A Message of Inspiration & a Pathway Forward!
The recent federal elections have many worried about the fate of our communities and environment. People are worried about the health of their water, air and soils; about the danger future children and families will face because climate change deniers now hold major positions of power; and they are worried about the fate of the many animals and plants with whom we share this earth.
People not only wonder what can be done to protect the natural environment that sustains us all; but wonder if there is any chance we can make progress in the coming years? The answer is YES!
Pursuing Green Amendments in every state constitution is a powerful way to defend ourselves and our environment even while those in federal positions of power seek to strip away basic and essential environmental protections that many of us have worked decades to secure. Green Amendments will not only defend the healthy environments we still have, but they will raise the bar on environmental protection and create a legacy of protection which, once secured, is unlikely to ever be lost.
People believe the highest, strongest, and perhaps only power, lies within the federal government. They too often discount or even forget the power their own state has. While the federal government puts in place a base level of protection that all states must meet when it comes to the environment, state governments have the authority (with limited exceptions) to put in place stronger protections. And that is where a Green Amendment comes in. A Green Amendment puts in place higher protections that must benefit all communities across the state and all generations, including those yet to be born.
Green Amendments raise the bar on environmental protection across all environmental issues. Current environmental laws put specific issues in a vacuum, a box. But our environment operates holistically, with cause and effect spanning across all issues. Current laws and regulations focus on one limited aspect of the environment – addressing one aspect of air, water, or toxic contamination; protecting one species and generally only those that are already in trouble; protecting one kind of ecosystem from specific kinds of harm – a constitutional Green Amendment puts in place higher protections for all aspects of the environment.
While we face the real peril that at the federal level environmental protections will be stripped away – one by one – at the state level we can use our democratic and constitutional process to amend our state constitutions to put in place stronger, overarching, and enduring legacy protections that cannot be stripped away when the winds of politics change.
Green Amendments give everyday people real power to protect their environmental rights when those in government would seek to undermine them or even strip them away. Our Green Amendment movement embraces this cornerstone value of our country: that the ultimate power lies with the people – and it is in our state and federal constitutions that “we the people” secure and express our inalienable power as people on this earth and living in the United States.
Green Amendments provide the power for environmental protection we all need.
A constitutional amendment does take more time to secure than a simple law. But once we get it, it’s ours and cannot be so lightly stripped away. And as we carry forth the conversations to educate and advocate for Green Amendment protections, we are not only helping others to understand that environmental protection is essential to all aspects of modern life and society, but we are empowering people to understand that they can make progress when it comes to protecting our water, air, biodiversity, soils, & environment and for addressing the climate crisis.
If you are in a state yet to benefit from a Green Amendment, we look forward to working with you to secure one.
If you are in one of the three states that has an amendment, we look forward to working with you to enforce it.
Thank you for being part of the Green Amendment movement.
Listen to Maya’s full message of inspiration here
Actions you can take:
- Join the movement – our monthly newsletters let you know what is happening in your state.
- Become a Green Amendment Ambassador – new leadership programming is launching next month so you can spread the word and become a leader in your community – learn more and sign up here.
- Become a Guardian Gnome to receive weekly actions you can take that are simple, quick, but meaningful, to make a difference for the environment. Sign up at www.GuardianGnome.org
- Donate to the movement so we have the resources we need to stand up to industry and oppositional government.
