Divide and Conquer in the Environmental Movement

One of the biggest environmental travesties concerns the divide and conquer approach of Corporate America, politicians and industrial developers. Environmentalists have been pitted against environmentalists over the issue of human caused Global Warming and the solution, which appears to be one, industrial wind farms, even though there are many others in the works including the Hydrogen Economy, based on alternative energy that use solar and biomass technologies.

This divide and conquer tactic is a good one, in terms of its effectiveness. But not a good one in terms of a group of people who all have the same goal, saving the planet from pollution, environmental degradation and rampant industrial development.

The term NIMBY is thrown around so much it is hard to keep up with it. Just who is a NIMBY? There was a time when protecting your own was considered the highest of human values. After all, if we don't protect our own, who will?

But now, anyone who stands in the way of protecting their own is labeled a NIMBY. And a rich one at that.

Most of the environmentalists I know are not rich, nor are they NIMBYs. In fact, I would venture a guess that most environmentalists are of the middle class, not the rich.

We, as environmentalists, try to walk lightly on the earth, we reduce, reuse and recycle, we drive compact cars and look to replace them with electric cars in the future, we keep our thermostats down, we rarely use air conditioners, have converted to fluorescent light bulbs, use organic methods in our gardens, we buy organic foods and produce in our markets, we unplug electrical appliances that are not being used, we walk and ride bicycles rather than drive to town, we car pool, we repair rather than throw away, we protest shopping malls that attempt to build themselves in our fields and wetlands, we think globally and act locally, we give money to environmental causes we believe in, we protest factory farming, we protect wild places and wildlife, we turn out in droves to stop clear cutting and logging of our old growth forests, we volunteer our time, energy and support to give voice to the voiceless and the list goes on.

But then, controversy over human caused Global Warming and industrial wind plants enter the picture and all goes out the window. Suddenly name calling sets in, fights break out, censorship is attempted and we lose all connection to one another and fail to see our humanity and common ground.

When will we, environmentalists, simply agree to disagree and not allow ourselves to be divided by politics and industry? Because if and when that happens our power will be a force to be reckoned with. And that is exactly what politicians and industrial developers fear the most.