An Optimistic Approach To Environmentalism

Awareness of the environment and many of the damaging effects humans are having on it is growing. This is great news. Our ability to share information and communicate through many different channels has helped spread awareness to an increasing number of people. More people are familiar with the variety of problems that we face, but are they truly engaged in the matter? If not, how do we change this?

It is, of course, vital to create awareness of the problems that the environment faces, yet arguably how we share this information has a critical impact on engagement. Globally we are facing a number of different crises; including climate change, pollution, deforestation, reduction of animal habitats, desertification, to name just a few. However, the scale of these problems, must not dissuade people or cause despair - small changes do add up to make a big difference. And, thankfully, more than ever, individuals and organizations are rising up to take on these enormous challenges. There is a lot of good news out there, that needs to be celebrated. It is essential to share the “wins” and the positive advances, as well as raising concern.

A Marketing Problem?

Increasing engagement and promoting environmentalism can be viewed as a marketing problem. By examining the process as a formula and breaking it down into steps, it could be simplified and tackled differently.

• Step one is to build awareness; simply reach more people.
• Step two is to help nurture individuals interest and engagement in environmental topics - help develop consideration and discussion.
• Step three is where we all want to be, which is to generate an action in one form or another. 

It is the second step of this process that is worth considering. Does nurturing the process with positive and optimistic news and information about how change is and can occur help individuals engage at a higher level? Does showcasing the positive have a more significant impact than illustrating the negative? To be clear, the suggestion is not to bury one’s head in the sand regarding the problems, but rather focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. Focus on selling the benefits of environmentalism, not exclusively the risks of inaction.

A Conscientious Community

To examine the problem of engagement with environmentalism in this manner may be an enormous over-simplification. However, taking a step back for a moment and questioning how to build engagement and continue to grow the community of actively aware and engaged individuals could be worthwhile. As a community of conscientious and committed individuals, enormous challenges can be met and solved.