The formal environmentalist movement today is antagonistic to our free way of life. They are out in our communities urging more and more regulation on private citizens, while ignoring business entities that support them but also pollute.
In my area, there are no real manufacturers to be polluting, but the environmentalists are nonetheless pushing for more and more regulations on private homeowners, as the source of the only remaining pollution. Are they going after communities with many failing septic systems? No, actually they are at the forefront of denying those people access to public sewer, since extending public sewer would "only bring more growth". They are trying to stop all use of lawn fertilizers, though, and have their eye on pet waste at homes...
I personally live a fairly environmentally friendly lifestyle - I drive an old honda civic; never use more than the minimum billing for water; wash my clothes in warm, not hot water; air dry my dishes. I did not need any government regulations to do that, I belief in thrift. The local environmentalists pushing all these additional regulations on ME drive to meetings from their big houses in their SUV's, and say we must do something now, or our creek will be ruined.
Having lived here all my life (unlike those enviro's), I KNOW the creek is much cleaner than it was 30 years ago. It recovered nicely from the leaking septic systems as sewer came through, from the chemical plant as they downsized and implemented new techniques.
I believe the early environmental movement brought needed attention to some real problems that have been resolved. I do not believe, as they do, that the environmental goal needs to be returning our environemt to it's "pre-columbian state".
Do you think I'm exagerating? I've begun going to some of the meetings of trout unlimited and the re-wilders. They are fairly open about their pre-columbian goals, and how they are going to use a combination of pushing regulation at the local level and legal action to accomplish their goals.
Pre-columbian environment means few roads, no motorized vehicles. They think it will be wonderful when everyone lives in little villages where they walk everywhere and don't have the temptations of all the consumer goods that are available to us today.
It might be easier for me to buy into some of their ideas (since I actually, like everyone else, like clean water and clean air) if I saw any environmentalist making any effort to live their beliefs - but I don't. They aren't living in apartments in town, using public transportation, wearing their clothes several times before washing them, staying in the town the grew up in, etc like they want the rest of us to do. They live a far more lavish lifestyle than I do. Don't mistake those comments as jealousy - I believe they are free to live as they want, and can spend their money how they want, just as I believe I am. They, on the other hand, do not believe that I should be free to make my own choices. I've heard environmentalists say that it will be easier to live that austere lifestyle when everyone has to! They don't believe in my freedom, and that makes me oppose them.