jrmassa22’s Recent Comments

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  framing the issues

  There are several ways to go about this. The first is to make the environment local. To do this, we cannot simply say the environment as it implies something separate. We must demonstrate and convince people that environmental issues are integral to our everyday lives. Start at the local level. If a development will result in a nice patch of woods, stream, organisms to be irretrievably harmed, get the local folks involved in that. Start at the local, grassroot levels and build from there.

  The second thing is to prove that a healthy environment is essential to a robust, good economy. This means developing other energy sources (now that would be a job creation boost), building in ways that minimize environmental degradation. If this can happen, then politicians should see these benefits and make policy accordingly.

  Third, (and this ties in to point number 2): if the air, water, soil are fouled, people will suffer from chronic illnesses. This will in turn affect the economy negatively by reduced productivity as people miss more and more time due to illness, creates negative strain on the medical profession which has bad economical effects as well in terms of increasing health care costs.

  We need a totally different mind set. Go to the local news stations, newspapers, get those stories out. Push for alternative energy sources, increased public transportation, increased fuel efficiency, increased conservation. But we need to show how all these actions would be good from an economic point of view. That is how you get the politicians to pay attention. Otherwise, it will be continued payback to the big corporations and we will all be the worst for it.

  Jim Massa

  Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

  On Whither the environmental movement? III posted 5 years ago 16 Responses

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  Whence the environmental movement

  Mr. Roberts makes some valid points. I think that in order for the environmental movement to make gains especially in the face of such a hostile administration, two things need to be done. The first is to make the media aware of issues. This means local, regional and national media outlets. If that means hounding them, so be it. People need to be made aware of what is being done. I think that if people were made  aware of policies that are fouling the air, water and soil and how this will impact them, make them ill, then people will really galvanize around the issues. The second approach (and this I think is critical as a way to hopefully win over conservatives) is to equate a sick environment with the economy. Politicians need to realize that if the environment is in a bad way, that this will have deleterious effects on the economy. If the air, water, soil are fouled, people will be exposed to the pollutants; people will then be afflicted with chronic illnesses. Chronic illnesses result in more sick time taken, cuts into productivity and costs business more in the way of loss productivity and having to pay for sick time (for those companies that actually pay sick leave). I think this is where we need to go. Thank you.

  Jim Massa

  Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

  On Whither the environmental movement? posted 5 years ago 4 Responses