EM 205 – Unit #3 The Role of Activists

OVERVIEW  Unit 3 Outcomes  Reminder about Assignments  Unit 3 Assignment review  Role of Stakeholders  What is an environmentalist?  What are grassroots organizations?  How do environmental groups affect environmental policy

Unit 3 Learning Outcomes  Environmental activists have discovered that they can be very effective by taking direct actions against a corporation, or against an entire industry.  Some activists have become extremists called “eco- terrorists” who take destructive—and illegal—actions against projects they oppose.  Poor people have sometimes experienced more negative consequences from environmentally degrading actions as polluting factories and toxic landfills were sited in low-income areas. As citizens in these regions began to protest such acts, the environmental justice movement was born.

Unit Assignments  Unit 1 Assignment – Topic Proposal of an Environmental Issue (EI) – 100 pts  Unit 3 Assignment – Role of Grassroots Movements in your selected EI – 125 pts  Unit 5 Midterm Project – Assess Environmental Policy relating to your selected EI – 150 pts  Unit 7 Assignment - Outline of Final Course Project – 100 pts  Unit 9 Final Course Project – Detailed report of your selected EI covering stakeholder involvement, policy responses, current status, and recommendation on resolution of EI. – 225 pts

Unit 3 Written Assignment  Research the role of environmental grassroots movements in the environmental issue you selected for your course project and write a 1,000-word summary and analysis of their efforts and the results they achieved.  Be certain to clearly identify the groups, their mission, the activities with respect to the environmental issue you selected, and an assessment of the effectiveness of their efforts.  Remember to provide citations to your sources. 1,000 words!

Environmental Activists  What is an environmentalist?  What are grassroots organizations?  How do environmental groups affect environmental policy?

Are all environmentalists good guys?

What do ‘eco-terrorists’ do?  Is the word eco- terrorist pejorative?  Are alleged eco- terrorists protecting or destroying the planet?

What do eco-terrorists do? For over a decade, the Earth Liberation Front has taken direct action to protect the earth, resulting in well over $150 million in damages to the agencies and corporations responsible for the ongoing destruction of our planet and of our communities. As long as corporations and governments continue to treat the natural environment as a mere expendable commodity, the ELF will continue to operate in defense of the planet and life. North American Earth Liberation Front Press Office. (n.d.). Retrieved July 16, 2009 from

1998 Fire at Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail, known as one of the premiere ski resorts in the world, had proposed an 885- acre expansion into one of the last remaining habitats for the Canadian lynx in the United States. Despite clear opposition from a vast majority of the local community and a ten-year legal battle by local environmentalists, Vail was still moving forward with the expansion plans. Members of the ELF felt it was time to increase the opposition. The action caused an estimated $26 million in damages to Vail and brought the issue of expansion into wilderness once again into the international spotlight. North American earth liberation front Press Office. (n.d.). Frequently Asked Questions About the Earth Liberation Front. Retrieved July 16, 2009 from

Do the ends justify the means?

Rebecca J. Rubin  Accused of being involved in the arson attack on a ski resort in Vail, Colo. in 1998: On January 19, 2006, a federal grand jury in Eugene, Oregon, indicted Rebecca J. Rubin on multiple charges related to her alleged role in a domestic terrorism cell. Rubin was charged with two conspiracy violations related to seventeen incidents and two counts of arson. These crimes occurred in Oregon and date back to Many of the crimes she is accused of participating in were claimed to be committed by the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) or the Animal Liberation Front (ALF). Photo credit: U.S. FBI, U.S. FBI. (n.d.). Wanted by the FBI. Retrieved on July 16, 2009 from

Is eco-terrorism effective? The attack in Vail had the effect of ending community opposition to the expansion, and Vail Resorts Inc. proceeded with leveling trees three days afterward. A restaurant destroyed in the blaze was rebuilt 5,000 square feet larger--with graceful old raw timber trucked in from Montana. The mainstream environmental group that had planned a peaceful blockade to halt the bulldozers instead had to cancel its protest, and several leaders were hauled in front of a grand jury. Murphy, K. (2000, April 25). DISRUPTION IS ACTIVISTS' BUSINESS; RADICAL ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS TRY TO INFLICT FINANCIAL HARM ON COMPANIES THEY FEEL DAMAGE THE ECOSYSTEM. THE ONLY THING IS, THERE'S NO ONE PERSON TO BLAME. Los Angeles Times, p. A1.

What measures are effective?

That’s it for tonight! Any questions? Office hours Monday & Thursday 7:00 - 8:00 PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time Next Week Unit 4 Seminar Same Time This presentation was adapted from the prior work of Lori Tripoli of Kaplan University. Thank you!