Vote for the Environment

Growing up I never really thought much about how politics and the environment intersected. I knew that my passion for the environment was never even considered by most politicians, and that those who did “get it,” were scoffed at for being “Tree Huggers.” To me that was a badge of honor, because I have hugged more than my fair share of trees in teaching kids to use other senses than their vision.

Now that I’m older I see a connection that I was oblivious to before. It is in corporate interest to keep people distracted with fancy watches and clothing so the public doesn’t think about where those items are made, what’s done with the leftovers, the packaging and the broken item. It’s also been in their best interest to make sure that the people who vote see the pretty package, appreciate the convenience and money, and don’t want to be given a “downer,” by thinking about the consequences.

This coming election it’s crucial that we engage ourselves, neighbors and family, along with any others we can, to use the power of the vote to protect our home planet. It’s not only about having a chance to contribute. Now it’s about self-preservation. Citizens who can vote need to engage in conversations with their elected officials, explaining their concerns about the pipeline, alternative energy, food safety, and climate change. Not voting doesn’t show your frustration, or your disapproval. It just shows you don’t care. Not voting amplifies the voices of the corporations, as their purchased candidate doesn’t have to explain their stance to a face. They can continue to spout the misinformation that they hear because they have been saved from that face to face confrontation.
In the upcoming election we will hear a lot about the economy, which we’ve all been condition to consider as paramount. Being poor is not pleasant, I know, I’m basically still there. But having no air to breathe, no water to drink, is a death sentence, with no hope of climbing out of that well. Environmental justice is usually considered to be about the urban poor, dumping chemicals in low rent areas, because “those people,” of no concern to any of the corporate officials. Efforts are constantly made to lessen the voices of those people who live in these areas, so that “out of sight, out of voice means doesn’t exist.”

They do exist, and because of the concentration of wealth, the consumerism of our economy and the consolidation of our media, the numbers of “unheard,” is growing. Everyone has a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, according to our founding fathers. It doesn’t state “those who live off dividends, play at country clubs and support the arts are entitled to happiness.” But that is how our government is starting to skew.

Environmental justice is everyone’s concern. Through television and other media forms, rural areas are now being portrayed as backwater, “hinterlands,” where only un-educated, socially awkward people live. A rural suburb is fine, but a true rural area is disposable. That’s been made obvious by Kinder-Morgan’s choice in this NED pipeline route. The public comment made at an earlier meeting referring to our region is “North Korea,” is an obvious statement as to their concern for the people here.
We need to exercise our voices. We need to make sure that future elected officials firmly state that they hear our concerns and will act on them in an appropriate way. Moving the pipeline isn’t the answer. Not having the pipeline is. Our elected officials should owe their positions and power to the people who voted to put them there, not the lobbyists and corporate backers who paid for them to be there. Call your representatives, attorney general, senator, even town officials and tell them that our region is not inconsequential. Remind them that environmental justice is critical; rich isn’t more important that poor, urban is not more important than rural.

The older I get the more I see that agriculture, food and the environment are forgotten when making decisions. We let people tell us that air, water and food are not as important as jobs, and money, when reality is that jobs and money can be sourced elsewhere, but we can’t make clean air, clean water or safe food if we lose the areas that protect and produce it.

We don’t just need to get people to vote with their environment. We need to wake up the citizenry to vote, and make their opinions known to those who are elected. People need to relearn how to work together, how to protect and promote the resources we have to provide for our families. I’ve come to believe that there is a direct correlation between voter turn out and corporate domination. The more self-involved we become as a population, the richer the 1% gets, and the more our resources, both financial and natural, are lost to our control. Vote for the environment, and vote for your own self-interest!