...creating the world I want my grandkids to live in.

Another, less serious take:

...hot showers.  I like hot showers.  I want there to keep on being hot showers.  And I want everyone to be able to enjoy hot showers, too.  Because I'm not selfish.

Imagine life in a spaceship.  You carry sundry requirements to maintain your life.  These things require appropriate technologies.  Now imagine that one of the technologies fails.  Environmentalism is life support engineering.

Ed Shadrick

I sure want that shirt!  Hmmm, here goes (w/apologies to Jon for jumping on the grandkids meme):

Imagine waking up every day knowing that you are breathing clean air, drinking safe water, and eating healthy food, in a country where you always have a say in how things get done.  

Now, imagine feeling confident that your grandkids, and their kids, and theirs, will all wake up every day of their lives knowing the same things.

in our world's fish bowl
we go forth and multiply
(while the filter works)

I went over the limit.  So, pared down:

Environmentalism is waking up every day breathing clean air, drinking safe water, eating healthy food, and having a real vote, and knowing that your grandkids--and theirs--will, too.  

not taking the elevator but walking up the stairs.

Living life so that all life may life.

Knowing what is ecologically right and doing it.

A responsibility we have as the most "advanced" beings on earth.

Enviro-mentali-ty.

"To know and not to use is not yet to know." -Buddhist saying

Very nice, truly inspirational.

One constructive comment: shouldn't environmentalism be concerned about going forth and multiplying too much?

Perhaps you caould use your obvious haiku skills with another try.

I know I would appreciate it.

Peace.

"To know and not to use is not yet to know." -Buddhist saying

sorry, the first line in my original post should read:

Living life so that all life may live.

Thanks.

"To know and not to use is not yet to know." -Buddhist saying

We're stranded on island Earth in an otherwise lethal universe.

Only here can we make the sacred journey of life.

Every day, Earth gets more crowded and everybody wants more.

Healthy food, clean air and water, healthy ecosystems, and a sustainable relationship between human beings and their environment. A world where the needs of all living things are met.

Earth is our house.  We can keep it clean, safe and healthy or we can keep it dirty, unsafe and unhealthy.  Houses don't clean themselves!  

Think of the Earth as a great bank whose funds are natural beauty and resources. Environmentalists are certified financial advisors. They give free advice about maintaining and increasing our wealth.

Here are two takes...

Take 1 -
Conservation is about health. We are our environment: the air we breathe, the water we drink. The health of our bodies, spirits, economies and communities depends on a healthy environment.

Take 2 -
Conservation is about improving lives. It's about the safety of air and water... the health of communities and economies... and places where families reconnect with the earth and each other.

in our world's fish bowl
we all drink the same water
so don't crap in it.

30 words to win the heart & mind of a stranger? good luck, but here goes:

Whenever I'm stuck in a little room like this, I think about our little spaceship earth.  Hope we're doing enough to keep it a good place for the next generation.

Doc Watson Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground. And a mighty river is just a lot of little drips who stuck together.

Caring that human beings and their habits are destroying our earth, doing what we can to change our behavior, and wondering why more people don't give a damn!

Environmentalism is...

...Caring enough to take personal responsibility to protect the air, water, natural resources and natural beauty that we all need to survive and to thrive on this planet.

"Be the change you want to see in the world" (Ghandi)

Hey, rumor has it you like clean air, water, and food that won't poison you, and you thought you weren't an environmentalist.

Hey, rumor has it you like clean air, water, and food that won't  poison you, and you thought you weren't an environmentalist. Welcome aboard. :)

Don't you wish that generations before you had left you with cleaner air, cleaner waterways, and fewer landfills?  Don't you think your children want the same?

Earth supports human life within a comfort zone.
It is our responsibility to stay within the zone:
-    reduce unnatural use of fossil fuels
-    develop sustainable natural energy sources

The environment is the basis of our food supply and our health. What could be more important than protecting the living resources that sustain our own lives?

Madam, if we love life we are compelled to protect it; we can't watch it be trampled in someone's ambitious rush. Love is not discarded for profit. Love is environmentalism.

Our Creator is going to be terribly disappointed with us if we don't appreciate, study and sustain Creation before our time comes.  Creators hate having their work ignored!

The elevator you are using is running on electricity produced by spewing chemical, nuclear, and heat poisons into the air and water.  Walk, dammit, and you will be healthier and not guilty of ruining the world.  If however, you suffer from a disability limiting your ability to use the stairs, we apologize for imposing upon you a statement that does not apply to you.

Intro (not included in word count)
"Beautiful day outside" they would probably reply with "Yah", or "Sure is".

Ever imagine living out of a broken down elevator?  (I would pretend to think about the question)-Hmm, that's what I imagine the world will be like when humans are done with it-have a good day!

The Green Movement is:

Improving the economy by making it ecologically-rational (it isn't).

Bringing social justice to the world (it's possible).

Rediscovering a life of meaning and excitement by connecting to Nature (that's intuitive).

The Future...
Followed by six floors of thoughtful silence.

"Life is too tragic for sadness: Let us rejoice." -Ed Abbey

Environmentalism is -

Understanding that:

Everything is connected to everything else.
Everything has to go somewhere.
There is no free lunch.
Nature always bats last.

Regards, Professorlife

Environmentalism is everything that follows from the principle that people depend on the earth for life, and that the earth's gifts - air, water, food and beauty - should be shared equally.

"You cannot serve God and Money." -- Jesus

Environmentalism is -

Understanding that:

All wealth comes from the land.

Regards, Professorlife

   While riding in a cramped elevator up a skyscraper I lean over and casually ask:
   "So do you think it's vital we all work to make sure the air we share is clean and unpolluted?"  
   And if they say no, I'll reply:
   "Ok, I just farted."
               ~Micah

Environmentalism is just common sense...you clean your house and feed your kids?  Environmentalism is about a clean house, only this time the planet is the house so clean water and clean air.  And to feed everyone we need to make sure that we have a balance between what we use and what we grow.  Imagine that you only fed yourselves and never cleaned your house; you'd never do that, right?

Environmentalism is about cleanliness, which as you know is next to godliness.  Clean air, clean water, clean communities.  It is also about the future, smart decisions so we have one.

that's quite good!

Caring about where stuff comes from, and where it goes after it is used.  Thinking cradle to cradle rather than cradle to grave just might change the world.

I really like it.

Great job and thank you!

Peace.

"To know and not to use is not yet to know." -Buddhist saying

We are human, so to make mistakes is expected, though isn't it best to err on the side of caution when dealing with the only environment we've got?

--or--

No environment = no air.
No air = no oxygen.
No oxygen = no life.
Does environmentalism make sense to you now?

"To know and not to use is not yet to know." -Buddhist saying

Hard to believe, but environmentalism actually lends itself to lucrative business opportunities that can be used to fool liberals into believing that you have compassion or some such quaint nonsense.

Pssst - did you hear?  On that rapture thing? Well, God's coming home, and he's gonna be pissed cuz you trashed his house.

realizing that we're in quicksand and instead of being indifferent or leaving it up to others or technology to save us, we actually collaborate and figure out what to do.

"The quest for knowledge is one of the most important things to Homo sapiens. Other species are the largest repository of unread knowledge."

Patti

Environmentalism is trying not to limit our future options by wantonly wasting resources now. It is about leaving our children with the resources to enjoy their own lives.

"We aim for a 1% defect rate when manufacturing. Fishermen currently discard 5x their catch, dead. The surviving larger predators are now eating each other there is so little left".

That's my try. Word Processor counts exactly 30 words.

Tough Assignment. So much to say, so little time.

Problem is, enviromentalism has one stated goal: conservation. Neither liberalism or the Conservatives truely have a single invariable, fixed goal, so they can say whatever they like in their pitches. It just doesn't matter.

Environmentalists believe that the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" includes the right to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live on a sustainable planet.

Environmentalism is about seeking to understand the impacts of personal choices and lifestyle.  It's about using this understanding to model and practice habits of preservation, conservation, and appreciation for resources.

Have the satisfaction of saving Earth! Cleaner air, greener spaces, safer food. More costly - yes -  for  renewable electricity, or organic food, but  a more natural world  is ample compensation.

Melitta Carter

We value safe drinking water, clean air, healthy ecosystems and flourishing wildlife--and we act to ensure that Earth's natural resources can be enjoyed now and for generations to come.

Everyone who uses this elevator erodes the elevator cable. But nobody seems concerned about fixing or maintaining that cable. Our kids will take this elevator. Environmentalism is elevator cable maintenance...

Responsible self-procreation (Don't Litter!)
Love of all life, not only human
Stewardship, not exploitation
Recycling, not residualizing
Watchfulness, not wastefulness

Being an environmentalist means
accepting that humans have significant impact
on the Earth
and that we have both the ability
and the responsibility to minimize our impact,
however we can.

We are caretakers, not conquerors.

a liberal in redsville

Understanding and honoring the ecological connections between living things and the physical environment to provide sustainably for all people, while also nurturing non-human life for its own sake.

same thing I tell my kids in the Key to the Sea class,

How important is a healthy ocean to every living thing? Take 3 deep breaths. 2 of those breaths came from the phytoplankton floating in the ocean. Don't pollute!

Negatively impacting the environment is like trying to sink the ship that is bringing you your only supplies. Our present rate of destruction is blowing that ship to bits.

Old approach:

It would suck if people smoked cigars in elevators. Environmentalism is an etiquette of treating treasures we all share, like rivers and summer breezes, as well as we treat elevators.  

New approach:

Nature is a huge family, and humans are just one branch. As in any family, we feel compassion for our relatives.  Coincidentally, our very survival depends on caring for them.

Q) What's the first thing you should do when you find yourself in a hole?

A) Stop digging.

If you'll stop digging, I can help you climb out of our environmental hole.

Elevating questions to an art form:
.Is the Earth getting healthier or sicker?
.Is the Earth really surrounded by cold hostile space?
.Do we need the Earth for our survival?
.To be on the safe side, should we take care of the Earth?
.What could one person do to help the Earth?
.Is this the thirteenth floor?

On reflection, I think the business about "etiquette" from my earlier post is a little precious for an elevator spiel.  So here's a revised version:

It would suck if people smoked cigars in elevators. Let's look after our common treasures, like creeks and summer breezes, as well as we look after elevators.  That's environmentalism.

The dinosaurs will have lived longer than the human species will, if we keep fouling our nest. Who's dismissed then with a small brain? Microbes will then inherit the earth.

The earth is our home.

Who needs to protect the planet?
Everybody

When?
Now

Why?
What helps you helps me

How?
Pay attention.  Speak out.

Nancy Anderson

Where do we go from here?

Our water is tainted.

Our air is choked with chemicals,

Our food has fewer nutrients,

What will our children look forward too.

Space suits?

Look, most of us spend 80%-90% of our time indoors, and more time in elevators than in forests. So avoid looking like a tree-hugger in a busy elevator, and keep it relevant and real, something like:

"Environmentalists believe happiness flows from our surroundings. Whether this is plants, animals, rocks, streams, mountains...or buildings, bridges, and cities, we crave good food, clean water, open skies, beauty, and fascination."

Environmentalism is not making the same mistakes as our forebearers - mistakes that explain why they're not around any more.  

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Jamie Fellrath Columbus, OH

...so I'm not going to try to come up with something snappy. But I would like to point out that elevators are one of the more energy-efficient forms of mass transport available today, because much of their lifting power comes from counterweights. Not to mention that the densely populated, vertical environments of cities - where elevators thrive! - are some of the most environmentally responsible places to live. (See, for example, "Green Manhattan: Why New York is the greenest city in the U.S." by David Owen in the New Yorker, 10/18/04.)

So yes, by all means take the stairs if you're able, but elevators are not the enemy. Big, sprawling, horizontal cities are.

The most conservative proposition in American History:
Don't mess it up. Don't.
If you mess it up, you pay to clean it up. Period.

Much Peace, jonnymil

Ever watch a sunset on the beach or in the mountains? Ever go camping or have a picnic by the lake?

Beautiful isn't it..

Isn't that worth preserving?

Just some additional thoughts as I read through some of these. I don't think you're going to get anywhere by being overly aggresive with most people.... the last thing you want is for a person to get defensive if you only have a moment to convince them. If they're anything like me, the minute they feel like they're being preached to you've already lost.

In my opinion (and it is just my opinion), to convince someone of anything, be respectful and try to provoke thought without seeming holier-than-though. I think this is why the population gets so polarized about issues as a whole. Arrogance and self-righteousness will bring out my stubborn side in a heartbeat. But being respectful... you'll at least get me to think about your argument even if I don't agree in the end.

the earth belongs to all of us;

the wealthy and the poor;

those of us with power

should even out the score.

Else 'ignorance and greed'

our tombstone will read.

a liberal in redsville

Everything you own and use is taken from the earth, what can you do to give something back for the earths benefit?

Or perhaps...As long as we're stuck here on earth lets make it nice for all of us.

When I want to go to Church, I go
out into the ancient forest all by my self
and quietly enter the true cathedral.
Hal J. Ridley, Jr.
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My friend, green is also the color of money. Fatten your wallet by paring down consumption of gasoline, water, electricity. Environmental consciousness is good for your pocketbook and the planet.

If you breathe, drink, eat, or love someone who does, you should be environmentalist.  We're 60 percent water with filters for lungs. If it's in our environment, it's in us.

Ceal

Environmentalism means to care about things beyond yourself.  Whether it's pristine landscapes, wildlife or simply your children and family.  The health of all we love is dependant on the environment.

Environmentalism is taking some of the focus of off myself and extending it to the rest of the living world.

Environmentalism means that if we don't look at the earth as something larger than ourselves, we are doomed as a civilization, perhaps as a race.

RVA

"Environmentalism" recognizes that our actions here on Earth influence, for better or worse, the viability of every species, including our own, so we'd better make the right choices!

Steve Beard

Environmentalism is deciding to live within natural laws to conserve life.  It enables all creatures great and small, the freedom to pursue happiness and prosperity in a healthy, sustainable world.

"Waste not - Want not".

Life and environment are really one entity: change our choices now and the environment will change for the better. Or, continue to change the environment and our lives will change for the worse.

Breathing clean air and swimming in clear streams. Protecting national forests and enjoying local parks. Creating better jobs and planning ahead. Stopping polluters and living more sustainably. That's environmentalism.

Animals are my friends. And I don't eat my friends. -- George Bernard Shaw

Biosolidarity. Planetary Stewardship. Nature and Nurture. Yin and Yang. Turbulence and Tranquility. Progress and Regress. A Death-Defying Balancing Act. The Art of Knowing When Enough is Enough.

"Environmentalism is about the little everyday actions we can take to keep our water and air clean (while also saving money!)---actions like taking a reusable bag to the supermarket."

The actions taken can be interchanged with any number of others to create a whole series of elevator pitches, or just choose your favorite and stick with that one.  Some examples (phrases to go after the words "actions like"):  
buying recycled products, carpooling, installing low-flow showerheads and toilets, keeping vehicles maintained, reducing pesticide use, using cover crops in the winter, etc.

Oops. I should have written "Life-Affirming" instead of "Death-Defying".  Death is, of course, a part of life, as perhaps life is of death. But "Life-Affirming" is also a more positive way of putting things, at least from my (environmenalist) point of view.

  In our elevator pitch, we really need to capture a larger calling than merely urging the recycling of our plastic bags.  How about:

  "We want to be as concerned about the cleanliness and future of the area outside, as we are about our cars and homes..."

  "We're embarassed that an average American pollutes more than 5 Swedes, 10 Turks, or 25 Pakastanis...and we want to improve that figure"

Clark Maxfield "Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; and small minds discuss people." - Jackson W. Nanje

 Environmentalism is finding that place in nature that speaks to you and having enough respect and responsibility to preserve it, so hopefully someone else can find mystery in its beauty.  

Ask them "how long do you think the planet can support our lifestyle?"

If he says 'forever', forget him, he's an idiot.

If he says 'until God decides otherwise', forget him, he's not responsible.

If he gives a finite time, he's on our side already.

a liberal in redsville

Do you believe you can live without air and water?  Don't hold your breath...  

How did they make breathable air, drinkable water, and edible food a political issue, anyhow?  It's about life, not politics.

Do you believe you can live without air and water?  Don't hold your breath...

How did they make breathable air, drinkable water, and edible food a political issue, anyhow?

Seems like elevator pitches ought to be fine-tuned to the audience that will hear them. Size up your fellow passengers in the lift, and offer the pitch that you suspect might resonate with them.

You know how George Lakoff (Don't Think of an Elephant, Moral Politics) divides up people's world views into "nurturing parent family" and "strict father family"? It seems that most of the preceeding entries (including my own) are written for people who fall into the "nurturing parent" camp. In the interests of broadening the field for the "strict father" world view, here is another entry for that market segment:

The Earth is our house, our pantry, and our backyard. God* left us in charge. If we screw it up, boy are we in trouble.  

* or 'the Goddess,' depending on the listener.

Hey tough guy: You like to eat? You like to drink? You like to breathe? You like sex? Then, you're an environmentalist, too, `cause the environment brings you those things.

Sorry... Mexican for lunch.
Pretty bad on this side. Mind if I squeeze over?
Clunk.
Dang. Stalled. AC's out, too. Guess we're stuck here awhile. Meantime, whaddya think about environmentalism?

Environmentalism is (1) seeking to understand how the things we do affect the complex system sustaining life on Earth and (2) when we find problems, having the courage to act.

How'd they make our environment a political issue?  It's about life, not politics.  Do you believe you can live without clean air & water?  Don't hold your breath....

How'd they make our environment a political issue anyway?  It's about life, not politics.  Do they really believe we can live without clean air & water?  Don't hold your breath....

Environmentalism is a common sense movement that strives to secure a healthy future for generations and generations to come.  Earth, air, water, all living things:  Designed to withstand time, if...