Regardless of your political affiliation, if you’re an outdoor enthusiast – snow or sun – I hope you also consider yourself a steward of the environment. Just like Chief Seattle said, “If you want civilization to flourish, you must think seven generations ahead.” Do you feel overwhelmed & helpless that Big Business will win and the environment will lose? Well, it’s not all doom and gloom. We have two great examples of how we as communities or environmentalists won against big business.
How environmentalists won the fight against coal
Nearly two years ago, we wrote about a film called Momenta. It focused on coal companies wanting to mine from the Powder River Basin and ship the coal via rail to the Pacific Northwest seaports. It felt like there was no way we could EVER win. Fast forward to today… Public disobedience and conversations with legislators helped stop the coal mines from being built. Those passionate about the issue banded together and made a real difference!
Jumbo Wild is a No-Go
Jumbo Wild is another great example of the local town or environmentalists won the fight against a powerful business. The idea was to build a ski resort, as large as you would see in Europe. The location was in the snowiest place in North America. That sounds logical. But, the nearby residents knew the real impact, and it would have been devastating. The epicenter was a spiritual place for the native Canadians and home to the largest grizzly bear habitat in the world. The community’s economy would ultimately suffer as well as damage their sacred land and it’s wildlife.
After a decade long fight, the opposition won! As of June 19th, 2016, the company lost it’s environmental certificate and therefore cannot proceed. Wow! Ten years of determination and never giving up is cause for celebration.
Fight locally to help globally
With the EPA’s current proposed budget reduction of at least 30 percent, it’s up to us to voice environmental concerns. It’s not about the government stopping polluters but rather us, as individuals, standing together and saying NO! As we can see from the Powder River Basin and Jumbo Wild fights, if we as a local community don’t like what’s happening, we CAN win. It’s about starting the conversation with our local representatives and using facts not emotions. For example, with the Powder River Basin operation, the coal being exported would have been run at a loss! There wasn’t even a profit to be made for polluting the world.
