News from The Wilderness Center

I've blogged about The Wilderness Center, in Wilmont, OH, before. I think I talked about their Enchanted Forest we went to around Halloween. My mom is a member and gets their newsletter online. She thought I might find this article interesting, and in fact, I found it so interesting, I'm going to repost it here. It's written by Joann Ballbech, their Education Director. If you've never had the chance to visit the Wilderness Center, it's not far from the Canton area and I'd recommend going. It's really a neat place. I always forget it's there, but I'm thinking about it now, it might be a great place to visit this spring break with my kids. It's a great way to get outside and DO something! Anyway, here's the article.

"

Hypocrites for the Environment

This month, in honor of Earth Day, I'm going to indulge in
a little environmentalism.

I care about the environment. I try to act for the environment.
To me, that's what an environmentalist is-a person
who cares about the environment and acts, in big or small
ways, to protect it. I'll bet, since you're reading this, you care
about the environment, too. You probably act to protect it.
Yet, although I think of myself as an environmentalist, I don't
read environmental books. So many of them are "preachy,"
doom-and-gloom, or both. Those approaches to the environment
(or, really, to any subject) leave me cold. They don't
inspire or empower me-they make me want to run away.
So I was delighted to find an environmental book that was
neither. I actually read it! My Green Manifesto: Down the
Charles River in Search of a New Environmentalism by David
Gessner is funny and inspiring. We interviewed Gessner for
Wild Ideas...the Podcast, in episode 147.
Gessner puts forth many ideas. I found myself thinking
"amen!" over and over again. One idea in particular was brand
new to me-environmental hypocrisy.
I know I'm not perfectly green. I drive a car and heat with
gas. I create trash, eat non-local foods, and waste electricity.
I'm not a paradigm of environmentalism and look up to many
of you who do much more than I do.
I try. I drive a higher-mileage car and keep the thermostat
down. I reuse what I can to generate very little trash, join a
CSA each summer, and replace worn-out appliances with
more energy-efficient models.
Yet, there are some things I just don't want to give up. I love
long hot showers and sit coms. (Talk about wasting electricity!)
I like having an automatic transmission. I love some
very non-local foods like oranges and tea. (That's enough.
I don't want to tell you all my environmental "sins.") And
I'm sure there are some environmental actions I've barely
considered.
Before My Green Manifesto, I really let that bother me.
How could I take a stand on anything, when things I do
cause the demand for it? I felt like a hypocrite and let my
hypocrisy handcuff me.
But of course no one's perfect. In fact, no one can be perfect.
We all, even the "greenest" among us, impact the environment
simply by existing. Even though we care for and about
the environment, we have to be hypocrites. We can't live up
to our own best intentions perfectly. We are hypocrites. We
act for the environment.
So, here's the environmental advice I'm taking to heart.
First, know that I can't be perfect. I will damage the environment.
Then do what I can to damage it less. If we all let
our environmental "sins" stop us from all action, no action
will ever be taken.
I'm convinced that every effort helps, even though every
effort made is by us, the hypocrites. We'll "talk the talk" and
do our best to walk the walk. We know we'll stumble on the
way. But, when we do, we'll still keep trying.
By: Joann Ballbach, Education Director"