My Environmental Ethic

Erin Mentzer
FRS 130-Final Paper
Dr. Crain
1-28-05

Upon entering Perspectives on the Environment, my relationship with the environment was admittedly non-existent. Of course, I did not litter and I recycled, but that was the furthest extent of my environmental concern. Like many others, I, in theory, wanted to preserve nature’s beauty. However, I assumed that this massive task was best left to others to implement. In essence, I was choosing to not actively participate in caring for the environment; I wanted to enjoy the benefits of clean air and water without doing the work to ensure purity. After completing J-term, I have to honestly say that I am far from where I begun, but equally far from where I would like to be. During this class, I have learned many new facts and ideas concerning nature, but I am still debating in my mind the best way to utilize what I now know. The environmental ethic I have formed for myself is at times vague and is simply a blueprint to start from. My personal relationship with nature consists of three interrelated components: my interactions with the environment, the global community, and the future of our planet.

One of the most significant facts I have learned during Perspectives is that individual actions can affect the environment. In my daily life, I rarely think about how much my actions impact the world I live in. My car emits fossil fuels into the air, my showers are wasteful because I have not been aware of their implications. Therefore, my environmental ethic is rooted in this guideline: be aware. The first step in my journey was reaching the realization that we are very wasteful in our everyday lives and acknowledging this fact helps to amend the situation. I have realized that my actions affect not only myself and my immediate community, but also the entire world. In “Earth in the Balance,” Al Gore said, “In the end, we must restore a balance within ourselves between who we are and what we are doing.” Currently the world’s actions, including myself, are geared at what we need to complete and use. The effects on the environment are rarely considered. Fulfilling this component of my ethic involves very simple tasks: walking instead of driving, turning off the lights, taking a shorter shower. Although these little things may seem insignificant to me, if many individuals do this it will make a big difference.

Once I have tackled my individual actions to help the environment, the next part of my ethic deals with what I feel society as a whole should do for nature. Vowing to live my life in a less wasteful manner is an admirable goal, but it is meaningless unless I use my voice as a citizen to inspire society to also conserve. In our country, our leaders litigate with a close regard to the beliefs of their constituents. Lawmakers will respond if they feel the environment is a cause with many citizens supporting it. Therefore, an important part of my ethic is to use my voice to encourage the government to make ecologically wise decisions. This may be something as simple as writing a letter to encourage forestland to be conserved or something as extreme as participating in a protest march on Washington. I believe that our government should make conserving the environment a priority domestically and internationally, and I want to make sure that the government knows this. If enough people show Washington that the environment is a vital part of their lives, then they will be forced to listen and implement ecological practices. In “The Land Ethic” Aldo Leopold wrote, “It is conceivable to me that an ethical relation to land can exist without love, respect, and admiration for land, and a high regard for its value.” I am beginning to develop this deep respect for nature that Leopold wrote about, and if this admiration takes root in the hearts of the world’s citizens; governments will have no choice but to follow suit.

The task of correcting our personal and societal wrongs towards the environment is a huge task, but ensuring that the environment is intact for our prosperity is absolutely awe-inspiring. Still, however cumbersome the job may be, very few people would not like to ensure that our planet’s beauty is seen by future generations. In order to do this, actions must be taken now. When I considered this part of my ethic, I drew heavily from James Speth’s eight steps to sustainability that he discusses in Red Sky at Morning. In this he writes, “It is part of you, and me, and we are part of it. And it will be there for our children and their children and so on forever if we have the wisdom to protect it.” This statement concisely includes all that I hope for the future. I want to be able to make my grandchildren to the Walker Sister’s Cabin in the forest or to be able to see the rain forests. However, at the rate in which we are progressing I fear I may be the last generation to see many of the world’s attractions. In order to ensure that more generations do see Earth’s beauty, I know that we must do more than lament about our deteriorating world. I believe our first objectives should be, as Speth wrote, to stabilize the world population and to work towards alleviating mass poverty. In all likelihood neither of these tasks will be completed in my lifetime, but we can at least take up the task and then pass the gauntlet. The population problem exists in many lesser-developed nations, but it is the responsibility of industrial nations to help tackle this problem. No longer can we afford to believe that what affects one country will not affect all countries, and we must help because the United States is has the resources. Educating about birth control practices, ensuring fair market practices, and providing essentials of life could significantly impact population. Many families in poor countries use their children as a labor force and education combined with resources will help. Similarly, alleviating mass poverty will not be accomplished without commitment from industrial nations. If one’s first priority is feeding their family, fair treatment of the environment is not even an issue. The poor cannot be faulted for harming nature, but they can be helped. Improving the state of the environment cannot come first; the poor must be helped first or they will continue to use the land in destructive ways simply to survive.

In “The Land Ethic” Aldo Leopold wrote, “An ethic, ecologically, is a limitation on freedom of action in the struggle for existence.” I, along with society, must realize that certain sacrifices must be made for the greater good of the environment. The sacrifices are not even extreme; they are simple steps that can make a significant impact if they are made in mass. My ethic included a personal ecological commitment, a hope for society’s commitment to the environment, and a dream for the future of nature. These dreams cannot be realized by simply my own actions, but I must realize that my actions can make a considerable impact. That, I believe, is the major way that Perspectives has changed me. I now think that every person should take an active role in conserving our planet. We cannot sit idle and allow others to make half-attempts at saving our resources. If one person speaks loudly enough, it will attract others. If those others all speak together, the government will notice and react. If all governments are forced to take note, then our environment can be preserved.