New videos, photos, and stories surface everyday that show humans doing some not so lovely things to our environment. What does the majority do about it, attack them with hurtful words rather than educate them on the consequences of their actions. What do the offenders learn from these actions? Absolutely nothing.
While now a days, water conservation, climate change, and protecting our environment are all taught in public schools, it has not always been this way. For those who didn’t learn this in school, it can be hard to accept later as an adult, therefore meaning they encourage their children to not accept these facts as well. So, what do we end up with? A skeptical generation of adults, and another being raised that way. Adults and children that may not really know or understand environment consequences, therefore being ignorant to what can come of their actions.
This all leads back to the educated, the ones that do know what is happening in the environment around them, and rightfully so, make it a point to protect it at all costs. This knowledge, though, can sometimes effect how they treat those who don’t have it. When videos of young, most likely uneducated children, are posted on Facebook, instead of being taught by those who know better, they are instead being dehumanized and taken down because of the color of their skin. What does this have to do with the environment whatsoever? Absolutely nothing.
Those who are privileged enough to be taught environmental protection, accepting of those facts, and willing to protect it, should also house the empathy it takes for those that may not know these facts, those that deserved to be educated rather than dehumanized.
iCleanWaterways is a national movement actively removing trash from our springs, creeks, rivers and our many lakes while promoting personal responsibility. Our goal is to eliminate the trash one pound at a time for our children and generations after.