Green Thumbs Vs. "Green" Politics

Capitalism Magazine ^ | April 23, 2001 | Robert W. Tracinski

[Taka No Kimi]

Every year, at about this time, I make my personal protest against environmentalism by going out and enjoying nature.

How, you might ask, can enjoying nature be considered an act of defiance against environmentalism? Consider how -- and why -- I enjoy it.

I do not enjoy nature in some vague, general way. I enjoy my own particular patch of it -- the few acres where my wife and I live in a wooded, rural area. And the most precious part of our property, to me, is my orchard. What makes it so precious is that these dozen or so fruit trees -- just saplings at the time -- were a birthday gift from my wife a few years ago. Every April, we tend to these trees together as they start to put out their leaves and blossoms. Soon, they will bear apples, cherries, pears, plums, peaches, and even a few quince -- an old-fashioned fruit that we added for my mother, who grew up eating her mother's quince jelly.

But every year, I must defend my orchard. To enjoy my patch of nature, I must go to war with nature...

[Taka No Kimi]

This is one of the best articles on environmentalism there is, IMHO.

[GeronL]

bump

[Jungle_ed]

I am new to conservatism ( I was raised with Unitarian Universalism ), and I would like to understand conservative views better. Is this type selfish view of the environment uniform among conservatives?

[spodefly]

I believe the author was trying to make a point about private property, enviro-nazis, and dealing with the challenges nature throws into the mix when trying to grow one's own food in a politically-correct way.

Working with nature can mean many things, and restructuring the natural terrain is sometimes necessary to be productive. I grew up on a farm, and I know how tough it can be to remain productive, even using all the tools at one's disposal.

Here in the South, all of those fields where corn and soybeans, etc., are grown had to be cleared from forest land at one point. The forest that had been a home to some wild creatures now produces food for hundreds or thousands. That is hardly selfish.

Likewise, when I have to use a pesticide to prevent loss of crops, I am doing so both to preserve my viability as a farmer, and to produce food ... self-interest and public interest as a common goal.