Green times

Like leaves falling from trees only to disappear into nothingness, the environment has been relatively absent from major news reporting lately. While it’s true that there are bigger issues going on, nature and how we treat it should be a more important aspect of our everyday lives.

That’s just what Craig Rosenburg has been working to do for years now. The 29-year-old lawyer-in-the-making was once considered the “face of ecoterrorism” by critics of the environmental protection movement. Rosenburg spent his 20s representing the Earth Liberation Front, a group known for its controversial tactics in defense of the environment.

Like the Portland anarchists recently pulled from their homes and imprisoned (now set free), Rosenburg and his fellow environmentalists have dealt with their fair share of police run-ins. This includes home searches by the FBI and personal items being confiscated by authorities.

Despite many not-so-positive experiences with cops and the legal system, Rosenburg is now a lawyer. According to Bryan Denson of The Oregonian, Rosenburg doesn’t see anything strange about his career choice. In a recent article, Rosenburg said, “I consider it consistent with just my own development as someone that’s trying to make a positive difference in the world.” He added, “Every single thing I did has been along the lines of trying to fight against the injustices out there, to make the world a better place for all.”

Apart from gaining a new role as a lawyer, Rosenburg has made a documentary with the hope of showing others that “human-caused climate change is real.” However, there is very little legal and political activity devoted to fixing this issue. With that in mind, Rosenburg’s decision to become a lawyer makes perfect sense.

However, it raises the question of why so little political activity is going on, especially in this climate of heavy changes across the board. Back when Rosenburg was summoned before grand juries in the late ’90s, he made the choice to use his Fifth Amendment rights. He chose not to incriminate himself in the face of the law. In the following years, Rosenburg took the Fifth more than 50 times.

During one of the trials, the FBI’s domestic terrorism chief stated that ELF and the Animal Liberation Front had “caused $43 million in damage on U.S. soil.” Rosenburg told The Oregonian that he became disillusioned with the violent tactics used by ELF after the group attacked multiple farms suspected of growing genetically modified trees. The attack was based more on rumors than actual facts, and it was what made Rosenburg change his mind about what approach was best for the future of the environment.

However, neither ELF nor Rosenburg are completely in the right—or the wrong. Burning things down, though wonderfully symbolic, is, under most circumstances, detrimental to the environment’s well-being. Ignoring scientific fact and furthering technological and sociological developments that hurt the environment is even worse. If we’re to enact environmental change, it needs to be something that everyone can get behind.

Environmental issues need to be politicized, and on a broader basis. But they also need to be something that can be implemented in everyday life. Genetically modified, organism-free foods should be the only food options available to consumers, and environmentally friendly technology, such as solar panels and hybrid cars, shouldn’t be luxuries only available to the upper class.

From violent activism to working on the legal plane, Rosenburg has had quite the journey in his activity to save the environment. ELF and ALF both have good intentions. Protecting the Earth and its denizens is very important, but when it comes down to it, the Earth has been around for a lot longer than we humans have (depending on what you believe, of course) and it will probably continue for much longer than the human race will (or animals in general.

Being green is a good step, but the political sphere needs to be more invested in the welfare of the physical world. President Barack Obama has hinted that he cares about the environment, but actions speak louder than words. We, as citizens of this planet, need to demand social and environmental change.

Violence won’t solve a whole lot, but it does demand attention from the media, which in turn informs the public. If environmentalism is to be politicized, it needs to be done in such a way that doesn’t vilify environmentalists, and it also needs to put emphasis on the fact that being “green” doesn’t necessarily mean “liberal” or “left-wing.”

This isn’t Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica. We don’t have the means or the technology to go off in search of a new planet to ruin, so we should probably take care of the Earth while we still have the ability to do so.

If the public makes enough of an effort, even without the help of the government, change can and will happen. Rosenburg is using his experience as a political activist to enact change for the better. While we don’t all need to become lawyers, we can certainly use his example to build our own environmental agenda. This Earth is all we’ve got at the moment, so let’s do our best to give it back everything in return.