The bambino of remembrance

A pep talk for individual eco-action

Last week one of my readers commented that she often feels her eco-actions don’t make any difference. I’m sure many of us feel this dejection from time to time. I know I do and it can make activism feel burdensome. It can be hard to shake off these eco-blues when we hear about the grand scale of our problems. I can get dejected that our government isn’t doing enough, or worse yet, having negative impacts. My voice to change our laws and policy is so small. And likewise, the dollars I spend on day to day living feel tiny compared to the might of Big Ag, Big Pharma or Big Oil.

I was already shaping this article, when I had a serendipitous reminder of the deep seated reason I am a dedicated environmental activist. This was lucky because it hadn’t occurred to me to write about this motivation. Which is odd because it is hugely important to me and when I do think about it, I’m always inspired and happy to plod away with my little acts of eco-consciousness. So much for the odd quirks of the human mind. Allow me to explain.

A little over a year ago we had a geothermal heating and cooling system installed. This ruined a big patch of lawn. Instead of trying to replace the lawn, I raked the area over and sprinkled wildflower seeds on the bare earth with the hope of inviting more butterflies and other pollinators into the garden. One year on and it is a truly delightful part of the garden. The march of the flowers would have been enough to justify the transformation, but last Friday morning I spotted a tiny fawn nestled down in the meadow. Momma deer park their fawns somewhere and go off and feed, returning to feed their babies.

I spotted the fawn when I was checking what was in bloom in my wildflower meadow, as I do every morning. The dogs had walked passed it many times, and luckily never spotted it. It is the perfect spot, the baby is tucked down in tall wildflowers and is very hard to see. There is shade for most of the day and the garden is relatively free from foxes and other predators as our dogs keep them at bay. I suspect the fawn was born there for it grew a remarkable amount over the next few days. By creating a native habit for pollinators, I’d inadvertently provided a birthing suite and nursery for a deer and her bambino. Momma would never have left her fawn on a turf lawn.

The story of the fawn is emblematic of the main reason I am an eco-activist. I’m driven by the desire to live in harmony with other life and to prevent the suffering of individual animals when I can. It is the reason why I rejected eating mammals some 35 years ago. The health benefits weren’t on my radar at that time and I didn’t understand the environmentally positive impacts of vegetarianism. I just couldn’t stand to think of calves separated from their mothers or animals awaiting their slaughter while being subjected to the sounds of other animals giving their death cry, among other atrocities of livestock farming. By not eating meat, I know I am reducing the number of animals raised, suffering, and slaughtered in captivity. My activism stems from the same desire to reduce the suffering of individuals.

There are many other reasons to be an eco-advocate and one of them may resonate with you more. One is that individual actions are at the center of how society changes. Our actions send out ripples, far and wide, to industry, the government and society. Our choices either support the status quo, or they support a change. One example of how concerted individual action instigated change was when many people boycotted tuna caught with gill nets. The industry responded and dolphin deaths due to gill net fishing dropped from more than 80,000 a year to less than 2000 a year. An example of the potency of aligned individual actions in the political arena is when Americans spoke up about the impacts of pollution on air and water quality. President Nixon responded via an executive order to establish the profoundly successful Environmental Protection Agency which has dramatically improved our air and water quality. Our individual actions also shape societal norms, be it in whether or not we have turf grass or a native garden, whether we drive a car or ride a bike. Every choice we make sends out signals to a variety of sectors and we will probably never understand their full impact. We’d do well to remember the famous quote of Margaret Mead ““Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” Without people thinking and struggling to live in harmony with nature, our society never will.

A further motivation for eco-conscious living, in addition to enacting positive change and protecting individuals, is that acting in an eco-conscious way is a moral imperative. For me, the moral imperative stems from my belief that other species and other individuals have a right to life. It is perhaps the greatest sadness of our time that humanity is driving the sixth mass extinction and wiping out huge populations of wild animals. And we are not causing this havoc for our survival, nor even our children’s. But rather, our environmentally-destroying-actions are in large part driven by luxury items and over indulgence. I don’t see how this can be seen as anything but wrong. But there are those who don’t agree with this conclusion. To those folks I say there is another reason why protecting nature is a moral imperative. We are morally accountable for the impacts of our choices on the less wealthy today and to all of humanity tomorrow. Given the disproportionate impact of COVID on the poor, we all presumably understand that the poor suffer far more than the wealthy from stresses, be they from pandemics, economic or natural disasters, or environmental degradation. Protecting the environment is therefore a matter of social justice, intergenerational justice, and interspecies justice.

It isn’t only outward looking impacts that can motivate eco-conscious choices, we can also get an emotional boost from living in accordance with our values. Much like cleaning our house or exercising, it feels good to get our consumeristic house in order and to work to protect nature. Furthermore, when we engage with sustainability, we find out about all the good work that is being done. We learn about eco-successes and bright ideas for solving our problems, like the potential of hydrogen fuel.

Whatever our motivation for protecting nature, it is important to acknowledge that every action we take has an impact. We may not see that impact, or ever know about it, but the impacts are there. True, our individual actions probably won’t change the world, but our actions will change small pockets of the world. I was lucky enough to be mentored by the brilliant and kind Steve Schneider - a ground breaking climate change researcher and activist. He always pointed out that the result of the fight to save the natural world is not a zero or a one game. We are not likely to wipe out all wildlife, nor are we likely to reconstruct Eden. But be assured, the little pocket of wilderness which you help protect makes a tremendous difference to the animals that live there or travel through as well as making a difference to the people who rely on its services.