I'm a bit of a casual environmentalist - best effort and all of that. I try to live responsibly, reduce/reuse/recycle, and get out in the woods when I can. From a political perspective, the last few years have been a bit depressing. The environmental movement offers ways to at least mitigate the current dependance on oil and the complicated expensive wars associated with that dependance.
I'm also personally fond of nature, would prefer that what remains be left as undisturbed as possible. I could probably get very deeply passionately involved in political activism focussed on environmental issues. But I'd rather have a more balanced life. So my compromise is e-mail activism.
I've heard various opinions and perspectives, on how effective chain e-mails to Congress are. I've decided that they're better than nothing. If an issue sufficiently inspires me, I call in, register my position, on whatever vote is impending. I get a form letter back, thanking me for my opinion. Which I recycle. It'd be nice to be able to opt for an email instead - one of these days, someone will come up with a petition for that.
Every week, I get a few emails, from different organizations, telling me what new abomination is about to be visitted upon America and The World. I then click on the "Take Action!" link, and an email is sent on my behalf to the relevant politicians, CEOs, or regulatory bodies. And that's it! So easy. Granted, it's not the way that Ken Kesey's Monkey Wrench gang handled things, but it's clearly Better Than Nothing...
So, for anyone who's interested, here's a quick summary of a few environmental campaign sites, a quote blurb about their mission, and some of their recent actions. Click on the links to sign up - it just takes a minute or two. These are all national sites - I'm involved with a few that are local to my area as well. Sometimes I get asked for money. But otherwise, I've found it to be a simple, easy way to stay involved in environmental issues.
Always open to recommendations of other sites - what experiences have others had with green e-activism?
http://ucsaction.org/
"The Union of Concerned Scientists Action Center makes it easy for you to communicate directly with the people currently making critical decisions that affect our planet."
Recent actions: climate change, oil and energy efficiency, the ESA.
http://www.nrdc.org/...
at "NRDC's Earth Action Center... you'll find all the tools, tips and information you need to help protect the earth's extraordinary wealth of natural treasures. "
Recent actions: air pollution, the ESA, logging...
http://www.saveourenvironment.org/
"...a collaborative effort of the nation's most influential environmental advocacy organizations harnessing the power of the internet to increase public awareness and activism on today's most important environmental issues."
Recent actions: ANWR, Exxon, the ESA, the Clean Water Act
http://www.leaveitwild.org
"The Campaign for America's Wilderness helps local people across our nation work to permanently protect the nation's last wild lands in the strongest possible way--placing them into the National Wilderness Preservation System, protected by law under the Wilderness Act. "
Recent actions: protecting wilderness areas in Colorado, Arizona
http://action.wilderness.org/
"We bring to bear our scientific expertise, analysis and bold advocacy at the highest levels to save, protect and restore America's wilderness areas."
Recent actions: protecting wilderness areas in Arizona, Alaska, Missouri
http://www.npca.org
National Parks Conservation Association
" * We advocate for the national parks and the National Park Service;
* we educate decision-makers and the public about the importance of preserving the parks;
* we help to convince members of Congress to uphold the laws that protect the parks and in support of new legislation to address threats to the parks;
* we fight attempts to weaken these laws in the courts;
* and we assess the health of the parks and park management to better inform our advocacy work."
Recent actions: Opposing road through the Great Smokies, development at Gettysburg, shortages in park funding.
http://action.defenders.org/
"Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities. We focus our programs on what scientists consider two of the most serious environmental threats to the planet: the accelerating rate of extinction of species and the associated loss of biological diversity, and habitat alteration and destruction."
Recent actions: Alaskan Wolves, Virginia's Red Knot, the ESA, Great Cats and Rare Canines
http://whistler.sierraclub.org/...
"Inspired by nature, we work together to protect our communities and the planet. The Club is America's oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization."
Recent actions: energy, ANWR, Clear Air act, global population.
http://takeaction.oceana.org/
"Oceana campaigns to protect and restore the world's oceans. Our teams of marine scientists, economists, lawyers and advocates win specific and concrete policy changes to reduce pollution and to prevent the irreversible collapse of fish populations, marine mammals and other sea life."
Recent actions: mercury pollution, shark finning, cruise ship pollution.