Maniates says that the time for easy is over, and I couldn't agree more

Professor Maniates illustrates the mainstream environmental movement as glorifying the easiest and most cost-effective individual actions in his article in the Washington Post. He challenges this movement by asserting that “never has so little been asked of so many at such a critical moment,” and that “the time for easy is over”. Maniates’ argument is one that I often reflect on myself. Why is it that environmental groups such as the EPA, and environmental spokesmen like Al Gore seem to have so little faith in the US community that they speak to lessen our collective responsibility? On one level I understand their frustration. It is no simple task to motivate an entire society to alter their lives in a drastic way, but as Maniates points out, “Franklin Roosevelt didn't mobilize the country's energies by listing 10 easy ways to oppose fascism”.

Of course changing the fundamentals of our society’s systems is going to be challenging, if it weren’t, then we would probably already be greener than green, and isn’t our planet worth it? I think that one of the primary keys to jump-starting a collective sense of responsibility is education. Our leaders and icons have a responsibility to the community to motivate, inspire, and unite. It is time that they use their influence to encourage change on a grander scale. For example, instead of Jay Z coming on stage at an environmentalist benefit concert and solely singing the praises of recycling and using scrap paper, he should encourage his fans to write letters to their congressmen, provide information on resources available to get more involved, and influence people to take “this whole environment thing” a bit more seriously. I appreciate the way Maniates concludes his article. We are grown-ups, and it is about time to dig our heads out of the sand and prove that we deserve to live on this planet.