by Cheryl Oliver

Created on: August 20, 2008

The biggest problem facing the environment isn't global warming. It's the environmentalist.

I'd bet my last dime that the average American (Democrat, Republican or otherwise) would on a deeply personal level consider themselves a conservationist. Most people feel a deep connection to Mother Earth, and if asked would admit to wanting to leave this world a better place. Few, if any of us would choose to leave a legacy of pollution, urban sprawl and extinction for our children.

Wisdom, love and humanity dictates our desire to protect the environment. But the environmentalist often serves only as an inhibitor to our doing "the right thing." It's such a turn off for the average person to be associated with those environmental "whack-o's" that we scoff at recycling. We rebel against normal conservation practices and vote for politicians that we know will support anti-environmental measures.

The biggest mistake conservation groups make is taking it to the extreme. When you protest everything without giving due consideration to how it may affect the average American (such as spotted owls vs. jobs)you run the risk of that average American not listening to you. When you commit arson as a protest to new construction people are not going to take your message seriously. We humans share this planet with animals, it's true. That means that animals also share this planet with us. It's about balance.

Farmers are the original environmentalists. And the true environmentalists. When a person works the Earth for his livelyhood, he learns to care deeply about how that Earth is treated. Unfortunately because of the extreme anti-farmer approach that most activists have taken toward protecting the environment, you'll find these farmers voting against protection measures. When protecting the Earth means loosing your livelyhood, which side do you think will win? I repeat, there needs to be a balance.

Don't get me wrong, the balancing act has to work both ways. It is possible to harness a river's power without abusing it. It is possible to grow crops without putting unnecessary poisen into the dirt.

The bottom line is that if we want to affect change on a real level, we have to reach the average person. We need an intelligent and balanced approach and we absolutely must insure that we recognize all sides of the issue. Like most things in life, it's a give and take. If the environmental movement would be willing to give just a little, I believe they could reach a wider audience and actually stand a chance of creating real change.

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