apathy and for, to some extent, the decline of social capital which is my big bugbear.

Not to get too rosey about it, it's what your old civics textbook used to call 'participatory democracy', although that phrase has a distinctly antique ring to it.

Still, as a former America civics teacher (and illegal alien), I strongly feel that greenies need to go this route. They need to remake themselves into organizing activists who invite policy participation at the grassroots level. And they need to do it fast because we're running out of time...

As Deep Throat says: "A lot of us despair at this wave of ecological degradation...that is going to overwhelm us very, very soon."

Check. Ditto. Let's retool, and get to work real fast.

Comments

[MimiK]

You experienced discovering it for yourself -- which is the key: creating ways for people to DISCOVER the vital connection of people and planet. Don't leave it to individuals stumbling upon the connection by chance, but devise ways to get as many people to "get it," have their "GREEN EUREKA."

--Which means more than just grassroots activism. Green Eureka-making -- creating ways for people to discover both their vital connection to the Earth and what matters to them about that connection -- is all about LEARNING. Good learning, interesting learning, well crafted learning, not sermonizing self righteous lecturing.

My fantasy: The Obama administration invests in a massive public education program, developed and taught by very gifted teachers and group facilitators -- not environmentalists, not scientists, but really skilled teachers -- that is deliberately designed to get everyone to their Green Eureka.

The "wave" of activism and most of all behavioral change that would come from such a public education program would be fantastic.

[Emilie Cole]

"Participation, in this model, begins at the level of discussion and discovery." -- This is a HUGE and KEY point.

Do you people know about a site that's doing this very thing??

You can share your reviews, your insights, your suggestions, admirations, disappointments and a million other helpful "marketpla­ce-of-idea­s" thoughts on environmental groups at www.greatnonprofits.org/green

It's like a badly needed Yelp for the world of nonprofits and advocacy groups, and getting people to actually share their experiences -- good or bad -- with their fellow citizens will help inform the process of which groups are effective, which deserve funding, which are doing the most for their communities. It's big time and you need to go there. Right now.

[JeandeBegles]

To run a grassroot movement is easier said than done. This is what we have to do to get out of this global warming mess, but it is hard to get the backing of the people: denial is at work in front of such a dangerous future, and the politicians and the business exec, all the people leading our societies are also adopting this denial attitude favoring their short terms interests to the cost of our very survival.
350.org is an example of this grass root movement. Why don't you think it doesn't exist?

[YOUtility]

YOU nailed it. I truly believe that the adoption of green technology has to be spread upon the grassroots level so its not just the large corporations and wall street shoving yet another thing down our throat. For true adoption people need to get behind something because their family and friends are behind it too. True Grass roots impact. Primarily, this type of growth gets people involved and empowers them to be part of it. The common phrase of "What's in it for me" is tackled when getting people involved in the growth of an industry to where they truly do benefit. Allowing the status quo to continue and assuming that others are going to make change for YOU is a thing of the past. We need to rise up as a country and demand change and create change together as a community with the same interests. Community support behind certain aspects of the "Green Movement" will truly be the remedy to the decline of social capital. Power in numbers can make a difference. It takes each of us to make a difference for all of us. YOUtility.Org