Environmental Advocacy

ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY

by Antonio C. Antonio

August 30, 2014

What is “environmental advocacy”?

An advocacy is a structured process to gain public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or public policy.  The term “environmental advocacy” refers to a wide variety of activities, avocations and careers; that includes work in particular forms of environmental law and environmental policy, careers in mainstream environmental groups, working in coordination with other advocacy groups, or being a committed member of more radical activist groups.  The purpose and aim of environmental advocacies could be on sustainable human utilization of natural resources and preservation of the planet in general.  An advocacy is not limited to organized action; it could also be on a personal level such as blogging, writing and sharing of information through social media.

“There are no set rules, procedures nor patterns in popularizing advocacies.  Whatever works well to individual advocacies are normally followed and adopted as strategies.  The underlying consideration will be and only be the effectiveness of transferring information from one individual to another.  Towards this end, I could only recommend “The Ripple Principle.”  A “ripple effect” is a condition wherein water will form ripples and such ripples form circular waves that increase in circumference as they move outwards.  The initial catalyst of such action comes from an object being dropped in the body of water and the subsequent waves this produces grow incrementally as they move outwards.  An increase in the number of objects dropped in the body of water will cause more waves and agitation.” (Antonio, “The Ripple Principle”, http://antonantonio.blogspot.com) This article explains how an advocacy can gain ground or notice and subsequent influence to the thought processes of people… in social media, this is akin to the word “viral”.

What do environmental advocates do?

To simplify matters, allow me to mention the basic and more important ones, such as:

1.     Environmental advocates study and research on environmental matters and issues and come up with plans and programs and the necessary legislation to effect such recommended changes and strategies.  Environmental advocates lobby for the repeal of irrelevant and out-dated environmental laws, look into the possibility of harmonizing present rules and regulations, and assist in crafting new legislation that shall be responsive to the pressing environmental needs and attuned to changes of time.

2.     Environmental advocates work with media (mainstream or social) to communicate old and new environmental information to increase the level of awareness and concern for environmental matters.

3.     Environmental advocates organize events aimed at getting more support and involvement to environmental matters and concerns.

4.     Environmental advocates raise funds to pursue cost-necessary strategies to promote environmentalism.

5.     Environmental advocates internalize environmental issues and concerns in their eco-friendly way of life and relentlessly endeavour to influence others toward a pro-environment existence. Or, simply said, influence others to adopt an environmental advocacy.

Just my little thoughts…

REFERENCES: (Keywords: Environment / Environmental Advocacy / Environmentalism)

·         http://www.uwosh.edu/es/internships-jobs/jobs/career-fields/environmental-advocacy

·         http://www.law.northwestern.edu/legalclinic/environmental/

·         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmentalism

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