I focus on “urban ecology” and “urban audiences” because this topic and these audiences are often 2 ships in the night. Most people don’t appreciate the natural spaces in cities and towns and metro areas. Yes, such areas are small and managed, but they are there and provide some shelter and green space for animals and people alike. Urban audiences often are unaware of just how much ‘green’ is around them, of the several species and number of wild animals, insects, trees, and flowers that are their neighbors. If we can re-focus our attentions and behaviors locally – and I mean very local, like your front and/or back yard or neighborhood park – then collectively our efforts to salvage (and respect) the earth/environment on a national and global scale become much easier.

Thanks for re-posting this.
DNLEE (which stands for Demystifying Nature, Letting Everyone Experience)

P.S. Purple Zoe is a bit of a Greenie, too.

another interesting conundrum:

blacks have the highest proportions in the military. one of the reasons we’re in iraq is because of oil and america’s consumption of it.

yeah, black families can claim that ‘we have other issues, thus i want my escalade’, but that same consumption is contributing to the death of our people in an oil war.

comes back…full circle.

For more info on how this issue affects blacks, see my throwback post on Environmental Racism

Lack of awareness or pure ignorance doesn’t pan out. For the most part, middle-class people (of any color) know better, have the means to act, but just don’t. That’s the crux. Why doesn’t the African-American community – and by this I mean the whole diaspora – at least address these issues more often? How often do our media outlets (BET, Tom Joyner, Michael Basden, Tavis Smiley, ybpguide, etc) present these types of issues tot he public?

Pointing to ‘greater or pressing problems’ such as crime, bad neighborhood, financial, food, or shelter insecurity doesn’t pan out for this demographic either. Yes, these are important issues, but these issues don’t trump climate change or environmentalism. In fact, environmentalism is the foundation of environmental and social justice causes.

WHY?
1) a changing climate alters our ecosystem and we are dealing with decreased crop productions. Damaged or descreased crop output means less food and higher prices -> Food insecurity.

2) Wasting resources such as electricity or water or fuel decreases the already limited supply of them we have. Yes, water and fuel are re-newable, but at a MUCH lower rate than we consume. Less efficient use of a resource means we deplete it faster. Limited supply of anything -> increased demand -> higher prices.
Those from lower SES will lose first and suffer the worst.

3) There is only so much liveable space. And urban areas still need clean water, electricity, fuel, and food. Trash is inevitable, but trash doesn’t just GO AWAY. It goes to a landfill, so reducing, re-suing and recycling decreasing landfill space. Also, being careful about the quality of products we use means having less to worry about later when its decomposing in the landfill. As trash breaks down it releases gases and other chemicals. Who wants to live next to a landfill? Nobody. But it is often the poor (i.e. those distracted by the day to day hustle to just survive) to speak out against it or know how to fight it off effectively.
Lack of understanding and use of natural resources -> poor political voice and action -> crappy/unhealthy neighborhoods. Those who can afford to live in healthier or cleaner neighborhoods are typically financially well-off, real-read, and politically engaged. They surround themselves with others who are like them. bright/wealth flight -> poor get left behind -> neighborhood with a high concentration of poor, undereducated citizens -> poor neighborhoods, services, -> schools that can’t attract top-notch teachers, doctors, etc. -> neighborhood instablity.

Being pro-green or environmentally conservation isn’t necessarily more expensive, but it is inconvenient. It’s a committment to separate your trash, make phone calls to companies, town hall, and etc to make things better, following up, reading labels, setting your air up or heat down a few degrees, taking your own bags to the store, driving less. I think this is the reason why black culture isn’t so involved in the environmental movement.

Let’s just call it for what it is… It’s too much work. And most people just don’t want to bother. Invoking ‘better things’ to worry about is a convenient, well-prescribed and long-accepted excuse.