Staff Contributors
Guest Contributors

Greening the city

Posted by David Roberts at 10:50 AM on 05 Jul 2008

They're making green videos over at The New Republic -- here's the first one, from Dayo Olopade:

disgrace

This is an excellent little video presentation, and yet it is painful to watch, because the kinds of conservations and engagements that are suggested, between environmentalists and urban neighborhood people, ought to have happened years ago.

I admit, I have been critical of the heroic Van Jones in the past, for picking unnecessarily on us friends of polar bears.  But I certainly understand the urban underprivileged perspective more clearly, thanks to this NR video, which passingly momentarily refers to polar-bear-love.

It seems to me that environmentalists of all ages, of all capabilities, are most certainly NOT discriminating against poor urban communities.  But, until lately, we have not known that living-conditions issues of those communities are plainly true local environmental issues as well.

My guess (and hope) is that young environmentalist activists, at urban campuses and in urban-centered offices of environmentalist groups, will more and more be recognizing cooperation with neighborhood groups in under-privileged urban areas to be a serious and respectable enterprise.

Everyone should have un-garbagey parks, full of trees and flowers, after all, for starters -- to say nothing of wholesome air to breathe.

And polar bears are by no means the exclusive precious treasure of rich white people.  Polar bears, and walruses, and penguins, etc., should surely give as much joy to children in the South Bronx, as to anyone else.

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

Not Mutually Exclusive

I don't understand why those who want to promote environmental justice, which is a social issue far more than an environmental one, insist that those who promote wildlife and wilderness protection and/or restoration should drop what they're doing and fight for environmental justice.  While I fully support environmental justice, it's not my priority, nor will it ever be.  My heart is with the rest of the Earth, which as a whole is suffering while humans as a whole are thriving, and it is for the rest of the planet that I will continue to fight.

So, those whose main concern is environmental justice should continue to fight for it and have my support.  I would hope that those of us who fight for polar bears have theirs.

"I would hope"

Nice, Wolverine.

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.
You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have an account, log in. If you don't have an account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five.
sign in
Search Gristmill
Subscribe
  • subscribe via RSSStay updated with the Gristmill RSS feed.
  • Add to My Yahoo!
  • Subscribe with Bloglines
  • Subscribe in NewsGator Online
  • Subscribe in Netvibes
  • Subscribe in Google
Using Gristmill
  • What is Gristmill?
  • Posting rules
The comments of Gristmill users reflect the opinions of those individuals only, and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Grist, its staff, its board members, their psychotherapists, or their aestheticians. Got it?

Gristmill is powered by Scoop.

ADVERTISING POLICY


About Grist | Support Grist | Job Board | Archives | Grist by Email | RSS | Podcast
Gristmill Blog | In the News | Ask Umbra | Muckraker | Victual Reality | 'Tis the Season | The Grist List | The Bottom Line



Grist: Environmental News and Commentary
a beacon in the smog (tm) ©2008. Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Gloom and doom with a sense of humor®.
Webmaster | Sitemap | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Trademarks