Environmental Activism

I want to begin by acknowledging that there are Pagans who are not nature-based in their religious beliefs and practices.  That said, I find that many Pagans share a love of nature ... and of those a good number would call their religion nature-based.  When I came to Paganism one of my personal challenges was to try to read and interpret nature in the way that other religious followers read and interpret scriptures.  For me, doing what I can to heal, protect and preserve the interdependent web of all existence is a spiritual exercise, perhaps even akin to a sacrament.      

One of the most active Pagan Environmental Activism groups I'm aware of is the Pagan Cluster, which focuses on "Earth-Based Magical Activism."  This group is closely aligned with the Reclaiming Tradition and Starhawk. A website to check out is the Dragon Environmental Network, which describes itself as "eco-magic - heady mix of Paganism and Environmentalism. Also, the Witches Voice keeps a listing of Pagan Environmental Activism sites and Google Directory lists Pagan Activism Groups.

Environmentally Friendly Living

According to the Complete Idiot's Guide to Saving the Environment, by Greg Pahl, these are "some of the most important points to remember to help save the environment" 

• Live Simply, Reduce Your Use (reduce over-consumption)

• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, and that means purchase recycled products too

• Work to Create a Sustainable World 

Some areas you might want to research regarding sustainable living are renewable forms of energy, transportation systems, urban sprawl, and overpopulation.  One of the sites I find particularly helpful is the Healthy Living section of Care2 Network.

Local Environmental Activism

What are the most urgent environmental issues in your area?  Are they related to water? garbage disposal? overpopulation? land use? insecticides? other issues?

There may be groups in your area who are already working to improve the environment in your area.  Spending time working with one of these groups will not only help our precious Mother Earth, but also provide you will the opportunity to spend time with like-minded people.  You may or may not choose to let them know of your Pagan beliefs.  Either way it is likely that you will benefit from the company of those who are passionate enough about environmental issues to give their time and energy.

Sustainable Living

A web search on "sustainable living" will produce a huge number of hits, such as the Green Architecture & Sustainable Living site sponsored by the College of Human and Environmental Sciences at the University of Missouri, Columbia.  This site provides links to information on such techniques as building with adobe and using wind energy. Another good site is the Sustainable Living Project site sponsored by the Oregon State University Extension Service. I find their links to articles particularly helpful.

Even a Mouse Click

As you explore these sites you may consider just how involved you would like to be.  Would you like to donate money to those organizations you trust?  Would you like to do something from your computer to make a difference?  At the following sites you can make a donation with just a click!   (Thanks to Daily Druidic Good Deeds for graphic below.)

In addition to following keyword searches in the Research Tools I suggest you browse the following:

Here is another list of Environmental Charities worth checking out -- compiled by a Druid organization.  Also, sites like Vote.com make it easy for you to register your thoughts with the appropriate government and industry leaders. 

Monetary Donations

Before you give you may want to check the track record of a particular organization.  Two good resources for that are Give.org is a service of the Better Business Bureau and Charity Navigator.  It would be fabulous if all organizations kept their overhead costs to a minimum and channeled all their resources to their cause, but unfortunately this is not always the case.  One feature of Charity Navigator is lists of the most and least responsible organizations -- I'm always surprised at what I find there.