What is Eco Activism in the 21st century?
Eco-Activism in the 21st century is not gluing ones hand to the sidewalk. We did that. It’s not protesting, marching, and worse, burning barricades. Its not that either. I did that, you did that, we all did that. We did that from the 60’s forward, and what did it accomplish? Don’t get me wrong, my art career is a strong testament to how much I care about the environment, and I know a lot of hard working Eco-Warriors that have fought major battles. But times have changed, our methods from the 20th century may not work anymore, and we need to adapt.
We need to ask ourselves if the methods of yesterday will work today, or even tomorrow. We need to realize that in light of a climate crisis, people are having an existential crisis in their day to day lives. This demands our attention and thought.
We know about capitalisms, consumerism, and past political movements it is the long march that wins the battle. Being aggressive has its place, but we know that being sustainable is the true path to a brighter future. In fact, we know that the only reason its not talked about is because true activism, or real sustainable living, makes no profit for a capitalists’ economy therefore, it has no place in our conversation. That is because our conversations are stuck in the 20th century!!!
What is Today?
If we know, ultimately, that consumerism is actually to blame for our climate crisis, 70% of GDP, then we know we have to consume less. We also know, that GDP doesn’t account for the things we can do ourselves for ourselves. If we choose to join a gym, then that money can be tracked, it creates jobs, pays rent, buys equipment. However, if we choose to run in the woods on our own, the only thing that can be tracked in the conventional economy is how many shoes we buy. We don’t need a yoga studio membership to do yoga, it was taught originally for all to do at home on their own, the yoga studio is contributing to a job, an economy. we can just as easily do it at home for ourselves. What if the resistance to a truly sustainable economy is the persistent belief in perpetual growth? what if, we get rid of the insane notion that resources aren’t finite, and instead accept them for what they are?
finite.
and, more importantly, what if we start tracking the things that we can do for ourselves by ourselves, that GDP hasn’t counted at all for over a 100 years. what if the new paradigm is in fact quite simple, take care of your own, you community, your earth, yourselves, and do this caretaking together, as a community, what if, this is the way forward?
What if, Richard Long was right all along, what if taking a walk is the best thing we can do?
what if, Agnes Denes, was the unsung hero, and we do with our public spaces is so very important? http://www.agnesdenesstudio.com/works7.html
Why doesn’t sustainability sell?
Its not sexy.
the climate crisis is a gift. It has given us the opportunity to merge Eco-Activism and Sustainable Economics. We know our limitations, the earth is finite, we know as humans we need purpose. We merge the two and we have it.
Conventional economics gave us the a false purpose, or a false goal, be stronger, faster, and richer. Perpetual growth. Be more that you are. Buy more to be more. These are lies. 8 billion people can’t choose that as their goal on one planet, even 2 billion can’t. The reason why we are all in psychological crisis, is because we are trying to make our 2o century purpose work in a 21st century context. The solution is to work less, buy less, be more creative, share in community, grow things, and as Richard Long might say, walk more.
That is what Eco-Activism looks like.
