Environmentalists Need To Get On Message

I am really excited about the launch of Project Energy Code. The first report by Dr. Trench really got me thinking about the growing tension between consumers and the tactics/ messaging used by mainstream environmental groups.

My personal impression is that “environmentalism” has been captured by environmental groups pursuing a legalistic, political approach that is all about numbers. That’s needed, to be sure. But it is far removed from the values and human side of things, however messy that is.

My colleague, Andrea, likes to point that in this country (he is Italian) consumption equals well-being and self-worth, much more so than the rest of the world. Thus, there is a growing disconnect between what most Americans expect and can relate to around the environment and their own lifestyles, and what many environmentalists deliver: legal cases, politics and metrics. This is helping to produce a green gap between the environmental movement and what it will truly take to move people to change their behavior. Plus, relying on the legal/ political side, I don’t think it will get us where we need to be fast enough or far enough, thereby deflating the environmentalists own stated intentions.

The environmental movement seems to be off message. The “We Can Do It” campaign is a good example of a messaging platform looking for an audience.

I am personally getting more interested in messaging, communications and organization around: faith, legacy/ future and simplicity. As someone on the radio said this week, consumption is an addiction. Simplifying (shedding) your lifestyle could be liberating and rewarding, not only for the environment but as a personal identity statement. There is a whole movement coming out of California with that at its core.

In Silent Spring, Rachel Carson emphasized the personal and spiritual along with facts. Greens would be wise to return to her message.

Jamie