What have you done as an Environmentalist?

Emecho Ted 

The world today is vastly different from what it was before urbanization and industrialization took its toll on the world. Since the turn of the new millennium the issue of the environment has suddenly evolved into a widespread issue which is greatly discussed throughout the world. No longer are humans living in a world where the environment is serene or stable but rather it’s becoming unrecognizable and diminishing before our eyes. The plants, trees and animals are life forms which God has created for us to enjoy  but it is now solely up to us and many other organizations to protect preserve and respect how fragile our environment really is.

When I decided to change my life by entering the environmental field, I
didn't have a clue about what I could do, how to do it, or where to go to make my way. At the time, though, I didn't care much about "how," so I stumbled my way through with  the works  of famous environmentalists in mind.  

You would agree with me that Leaders across the globe are speaking for a better environment, still nothing  has being done.  

Are you not afraid that our individual and societal behaviors that impinge negatively on the environment puts all of us at risk unimaginably?

It should not always be about the failures of our government when it comes to solving societal problems. I strongly believe that 

"When we think about our contributions in degrading the environment, we would realize our responsibilities in solving it".

We are responsible for what happens in our environment because it is our home and without it we would have no place to get clean air, good water and food. Without taking care of our environment, we would have to suffer adverse effects including: population health issues, eroded soil, dirty water, etc. As citizens of the world, each of us is responsible for the health of our planet. Many people fail to see the bridge between the environment and the economy. Our choices and our actions contribute to the well being or deterioration of the environment. Yet, it’s the only one we have. If we don’t care for the environment, who will?

 John Muir (April 21, 1838 to December 24, 1914,)

It is rare to find an environmentalist (someone that helps to protect the environment from destruction or pollution. He or she places high values on the environment).  In time passed majority of our population didn’t care about, or see the point of protecting the natural world. Over time this opinion changed, and now it is rather common to find inspirational and famous environmentalists who had, or are shaping our views and policies on environment.

No list of famous environmentalists would be complete without mentioning John Muir. He was an outspoken advocate for the preservation of wilderness, particularly in the western states. His writings and campaigns are credited to preserving Yosemite Valley and Sequoia National Park along with being a key factor for preservation efforts elsewhere in the western states. His work greatly influenced people such as Theodore Roosevelt, as well as many future environmentalists.

Theodore Roosevelt  (October 27, 1858 to January 6, 1919)

Theodore Roosevelt ,beyond being the 26^th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt was one of the early champions for the environment. He believed protecting the environment was essential to the health and future of the country. Through his efforts, he managed to protect around 230 million acres of national land, as well as establishing the National Park Service and passing the Antiquities Act, which created many national monuments.

Not many people think environmental issues have much to do with peace, but they are often closely related.

Wangari Matathai 

Wangari Matathai was the first environmentalist to be awarded the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for her program the Green Belt Movement which is based in Kenya. The program was created to address soil erosion, deforestation and water scarcity, but it has had the secondary effects of empowering women and promoting peace.


I am not the only black person showing concern for the environment. Wangari Matathai is a black woman, she did. There are many black people doing the same .

Ken Saro- WiwaOctober 1941 to 10 November 1995

This is Ken Saro- Wiwa, a Nigerian just as I am. He is a Nigerian writer, television producer, environmental activist, and winner of the Right Livelihood Award and the Goldman Environmental Prize. Saro-Wiwa was a member of the Ogoni people, an ethnic minority in Nigeria whose homeland, Ogoniland, in the Niger Delta has been targeted for crude oil extraction since the 1950s and which has suffered extreme environmental damage from decades of indiscriminate petroleum waste dumping. Initially as spokesperson, and then as president, of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Saro-Wiwa led a nonviolent campaign against environmental degradation of the land and waters of Ogoniland by the operations of the multinational petroleum industry, especially the Royal Dutch Shell company. He was also an outspoken critic of the Nigerian government, which he viewed as reluctant to enforce environmental regulations on the foreign petroleum companies operating in the area. At the peak of his non-violent campaign, he was tried by a special military tribunal for allegedly masterminding the gruesome murder of Ogoni chiefs at a pro-government meeting, and hanged in 1995 by the military dictatorship of General Sani Abacha. His execution provoked international outrage and resulted in Nigeria's suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations for over three years.

There are so many environmentalist  I would love to mention. 
Steve Irwin  was affectionately known as the Crocodile He created increased awareness and understanding for many of nature’s lesser lovable looking creatures. His widely popular television program and his work at what is now known as the Australia Zoo promoted conservation of animals and habitat. His sudden death shocked the world, but his environmental vision has been continued by his family and friends.

Marjorie Richard 

Marjorie Richard is the first African-American to win the Goldman Environmental Prize.  Growing up in a historically African-American neighborhood in Norco, Louisiana, Richard was painfully aware of the devastating health problems her community faced as a result of the Shell refinery next door.  According to Richard, the defining moment which convinced her to become an activist occurred in 1973 when a Shell pipeline exploded, knocking one house off its foundation and killing an elderly woman and a teenage boy who was mowing the lawn. Years later, she led the front line of a long, hard-won battle to hold Shell accountable. A master of political theater, Richard installed a Web camera in her trailer home to broadcast live feeds of the refinery spewing petrochemical byproducts. While speaking at an international environmental conference, Richard approached Shell officials and invited them to take a sniff from a bag of Norco air. 

The list continues.

I would be lying saying I don’t have worries about the future. Of all the dramatic environmental consequences of our delayed reactions, apathetic responses, and global indifference, we can no longer say “well, at least it won’t happen in my lifetime.” That deadline is drawing nearer; within the next half-century, the known gasoline/crude reserves will be past the point of economic viability, water supplies round the world will dwindle into regional conflicts and territorial disputes, and the relative climate stability we’ve grown accustomed to will be all but a thing of the past. This is not a hare-brained conspiracy or devious liberal subversion plot; these are simple, logical predictions that follow pre-existing patterns we’re seeing now. 

For too long now, we have let the supposed hidden agendas of distinguished scientists become the areas of dispute, rather than their researched claims. We’ve let pundits and politicians and spokespeople announce that what we are seeing is merely a typical cycle the planet goes through, that there is no cause for concern and that those who say otherwise are doing so for political gain. For too long, we’ve let the argument be twisted and distorted, from “what should we do to prevent these catastrophes?” But we can’t afford to argue these false points any longer; they serve only to remove accountability and to enable the global populace to continue living in irresponsible excess without a care to who will eventually foot the bill.

 Well, unfortunately, I will. My friends will. We all will. Our generation will bear the brunt of a world polluted. We will see former tropical rain forests turned into barren landscapes, watch as the global marine ecology diminish in both size and diversity, and watch as species round the world are pushed nearer to extermination  at unprecedented rates.

Environmental  issue is not one of political affiliation, nor of race or ethnic background or age or economic status or sexual orientation or any other of a million labels we’ve been divided into. More than ever, now is not the time for division, now is the time for unity. Now is the time for the cacophony of noise emanating from concerned citizens around the globe to join into one single voice which calls out in demand for change.

Our natural environment becomes unbalanced and unsustainable when it is polluted and stripped of its natural resources by over-consumption. Our lives are at stake as we find our health being affected by environmental toxins in the air, water, and foods we consume. Our earth is a fragile place with limited resources. The growing threat of climatic changes means everyone from individuals to businesses must reassess their environmental impact and daily choices.

‘When we as individuals understand the true value of where we call home, then we can harness its maximum potential.’

What have you done to show you care about the environment and contributed to its health and longevity?

I’m just an ordinary man hoping that somehow being here today and writing can somehow make tomorrow a better place for us and our generation. But it will take more than hope to right the situation we have found ourselves in. The pressure on environment continues to increase. Habitat loss and degradation from agriculture and infrastructure development, over exploitation, pollution and invasive alien species, ozone depletion, etc remain the predominant threats,"
 I know we are all part of a family that shares the same air, water and soil, etc. I know we are all in this together and should act as one single world towards a single goal”