Environmental Activism
The environment is where we all live, and in which have a mutual interest. The main aims of environmental activism are the protection and improvement of the environment by finding solutions to environmental problems. It has caused an increase in environmental awareness by informing people of the effects of human activities on the environment, and supporting education on the devastating effects of environmental degradation and climate change.
Individual activism includes conserving resources on a personal level, including: making careful use of water and electricity; planting trees and native plants; investing in solar installation for homes; ensuring that homes are well-insulated; driving electric vehicles; choosing sustainable products; and recycling and reusing non-biodegradable products.
Local activism involves organizing to oppose misuse of natural resources and proposing policies that aim to protect the environment. Activities of environmental activists include: participating in the reduced use of carbon, and mitigation of its effects on the environment; participating in the creation of conservation programs such as the National parks; supporting climate change adaptation and resilience; finding ways to rescue threatened species of endangered plants and animals; participating in habitat conservation and restoration; advocating for the reuse and recycling of non-biodegradable products, including plastics and obsolete electrical and electronic equipment; and advocating for justice to resolve environmental discrimination.
On the National level, one of many organizations devoted to environmental concerns is Environmental Action, a major non-profit environmental advocacy organization which was founded in 1970 by environmental activists at the first Earth Day. It operated until 1996, and was then reactivated in 2012 as part of the Public Interest Network, a group of non-profit organizations that includes Environment America, and the Green Corps. Environmental Action acts in partnership with the League of Conservation Voters, and helped to convince President Nixon to support the Clean Air Act of 1970, the Clean Water Act of 1972, and the Endangered Species Act of 1973.