Who is an Environmentalist: II

Who is an Environmentalist: II

Hello dear reader,

In my last post, An Environmentalist:  In this Global Pandemic?, I set the pace for us to discuss who an environmentalist really is. Think about it really. When you think of an environmentalist, what comes to your mind?

Him or her?

But I'm not trying to change that perception, because I'm sure you will agree with me that it's definitely more than what they look like on the outside.

Michael H. Higuera in his article, "What does it mean to be an environmentalistl?" writes, "Environmentalism is commonly thought of as a social movement. Social movements consist of a group of people with a common ideology who try together to achieve certain goals."

Emily Barber in her post 'What does environmentalism really mean?, says, "People often hear the word “environmentalist” and associate it with words like “tree-hugger,” “vegan,” “greenie,” “zero-waste,” “recycle,” etc. I too am guilty of impulsive word association, but does being an environmentalist mean that I have to be a “tree-hugger” or a vegan?"

Image: Pinterest

Maybe? I think the girl in the picture above is pretty comfortable being a tree hugger. But there has to be more, a whole  lot more. Think technology right now. It's disrupting systems like transportation with artificial intelligence and blockchain in  Uber or driver-less cars. It's disrupting how we think of shopping with Amazon. It's disrupting how we think of money, with bitcoins and cryptocurrencies. And then you wonder, 'Is it disrupting environmental conservation in the same way?' as Jane McDonald, managing director of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) put it. Not as much, but yes, it is.

Image: Pinterest

Let me give you a scenario. In Owei Lakemfa's "If we run out of water," on Vanguard news, he reveals that CAPE  TOWN, South Africa, one of the  preferred  destinations of the tourist with a population of 3.7 million people, is running out of water. Running out of water? How can a place run out water? Have you ever seen lakes, streams or even rivers with all sorts of rubbish in them, like plastic or oil spill or even clothes? Does it add up? No? The earth is made up of about 70 percent of water. 70! So, does it make sense that we are running out of water? Well yes, because, despite the abundance of water, fresh water makes up only 3 percent, even at that, only 1 percent is available. 

Owei says and I quote "We are like a man adrift in the ocean; despite the  abundance of water around him and as far as the eyes can see, he has no water to drink because he is in saline waters whereas what he needs is fresh water."
Imagine a situation where pools are closed down, or the amount of water you use to bathe or eat is rationed. Imagine a situation where you can't use water as you please because the government has to be cautious so we don't completely lack water. Well, that's the situation in Cape Town and so many other places across the globe. 
I'm not trying to instill fear, quite the opposite actually. Because today, we have people who have tasked themselves to create technology that cleans up oil spills in polluted water. There are apps that you can download to know a dog's species or a bird's species. Maybe there is some sort of technology that has been devised to detect plastic in water, and fish it out for recycling, I don't know.


But there are competitions you can be a part of. Does tech psyche you? You can come up with innovative solutions to create a sustainable world. Does tech not psyche you? You can use your skill-set, whatever it is to do something so we wouldn't live in a world where we're not free to do what we want.

Image: Pinterest

Now, that's who an environmentalist is. Someone, who no matter his race or gender, career or hobby, is concerned about the environment and advocates for it by doing little and then more with his skillset and talents for the environment.

Get recruited in the sustainable world today, there is plenty of space for you.

Image: Pinterest

Join me again next week in my new series "How to create a sustainable world with technology and more."

Writer:
Bibitayo Omidiora