Returning Environmentalism to the Mainstream

"...green politics may at last be finding its voice again in the United States. In the past, most environmentalists did not bother to articulate much of an economic message. Perhaps because they tended to be economically comfortable themselves, they overlooked the fact that many Americans live paycheck to paycheck and thus need to hear that green policies can mean not only cleaner air but also more and better jobs...

The successes [of environmental groups] have a number of themes in common, beginning with a focus on economically attractive solutions rather than downbeat warnings of disaster...Another key has been reaching out to new and sometimes ideologically or culturally distant constituencies, and doing so in plain language that ordinary people can grasp (rather than the policy-wonk gibberish that environmentalists often utter). A third element has been an emphasis on sustained local organizing that grows the movement's base of support and seeks to build real political power--a departure from many groups' reliance on activist insiders skilled in lobbying, litigation and other tactics aimed at the status quo."