Heather Taylor-Miesle's Blog
Why I Do What I Do
August 16, 2007
Posted by Heather Taylor-Miesle in U.S. Law and Policy
Late last month, Grist published an article titled, Women Are From Earth, Men Are From Terra Firma by Kira Gould and Lance Hosey. Basically, this exceptional article drew the conclusion that the environmental movement is moving in a more masculine direction. By and large, the greenies are talking about "energy independence" and trying to support the CIA's characterization of the environment as "the national-security issue of the early 21st century" and "the core foreign-policy challenge from which most others will ultimately emanate." These messages bring up strong images in my mind of battle-worn soldiers in military fatigues and men in navy-blue power suits sitting around a table. I can almost smell the testosterone dripping from the words when they come out of someone's mouth. Trying to frame the environment with more of a security focus in a post-9/11 world has, for good or for bad, gotten this issue on the front pages and will ultimately elevate policies concerning the environment to a new level – but at what cost?
The article pondered whether this shift in messaging and focus would alienate women – you know, the ones who tend to actually vote and buy with a pro-environmental agenda. Women tend to care about this issue because we usually want everyone to be happy. It is simple – healthy kids make people happy (quiet kids also make people happy, but that is another blog). Cancer clusters and environmental injustice usually enrage our internal "Mother Bear" instincts and that rage influences my money, my time, where I live – and how I vote.
The article got me wondering – how do I feel about the new Rambo focused message of our movement? And that got me to the next step – why do I spend everyday working to protect the environment?
Here is why – I still remember my first day of school many years ago at Cooper Elementary in Ashland, KY. I wore a purple jumper with a plaid shirt. My hair was shoulder length and my bangs were curled under with so much hairspray on them, I don't think that my entire head of hair moved all day. Although not cool by today's standards, I was definitely a fashionista for the time period. I was so excited. My mom gave all of us the gift of staying home with us while we were little so 1st grade was my first experience going to a new place by myself for an entire day.
When it came time for recess on that first day, I didn't think much about the trailer in the field behind the school that had what looked to be "Number 5" type of robots on the roof. I also didn't think a lot about the huge, mountainesque tanks owned by Ashland Oil that were down the hill from the playground. I especially didn't think about the little white spots on all of the cars in the area. I saw more than a few cars that had "WASH ME" written on the trunk, so I just thought it was dirt. All I wanted to do that first day of school was get to the swings before the second-graders.
Flash forward a few years and the air monitoring trailer in the field became a fixture in our kick-ball games. It was an automatic homerun if you hit the station when you were up to "bat". I am sure the operators just loved us and our plastic ball. The PTA of the school was starting to ask questions about how the kids were being impacted by the dirty air being produced by Ashland Oil. I remember sitting in the back of the school gymnasium coloring a picture of Scooby-Doo as the parents discussed what to do about our school. Eventually, it closed down because of the pollution and its impacts on our health. When people ask me why I do what I do, I have many reasons but this experience was one of my original inspirations.
Ultimately, I don't care how we message protection of the environment and public health. I just want us to make sure that the message gets us on the agenda for our government. If we have to be more masculine and adopt a muscle-headed Rambo, Conan the Barbarian, and Underdog as our mascots, terrific – as long as I get a bobble head. The point is that I hope people who are currently in the movement hold onto their own stories because that is where we will all find our passion, regardless of whether our message is girlie or a little butch.
Have a great day!
Heather
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