I’m sure many of you were like me 6 years ago or so: I can’t be an environmentalist, I don’t have a degree, I’m not an expert, and I don’t know much about climate change. Do I have a place in this movement?

Yes!

I’m here today to break some stereotypes about environmentalism and activism to prove that ANYONE can be an environmentalist and an activist. In fact, we NEED more people in these groups to fight for our planet. Whether you end up getting a degree and working in the climate space or you just engage online, you all belong here.

First, What is an environmentalist?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, an environmentalist is “a person who is concerned with or advocates the protection of the environment.”

Truly, that’s all it takes!

Though broadly speaking, environmentalism can also be a movement, not just an act one person takes. The real definition from the Oxford Dictionary is “concern about and action aimed at protecting the environment.” You can see it’s basically the same thing as an individual environmentalist.

But, we don’t stop there! Environmentalism can also be viewed as a political stance or a movement. Here is a bit of a deep dive from Wikipedia:

“Environmentalism advocates the preservation, restoration, and improvement of the natural environment and critical earth system elements or processes such as the climate, and may be referred to as a movement to control pollution or protect plant and animal diversity. For this reason, concepts such as a land ethics, environmental ethics, biodiversity, ecology, and the biophilia hypothesis figure predominantly. At its crux, environmentalism is an attempt to balance relations between humans and the various natural systems on which they depend in such a way that all the components are accorded a proper degree of sustainability.”

Personally, I think we can use many terms to describe the same thing: environmentalism, zero waste, low waste, eco-living, sustainability, and more. Yes, they all vary ever-so-slightly, but broadly, these are all the same thing with roots in the same place.

What is an activist?

Woah, that’s a scary term! I’m sure many of you resonate with that. You probably have never thought to call yourself an activist. Perhaps you don’t take to the streets or don’t have a social platform or don’t know much about politics so you think you don’t fall under this umbrella. But, the definition of an activist is simple according to the Oxford Dictionary: “a person who campaigns to bring about political or social change.” That’s it!

So, if you campaign for social change by sharing an infographic, you’re an activist. If you campaign for environmental policy change by voting, you’re an activist. It’s much simpler than we originally think and encompasses SO much. Yes, people who organize and attend rallies and go to marches are activists, but you can be an activist at home, online, at school, and in other places in smaller scales.

Every level of activism is important and needed. Yes, we need people protesting, but we also need people having conversations 1-on-1 with their friends and family advocating for change. Both are forms of activism and so is everything in the middle.

Now, the definition of activism can be a bit more strict according to the Oxford and Merriam-Webster dictionaries. They both say something along the lines of “the policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change.” This makes sense, but it’s the “vigorous campaigning” that feels a little narrow for me. This is what I thought activism was years ago which is why I never categorized myself as such. I don’t vigorously campaign, there’s not way I’m an activist!

But, I personally like the definition from the Cambridge Dictionary: “the use of direct and public methods to try to bring about esp. social and political changes that you and others want.” I like that is implies that talking face-to-face with one person or speaking in front of 1000s at a rally. Both are forms of activism and so is everything in between.

What do these terms mean to me?

I shall put them in even simpler, more inclusive terms. To me, an environmentalist closely resembles what the Oxford Dictionary says; it’s someone who simply cares about the planet. You do not have to have a degree, you do not have to work in the field, you do not have to have a following, you don’t even have to talk to anyone about your beliefs ever! If in your heart you care about the planet, you’re an environmentalist. Whether you can be a perfect zero-waster or you can’t help but produce some waste, you’re an environmentalist.

Now, I do think it makes sense to live in alignment with this belief as much as possible. What I mean is, I would be quite angry if someone like Taylor Swift of the Kardashians claimed to be an environmentalist. If you own a private jet and use it to fly within the same city and overconsume and push overconsumption on your followers, you don’t care about the planet. You are hypocritical.

Of course, this is an extreme. I still think there are everyday people who I see posting on Earth Day only about how much they love the planet but don’t do a single thing in their life that reflects those beliefs. Yes, the definition is simply just caring, I know, but I do think you have to actually live according to those beliefs personally. Maybe that’s a hot take.

Now I know not everyone CAN live their life accordingly. Perhaps you live somewhere where you don’t have access to recycling or composting or a bulk store. Are you still an environmentalist? Yes! Do you care about the planet? Can you make other changes in your life that live according to that definition? If you answer yes to both of those, welcome to the club!

When I first slapped that environmentalist label on myself, I lived in Okinawa, Japan. The only mainstream eco-thing I did was recycle. I didn’t have composting, I didn’t drive (nor do I now) an EV, and I didn’t have a zero waste store. But, there are SO many small ways to live in accordance with your beliefs such as simply using a reusable water bottle, turning off the lights on a sunny day, picking up trash, and more! That’s where my zero waste on a budget series was born. I knew that not everyone could do the big eco things and that’s okay. You can still be an environmentalist/zero waster.

Perhaps I’m overlapping environmentalism and zero waste too much, but I think they go hand-in-hand. Environmentalism is your belief and zero waste are the actions you take to mirror those beliefs.

To me, activism is quite similar to the definitions from above, too. I think activism is advocating for political and social change. If you think you don’t care about politics, I implore you to think again. Everything is political!

But, I extend my definition a little bit in terms of action. I think boycotting wasteful brands is a form of activism. I think shopping locally is a form of activism. I think picking up litter is a form of activism. Everything we do has an impact. What we spend our money on, what we don’t spend on our money on, what conversations we’re having, what our hobbies are, and so forth. Therefore, everything we do is a chance to have a positive impact. I think that by taking my energy and money to a small and/or sustainable business as opposed to a wasteful brand like Target or Amazon is a form of activism. I am ensuring that I do not give them more money to pollute and ensuring that my time is being used for good. That IS a form of advocation for social and political change and therefore a form of activsm.

I made this video several years ago (let me know if you’d like to see an updated version) about how to be an activist from home and I stand by that. I think even the smallest things we do can have social and political connections.

Let’s get to work!

I hope that this post was educational and inspiring. You are an environmentalist if you care. You can be an activist without having to go to rallies and start a social media channel. We need everyone in all walks of life in all social spaces to have these conversations.

We wouldn’t get very far as a movement if only the environmental scientists talked about this. Our movement progresses because we have teachers and doctors and military members and cafe workers who care about the planet. The movement makes waves because of so many diverse people who are a part of it.

Thanks for being here and thank you for caring about our home. I hope you’re ready to make some change!