Frustrated by non-assertiveness

15 years ago

I participate in several organizations that advocate using native plants in naturalistic landscapes. These organizations (each) have created valuable habitat for plants and animals. However, I find myself frustrated with environmental organizations in general for several reasons:

1) Not welcoming enough to new comers. Often new people stop showing up after the first or first few times they show up. I believe the reason is that new comers are not welcomed strongly enough. When a new person comes to a church, for example, they are usually showered with welcoming messages from the congregation and made feel wanted which reduces a lot of anxiety of joining a new group and helps build solidarity. In most environmental groups I've been a part of it seems that new comers are often not sure what is going on and not really helped to incorporate into the group, there is just too much individualism in my opinion and I think it is a barrier to growth which ultimately reduces to audience and makes the message less effective.

2)A willingness to stand behind the use of naturalistic landscapes based on native plants on private land. While no one likes a holy roller, and certainly there are those, there are also so many who won't stand behind the values of these landscapes and extol their virtues even though they privately believe in this. We need people who will stand up and be heard by local governments, politicians, and everyday conversations. We need people to act on their values and merge the private beliefs with the public persona. The more often this issue comes up, the more it will start to work its way into public consciousness.

3)I'd personally like to see more hands on activities. These are highly educational, a lot of fun, and allow people to see real progress. I still drive to several locations where I planted natives years and years ago to see how the results are coming. Getting people involved in service projects is a sure fire way to help keep them remembering the cause they worked for into the distant future.