Social and Environmental Justice: Community Activism for Change

Seed saving image courtesy of Amy Bradstreet, Image of children courtesy of R. Bruce McNellie

An apathetic citizenry is one of the main causes of most of our world’s worst problems, particularly pollution, overconsumption, a preoccupation with being militaristic, and a lack of action to enact change for social and environmental justice.  All of the solutions to our most difficult problems and the incredible destruction we have caused to our planet and to one another already exist.  To restore the earth to a healthy, abundant place where living things thrive, it is not enough to merely place legal protections on the last of the natural lands and wildlife that remain on earth, nor is it enough to allow corporations or governments to be solely responsible for the ownership, protection, or management of these areas. To help societies that do not have basic needs such as clean water, food, or shelter, it is not enough to look to our governments or large-scale aid institutions for solutions.

Those best suited to determine and implement integrated, appropriately tailored solutions are the community members who are most directly affected by the problems, together with those who have the information, support, and technology they need to succeed.  When people are connected to the information and support they need, they can best increase their capacity to create and maintain solutions and opportunities for themselves. When people join together to work on grassroots community projects, they begin to form lasting, cooperative support networks that are capable of creating local environmental, economic, and social benefits, in addition to fostering peace, equality, wellbeing, and a compassionate co-existence amongst all living things.

At the core of any understanding of social welfare is that when people have what they need, there is more stability and less need for police states, prisons, and foreign aid and large-scale, institutionalized social welfare programs.   When we work together to replace scarcity with abundance, we begin to heal human actions such as fear, hording, and paranoia, and replace them with sharing, love, and harmony.   One of the most socially and politically important —and simplest—things we can do is to share.  Surely, there will always be something each of us has stored away that is unused, extra, or unnecessary, whether something from a home garden, specialized knowledge, or volunteer time.  Communities become more interrelated and strengthened when we share our excess goods, services, knowledge, and experiences with other members of our communities.

Throughout time, countless pioneers, teachers, leaders, and experts have freely and openly shared an imponderable amount of knowledge and experience based on what they have learned.  We believe we owe them everything; their gifts to us make it increasingly easier for more people to take up an environmental, humanitarian, or charitable calls to action.  To overcome the apathetic, cynical, and jaded attitudes that have become all too commonplace in modern society, primarily comes down to choice.  Each of us has a chance to live in whatever way we dream up in this short life we have on earth, with whatever dedication and passion we choose.  We are all aware that we are at a critical point in our history and that humans have caused—and continue to cause—incredible destruction to our natural environment and to one another.  If it mattered enough to us, we could each examine the totality of our negative and positive contributions to this lifetime and decide to make a few changes for the better. Surely we could all make a few changes or share more of something each of us has to contribute with others in need!  In whatever way you are willing and capable, organize your family, friends, and strangers together to dream up and work on projects that contribute to a world where everyone is treated with dignity and love, and has equal rights and fair access to a flourishing natural and built environment, education, clean water and nutritious, untainted food, enjoyable employment, and freedom of expression.