I’m writing a rant piece for an environmental magazine and I don’t write articles. Of course it is my job to stay in tune with what’s happening in the “green” world but I’m not asking people to become as involved as I am. I’m just asking that people stop listening to political advise, network news, or their neighbor about environmentalism and take a few minutes to read into it for themselves. Make up your own opinion. Watch a few scientific shows that are not only interesting but also entertaining (especially if you like scary shows). Nobody is trying to trick you with Global warming or environmental awareness. Just walk outside in February on that lovely sixty-degree day and tell me something isn’t happening with our climate. The dogwoods bloomed before Valentines day this year. Seriously.

I’d like to let the cat out of the bag and say I’m an extreme newbie when it comes to the eco-conscious and sustainable enterprises world. Newbie as in, I didn’t think about environmentalism much until a year ago when the first sustainable venture I own and manage was launched. This being said I’d like to distinguish why the Environmental Movement is just that, a movement, and not a trend or fad.

A fad is popular but fleeting embrace; propagated for a while by media, pop culture, etc. There is no long-term reason to stick with it because moods change, tastes develop, and the trend or fad will pass in years, weeks, days or, in our speed thirsty times, sometimes hours.

I’m sure some people are thinking, ‘Well that certainly sounds like what is happening with this ‘Green’ thing’. And I agree some of those things are happening. The media, icons, and politicians are taking note. The difference is that a movement calls for an overall change because the alternative is wrong, unhealthy, immoral, or in this case disastrous.

I’m going to make some interesting comparisons, and I’m not demoralizing any of the historic points I reference, only aiming to show you the importance of our generations time to shine. I’ll use two examples that are particularly pertinent because of this year’s election. Women’s Rights was a movement. Thoughts about a woman’s position before this time were wrong and immoral and when people all opened their eyes and researched the topic for themselves the movement took over. Everyone realized that the alternative wasn’t really even an option. It was time for change.

Civil Rights was, and still is, a movement. As radical as it seemed to so many at the time, it could never stand as an option to go back to the way it was before. This movement lead to an historic change.

Environmental Awareness is also a movement. Just as Women’s and Civil Rights were an epic, long fought battle of attrition, Environmental Awareness will have its wins, losses, and eventual victory by gaining the favor of the masses and becoming the norm. The twist is that this movement doesn’t just affect women, a particular race, or even just the United States or the whole of North America for that matter. This is a truly global issue. When does the entire globe ever unite to stop one issue?

You know what’s great about the United States? We’re a leader. We innovate, assist, teach, and motivate. You know what’s bad about the United States? We’re a leader. We lead the world in waste, over abuse of resources, and environmental impact. It is tough for our citizens to imagine an overall change because we become set in our ways and we enjoy the attention that comes with this leadership role. Many Americans push this movement aside because of the old adage, “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it”. The problem is that our current methods are broken.

About the author:
Daniel Whittaker is the managing partner for Green Planet Catering, a Raleigh based catering company that focuses on using Local/Organic produce and meats, petroleum- free products and packaging, and environmentally friendly methods of service and delivery. Universally Green is the parent company for Daniel and his partners and the group has launched or is building several companies including: I’mTurningGreen.org, a portal for Triangle area green businesses; Universally Green Distribution, an eco-friendly product distr
ibution company; and Green Planet Farms, which includes organic produce growth and a large scale biodiesel conversation and sales facility.