All politics, they say, are local. Certainly the only coherent politics are rooted in specific locations and situations. National agendas and international treaties sound great when they’re announced by politicians or signed at conferences, but when it comes down to stopping that sewage outfall pipe or limiting the harm caused by a harbor dredging project, it’s really up to you. Up to us.
Most of the real victories in the protection of the oceans and their shores were won by committed groups of citizens — people who decided that the interests of commerce and expediency would not ruin their treasured coasts.
Effective resistance to the powers that be requires four things: information, communication, organization and determination. The Internet can help with the first three; the fourth can only come from you.
Here are some starting points to see how other people are organizing to protect the environment.
See More Articles About the Environment
| Environmental Organizations |
- Surfrider Australia The Surfrider Foundation’s Australian branch
- The Earth Institute Columbia University’s Earth Institute monitors climate, energy and water issues around the world.
- The EPA Homepage for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Since being liberated from the yoke of the second Bush Administration, the EPA has returned to its core mission: protecting human health and the environment.
- LDEO The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory does research on oceans.
- NOAA The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has the largest network of data buoys on the planet.
- Surfrider The Surfrider Foundation was started in 1984 by a handful of surfers in Malibu, California. Twenty-five years later, the Surfrider Foundation now has over 50,000 members and 80 chapters worldwide.
- Surfers Against Sewage Britain’s answer to Surfrider; a major force in coastal issues around the Realm.
- Transportation Alternatives TA is a model for how grassroots activism can lead to major changes in policy. TA lobbies hard for bicyclist, pedestrian and subway rider rights in NYC. If you drive a car, you’re part of the problem.
- Environmental Web Directory A clearinghouse for environmental action online
- NOAA's Oceans An introduction to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s work preserving, studying and monitoring our oceans.
- WWF The World Wildlife Fund promotes biodiversity by conserving habitat
- NRDC The National Resources Defence Council protects habitat and wildlife at home and abroad.
- onearth The environmental magazine of the NRDC
- Coastal Access Explains laws governing coastal access in Maine
- 100 Places 100 Places to remember before they disappear is a global photography project
- Woods Hole The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution conducts research on the world’s oceans
- Surfers for Cetaceans Dave Rastovich’s non-profit group for the conservation of marine life
- Wildcoast An environmental org that buys up coastal land in California and Mexico
|