The Color Of A Revolution
A green wave is forming, birthed from the tremors of environmental threats both natural and man-engineered. It is a wave that shows every sign of inundating the world by the end of the next decade. With increasing concerns over issues such as global warming and resource sustainability, there is a growing resurgence of environmental activism that looks to revisit, and even exceed, the levels to which it rose most recently, in the 1970s.
The 70s brought a national awakening to the devastation being wrought by decades of environmental irresponsibility. This awakening, seeded by a growing awareness of the need for an ecological-stewardship mentality, led to numerous changes that included decreases in rampant industrial pollution and the founding of earth-conscious organizations. Among these are Greenpeace, established in 1971, and the Environmental Protection Agency, born in 1970. As well, many consider the publication of Rachel Carson’s 1962 Silent Spring as pivotal to that awakening.
While there is always debate over particular issues, and pessimistic alarmists are no more beneficial than special-interest lobbyists, the fact is that the earth needs caretakers, and those caretakers, of necessity, must be humans. According to Scripture, humans are made of the dust of the earth. Earth-friendliness, then, is no more than payback. With its wealth of natural and recreational resources, and its reputation as a national standard-setter, New Hampshire is, not surprisingly, leading the way.
New Hampshire Sustainable Energy Association, founded in 2003, is at the head of the list. NHSEA is an organization made up of homeowners, businesses, experts and others whose goal is to provide New Hampshire citizens with information and resources for becoming environmentally proactive. Through education, legislation, workshops, and sponsorship of various events, NHSEA is floating New Hampshire to the forefront of the nationwide “green” wave.
A recently launched green publication from the publishers of Heart of New Hampshire Magazine, is Going Green, subtitled, The Magazine of Green Living and Renewable Energy. In anticipation of the tsunami-like green wave coming upon us, Going Green promises to be an effectual resource for imminent and vital eco-information, featuring profiles and timeless articles of significance to both New Hampshire residents and beyond. Stepping even deeper into the wave, HONH is one of the sponsors of the Going Green Energy & Living Exposition, in conjunction with NHSEA and several other New Hampshire organizations.
The purpose of the expos is to bring to the public eye the various ways its citizens can participate in stewardship of the earth through responsible actions and sustainable consumerism. When all is said and done, no one individual can be blamed or praised for the actions of a society. A mentality of communal membership and personal responsibility is vital to lasting and effective change.
An effective way of promoting this mentality is through education, and nearly all of New Hampshire’s colleges and universities offer programs in environmental studies, from certification in Hazardous Waste Management to Masters Degrees in Environmental Science. Winner of National Wildlife Federation’s 2006 Campus Ecology Recognition award, Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, New Hampshire, offers an environmental science major on 1,000 acres of undeveloped wild lands that brings the student into intimate hands-on contact with her course of study.
Dartmouth College, the ninth oldest college in the nation, also has the distinction of having one of the country’s first environmental studies programs, instituted in 1970 in response to the era’s upsurge of enviro-consciousness. The college’s South African Foreign Study Program aids students in gaining a global comprehension of environmental issues.
Another powerful mover and student shaker is the University of New Hampshire’s Eco Quest, a five week, credited summer program of applied field studies in New Zealand. The program provides students an alternative to static, textbook learning by placing them in a dynamic environment of change and decision making, including the legislative process of creating and enacting environmental policy.
The wave of a green revolution is coming and it must, for the alternative is inaction and retreat, which will only mean environmental catastrophe. New Hampshire was the first state to declare its independence from English tyranny. Now, as then, its determination to affect change is no less than a revolution, and the color of it is green.