When the Environment is at Stake, Conservation Doesn’t Have a Political Party
09/28/2012
One of two captive bald eagles at the Salato Wildlife Education Center in Frankfort, KY. Photo: Pen Waggener / CC BY 2.0
This year’s presidential campaigns are noticeably bereft of serious environmental discussion (see "The Big Crackup"). Instead of pushing green issues, the candidates have chosen to focus on other topics, such as the economy. If it were a typical campaign season, however, Americans might have expected the Democratic candidate to be championing eco-causes.
“It’s become polarized in a way that it’s become a left/right thing,” says David Jenkins, vice-president of ConservAmerica, a Republican environmental organization that has supported land and water conservation and clean energy investment while emphasizing the importance of the history of conservation. “But this is a recent phenomenon. If you look back in history, you can see that conservatives are responsible for many of the conservation accomplishments.”
For instance, Theodore Roosevelt (a Republican president, though he did harbor some modern-day Democratic notions) protected vast swaths of land for public use, creating our first national parks. An avid hunter and fisherman, Roosevelt believed in the sustainable use of resources while preserving them for future generations. “I do not intend that our natural resources should be exploited by the few against the interests of the many,” said Roosevelt in his acceptance speech during the 1912 Bull Moose convention.
Other Republican presidents ranging from Calvin Coolidge, who spoke against waste of natural resources, to Ronald Reagan, who signed 43 wilderness bills into law, made conservation part of their mission during their White House tenure.
The environmental movement may have gotten a kickstart with Theodore Roosevelt (at least where presidents are concerned), but Democrats also played their parts. Presidents such as Jimmy Carter, who oversaw the Soil and Water Conservation Act and the Endangered American Wilderness Act, and John F. Kennedy, who helped lay the groundwork for the establishment of the EPA and modern environmental protection laws, were crucial in environmental protection.
Recognizing that both Democrats and Republicans share a pro-environment heritage, the National Audubon Society is partnering with ConservAmerica in an effort to create more environmental awareness and to emphasize the concept that conservation transcends party lines.
“Because Conservation Doesn’t Have a Party,” as the campaign is called, will attempt to highlight issues that everyone should be concerned about—from U.S. energy policy to the Endangered Species Act—through a website, which includes a blog. It will also encourage the public to get in touch with their local government officials and to sign the American Eagle Compact, an online document that highlights a common vision of stewardship and conservation of natural resources. Following through with that vision is vital not just now, but for future generations, according to Rob Sisson, president of ConservAmerica.
“In too many states when land decisions are made, the people who turn out to talk to legislators are the people at the extremes,” says David Yarnold, president of the National Audubon Society. “Enlisting people who can be advocates for conservation and not just for their parties will be a huge step forward.”
Comments
Very good initiative that
Very good initiative that Okotoks has taken on its future, setting growth targets linked to the development of infrastructure. Bringing a better quality of life for all.
This is an example that states and countries should have in their governments, and follow to the letter, the world muuito lost time with good projects that end up not being realized, it is a shame!
Rachel Carson's Way?
Locating “a road less traveled by”.... a path Rachel Carson would likely have recommended to one and all. At least we have one example on the planet where “the superhighway” was at least momentarily abandoned. Does anyone know of other similarly organized communities with economic constraints and population caps?
http://www.okotoks.ca/default.aspx?cid=46
Sustainable Okotoks - The Legacy
“Not far from my hometown of Calgary, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, there is a beautiful little town called Okotoks. About 10 years ago, the folks there decided they were going to live within their local environmental means. Today Okotoks can fairly call itself the greenest community in Canada”.....Prime Minister Stephen Harper
In 1998, Okotoks made a decision about its future, becoming one of the first municipalities in the world to establish growth targets linked to infrastructure development and environmental carrying capacity when it adopted a Municipal Development Plan - ‘The Legacy Plan’. In 1998, the town faced an intersection in its evolution. Dependant on the Sheep River for its water and its ability to treat and dispose of effluent, Okotoks could choose to continually “grow without limits” and align with regional development and access to regional infrastructure, or take the “road less traveled” and intentionally choose to live within the carrying capacity of the local environment.
Informed by extensive public consultation, the high cost (a regional pipeline) of exceeding carrying capacity, and a preservation of a small town atmosphere value system expressed in a community survey, a community driven vision was created that chose to respond to rather than manipulate the environment to sustain our standard of living. A population cap at the licensed limits of the Sheep River aquifer (approx. 30,000) became a key feature of Okotoks’ development path. A build-out municipal boundary for 30,000 people was established. Sustainable Okotoks rests on four pillars that guide and shape a comprehensive and holistic approach to sustainable development:
1. Environmental Stewardship
2. Economic Opportunity
3. Social Conscience
4. Fiscal Responsibility
The pillars work together to nurture what Okotokians have expressed desire for - a town that is safe and secure, maintains small town atmosphere, preserves and protects a pristine river valley, provides housing choices, employment opportunities and quality schooling, and caters to all ages and cultures.
A comprehensive set of targets and initiatives were defined to ensure that our build-out population would be reached in an environmentally, economically, socially, and fiscally responsible way. Since 1998, more than 100 sustainability initiatives have been undertaken.
The road Okotoks chose to travel was pragmatic, unique, and daring – and about much more than just a population cap. Today, whether it’s a more balanced tax base, broader housing choice, a composting sewage treatment plant, a reduction in water use, or the Drake Landing Solar Community, we can all be proud of our collective accomplishment: becoming ‘better’ not just ‘bigger’. Along the way, be it through several awards, acknowledgment by the Prime Minister, or the featuring of our community on CBC National, the sustainability torch we have carried with ambition and purpose has become a guidepost for others to follow.