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The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

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Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor, send us an op-ed pitch or check out our open positions for the chance to be published by the Daily Utah Chronicle.
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What is environmentalism? (Frost)

What is environmentalism? I have always understood it as the attempt to protect and improve a human’s living environment.

Yeah, there are probably environmentalists with SUVs.

In every group of people, there’s a spectrum with lunatics at one end and people who can’t handle anything more advanced than a sippy cup at the other. There are anti-environmentalists who believe if you aren’t careful, there are herbivorous deer who will eat your young.

Naturally there are poseurs in the environmental movement and if you want to take issue with them, go ahead. But to base that issue on the assumption that every hippie actually understands environmentalism is assuming too much.

Environmentalism is all about understanding the symbiotic relationship the human race has with the Earth.

If you want to increase emissions in the name of industry and the economy, fine. But you had better understand that an increase in cancer victims could be a direct corollary to that action.

Land is not a “resource;” it’s just land that was there before you got there and will still be there after you leave regardless of what state you leave it in.

You can use it and abuse it if you want. Or, you can show some responsibility and behave like an ethical human being.

Environmentalists generally aren’t against chopping down any trees. I’ve yet to see environmentalists chain themselves to a grove of scrub oak. All they ask is that what can’t be replaced is left alone, and what can be is replanted. Of course, if we plant too many trees, they might attack and take over…but that’s best left to the Department of Homeland Security.

Naturally, mistakes have been made in the fight to conserve our planet. But does that mean it’s wrong to try?

Abraham Lincoln once said, “He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help.” Mistakes always are made. If you want to fix problems, then you’d better be prepared to get your hands dirty.

Environmentalists believe we must care for the Earth. Indigenous people and anyone who has ever made a living off the land understand this. You can’t bite the hand that feeds you-you’ll get smacked upside the head before long.

Another strongly held belief of environmentalists is that we ought to leave behind something better for our children. But then again, we’re already leaving them billions of dollars in national debt. Why not throw polluted skies and decimated forests on top of the list? We can do whatever we want right now, and they can use their super technology of the future and solve everything! Good plan.

Despite some lunatics, most environmentalists just want balance. They want to make sure that we’re taking care of our surroundings.

Giving free reign to those who obviously couldn’t care less is never a good idea. Letting politicians and bureaucrats dictate environmental policy is like giving your checkbook to a chronic gambler and opening your medicine cabinet to a drug addict. It might turn out OK, but I still don’t trust them.

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