What made you an environmentalist?

I've only recently begun to consider myself an environmentalist, since starting my business. The product at the heart of my business comes from the rainforests of Brazil, and the company behind the product actually saves acreage through saving the trees - these types of palms used to be cut down for their "hearts" [Heart of Palm for salads], now the local populations are being paid more to save the trees and harvest the trees fruit. This involvement led me to issues closer to home, including stopping my use of plastic grocery bags...I'm still trying to come up with my own answer to the little plastic bags you have to put lettuce and other produce in. My kitchen has four separate containers to separate types of garbage and recyclables...it does take work, but it is so worth it. I have my first grandson and I want this to be a safe, green world for him.

An interesting trade-off of skills back in 2001--a friend of mine who had never done event-planning wanted to bring back the local Earth Day celebration--event-planning is something I know a lot about. He was influential in a liberal church and I was looking for an "in" to create an interfaith alliance to address social justice issues.

So we "traded" -- I created the local Earth Day celebration, and instead of getting an interfaith alliance, I became wholly absorbed in the various issues and organizations working on our local environmental front. It's been an interesting 7 years that have changed my entire life.

So cool to see your face JanforGore! You've been with us since the beginning and this is the first time I've been able to put a face-to-the-avatar. Happy day.

any ideas for a "Jan Fan" T-shirt? we are fans. are you?

Yes, we need that link with nature to keep us whole. Thanks for all of the wonderful responses.

renewable energy got me hooked, it's just so novel

that and spending a lot of time outdoors.

TouchArt, Thanks for the information. Very good indeed! Both the video interview and the blog. My best to all of you!

lifestudentno3: That is it.The awareness will lead us in time to the action which is why that is so important now. And thanks for the compliment... And yes I am, and I think he's happy ;-).

I've never really been an environmentalist in the traditional sense of the word. Even though I was interested of helping the environment when I was younger, it was limited to not littering and recycling. Even now, there is more that I could do to help reduce my daily impact than what I do now.

I consider myself a fundamentalist when it comes to nature, in the sense that it is fundamental that we take better care of the Earth than the job we're doing now. Even more than ever, I am aware of the energy saved by turning off my lights and TV when leaving a room, or how much CO2 isn't released when I walk to work, or using old plastic and paper grocery bags for small trash cans and recyclables.

P.S.- Nice to see what you look like, Jan. You're a fine-looking woman, and smart to boot. I hope you're making some lucky person very happy!

My family did alot of camping when I was young. It started there where my Dad said 'you always leave a campsite better than when you came'.I noticed how people could treat the place with no regard to nature. Even in grammar class I was picking up other peoples litter and thrusting into my jean pockets til I got home. My mom thought I was crazy! But, i just knew it was wrong to mess up the enviroment and make it look like a garbage dump. And I haven't stopped since. It still amazes me how slow we have been in doing little to this humongus problem.I will always try to practice what my Dad said..to leave it better than when you came!!!

The death of animals
The rivers drying.
The nutrition that we are not getting because corporations feed corn to cows and over fishing.

The food that is being thrown away in restaurants (waste)

The comparison of the humans with how animals act.
Water pollution

Cutting down trees!
Money and not having culture and morals which reminds me of the human animal. Destroy and conquer is what is being done by us.

Hey Jan, I love the background you chose to shot yourself there. Beautiful shades of green and sand, it is refreshing, very inspiring!

Yeah, I really need to invest in a decent web cam too. Firsdt one I tried I couldn't get any sound to record. Jan it was great to finally see you. Great job on the video.

That is nice Press! I also love astronomy since I remember I was aware of it by looking into the starring sky and between many, I would pick my favor Constellation and I would raise my hands to its direction and pull the energy towards me and around me. It is very similar to Tai-chi movements so I still doing it and even master many extras movements.

How goes it Jan!

I've always been an animal lover, always gotten along very well with the other beasties, I've been watching nature shows since I was old enough to comprehend television (thanks to my parents), and I've been hiking/camping since I was in grade school.
Concern for the environment grew rather rapidly and naturally from concern for the creatures living in it.

Specifically, I'd hang the blame on educational videos I saw in grade school. They were all about...well...nature being choked by a tidal wave of pollution. You know.

All those animals in agony, as well as the forests/jungles being slaughtered for the sake of little things like paper, presented back-to-back, with unchecked human industry as the obvious culprit, really affected us 4th graders. I specifically remember thinking how dull-witted most adults were, since trees provide us with BREATHABLE AIR.

I can't believe I haven't seen An Inconvenient Truth yet...
I also need to invest in a web cam.

btw, it's nice to finally see your face, janforgore!

An Inconvenient Truth made me rethink my carbon emissions. Seeing a simulation of my hometown going underwater really gave me a wake up call to start doing something to minimize my carbon footprint.

And just to add, An Inconvenient Truth besides Earth In The Balance by Mr. Gore inspired me greatly. He inspires me with his words, his passion, his vision, and his relentless focus in keeping his eye on the prize. I could never respond in a thread about environmentalism and not comment about how much he has inspired and influenced my life as well and always will.

pacebp
Good intentions are always a good start. And having inspiration. My mom was mine until i lost her at too young an age. But I'm a mother now so I have the chance to be the inspiration for my own child, and walking softly upon the Earth is one thing we try to carry on everyday. It isn't easy at times, but the ends certainly justify the means.

Jubal;
You sound like a person with much wisdom, which many times only comes to us after times of adversity. More people should be as sensitive to the world around them. I don't know if I can put my love for the planet into words other than to say I feel such a very strong spiritual connection to her. I truly do believe that Earth has a "gaia" force, a lifeforce that sustains all living things on her... and that when we do anything to alter that lifeforce out of our selfishness or audacity it alters our own. That humankind cannot be in balance if the Earth is not in balance with us. It truly is a higher consciousness we need to reach to see this all so much clearer... I hope and pray that we reach it in time. And thanks for your comment, you rock too!

PS Jan, it was awesome to see you in person, you rock!!!

I have always loved and cherished life since I was a little kid, except for the time that I was addicted to drugs during the 70's and it took me down a dark path that led to a longing for death. Once I got over that and had a Spiritual Experience, I became a much more aware lover of life. I have taken steps to cherish all living things and to live in the moment as much as possible.

I like the term environmentalist, however I think conservative is a better word. Just like Jan said in her post, we need to conserve the planet for future generations. This is very true and a noble enterprise, but it won't stop a meteor from hitting the planet, it won't stop the continents from realigning abruptly and it won't stop the sun from exploding or a million other possible things that could go wrong "from out there."

Although I don't live my life worried and in fear of death; no not in the least, because I have been on death's doorstep several times in my life and it ain't that scary. I have had an out of body experience and I have seen visions and dreamed dreams that have radically changed my life and my consciousness.

I have survived with HIV for over 30 years now and I am as healthy as an OX only much more tired than one. This is no doubt due to the side effects from the medications that I have to take for the rest of my life; until there is a cure available to everyone.

But whatever happens in the future, I am content to know that I cherish the planet and every living thing on and in it and until something better comes along, I will do everything in my power to protect it.

Label that what you will...

hmm...

can one say "i was born an environmentalist?" probably not

but i honestly can't remember...

I've always loved animals, (including people), and nature, and animals have alwayz loved me too!! (hey, it's not just my word here, my momma's got some pictures n stories!! hehe)

biology and the environment have always been among my favorite issues/subjects...

but maybe it's cause i love life

and i love this world!

EARTH is just AMAZING!

(and yeah i borrowed that from the discovery channel ad, but hey, it's not like we don't realize that on our own!!)

Hi guys, thanks for the luv ;-)
I did just whip up that video response in my apartment, inspired by Jan's video. And yes, I collected $20 and that was my first charitable contribution ever. I used to get more mail than my parents because of all the endangered-species conservation groups I belonged to! :)

Julie;

That's a great story. BTW, did you collect any money that day? ;-)

Hey pressrecord, Happy Earth Day for You! What about you? What inspired you to become an environmentalist?

Julie_Soller, awesome sense of composition. did you just whip that up?

i'm not a hippy...more like a pagan.

For me it is The Spirit of G-O-D! It speaks to me everyday since I was born into physical life. Rhinoceroses! Really? That is great, let me see if I find that one in my files. A brother of my recently showed me some pictures from his African Tour Safari and I intent to make a pod of it. Julie, wait a minute, I'll be right back!...

An Inconvenient Truth. I was aware of global warming before the movie came out, but I didn't know how severe the problem has gotten. After seeing the documentary, I decided that my inaction was inexcusable.

Since then, I've changed my commute from one of driving and sitting in traffic every day to public transit, changed my diet to vegetarianism and changed every light bulb there is to change in my apartment. But I'm still far from carbon neutral. I can do more and I'm working every year to emit less and less carbon.

The second time I saw inconvenient truth. And my realization that the main reason the environment is still a problem is greed.

I was a senior in high school, just days away from graduation on the first Earth Day. Our school planted trees and did a lot of talking about the things we could do to help the earth. I have recycled since then but not much else. Then, there was a special on tv that urged people to go to: stopglobalwarming.org and join the virtual march and the Blue Man Group was very convincing, so, I did that and started paying a little more attention. One day while shopping for a movie to watch, I came across "An Inconvenient Truth" which I bought and my eyes were really opened. I have made everyone I know watch the movie and now I take the time to think about my actions before I actually do them. My husband wanted a new Tahoe but I talked him into a 35 mpg Vibe instead. We are recylce crazy and re-use and are reducing.
I think one of the best things I can do to help the earth now is to teach my grandchildren by example. I have started to get involved and now, so do they. The 3 granddaughters and I all work on various environmental projects. It has also helped to make me closer to them so it is a win-win-situation for me!

diode,
as we increase carbon emissions, the atmosphere grows hotter, melting the ice and the methane underneath it. so it is urgent that we stop the carbon emissions so that the methane doesn't get out. and you're right, if it does, we're screwed. but giving up is a great way to go extinct. and not doing anything and not caring is a way of giving up. so, consider this: no one is neutral. you're either part of the problem or part of the solution.

as for nuclear war, c'mon now... we've averted it once with good leadership. where does good leadership come from? civic responsbility and audience participation. voting, dialogue, democracy. again, you're part of this, so it behooves you to care, and to care for your world

Thanks, Tori. Looking forward to contributing more now that I know what I'm doing. ;-).

It started at a very young age. I was around 5 or 6 and I remember seeing the gaint Exxon oil rig crash into the Alaskan coast. I remember seeing tons and tons of animals basically immersed in gunk and toxic mess. I cried (I was young!) and ever since then, I've been taking small steps to become a better enviromentalist.

I'd plant a tree here or there, participate in litter cleanups on the side of the highway.
Little things too. Turn off the water when I'm brushing my teeth. Turning the light off in a room that I wasn't in. Limiting television time so I wasn't using that much power.

After all these years of doing that and watching people "catch up", I'm proud to call myself an enviromentalist.

Well, I was an environmentalist way before I ever heard of Al Gore. Though I can tell you honestly that he surely is one of the greatest environmental inspirations of my life. I don't consider that being a "lackey", I consider it supporting a man who has done more to bring this topic forward than anyone else regardless of what you may think about environmentalism. And actually, I can understand where you are coming from regarding the human species, but I simply cannot and will not subscribe to defeat. Thanks for responding.

nothing really. i am no green warrior or al gore lacky. i believe in efficiency. if things can be made better, so be it. the world will end regardless of what we do. natural emissions of gases trounce anything we've ever produced. volcanoes, water vapor and methane gas will be the end of us, not our horrible suv's and smoking.

to be honest we, humans, will most likely kill each other off before greenhouse emissions do. ww3 will happen and most likely in our lifetimes (i'm 22)

the moons floating away too at about an inch per year. we have to live off planet to survive as a species so to be honest i don't care too much.

it doesn't mean i'm going to go polluting but it doesn't mean i'm going to rally to keep it clean either

Nice to see you, Jan! You did a great job.
:)

Julie,

Yes, it is great to see those we talk with everyday. It brings the human element to the Internet that can be cold otherwise. Although, I was a bit nervous about getting in front of the camera so thanks so much for your comments. Looking forward to your response.

Jan, you're so cute! I loved your intro to the topic. Isn't it so nice when we can see the people we've been messaging with back and forth on Current.com. Is this going to be on TV? I also love the great wide-angle lens showing the grass and trees in the background as you spoke -- so appropriate for Earth day.

OK, I'm off to make my webcam response now about how I first became an environmentalist!

Love, Julie

Hey Jan, I could not ask for anything better than being beside you and your works. Happy day for you and for me! Many Thanks to You!

Same to you Stop Noise. Thank you for your work.

Absolutely. And the harm factory farms do to our waterways with runoff of fertilizers and feces is a huge problem as well. It all goes back to our culture of consumption.

The Spirit of G-O-D! It connected me with the Universe raising my awareness about my live, the life of those that surrounds me and our Planet everyday. Since I was a child I have been speaking and receiving messages from the stars and planets. From there I end up to meet my dream Family. Learned a lot since them. It made such a difference in my life that I go as far as to give the whole credit to them.

For me it is a work of Spirit Mind and Body. I would follow this through one of my theme works, keyword:

sensorial sciences

and if you wish you can also follow one of my recent projects inspired by Al Gore, keyword:

the culture of distraction

From his recent speech at Al Gore's New Slideshow At TED.

Today is Earth Day Celebration day and I want to wish You and all of my friends at Current Networks the best respect and Love you can get.

Ps: By the way, I made one display panel honoring your works at, keyword:

Network News Launch - Earth Day Week

I know it is not everything but it is in my views a good start up campaign. My awareness goes to you if I did not caught up with your work. This is a on going project and I am sure we will bump into each other somehow. My best to you! See keyword:

Construction Trucks Beep Signals

Inconvenient Truth pretty much broke open the icy ignorance that most people lived with, myself included. Like it or not, Gore will be a demigod in history's eyes.

I became someone of environmentalist attitudes after watching the film and realizing how far out of harmony our species is living. Ungodly. Unworthy. Myself included.

But of course once you start on the path of good intention, you begin to reclaim your worthiness in this interdependent interconnected universe. And in god's eyes you begin to shine again.