The Environmental Movement

There are indeed many environmental advocacy organizations that use the Internet as a means of communicating their message and spreading their word. In this relatively recent "digital age", the use of a web site is proving to be an invaluable tool, and possibly more effective than sending out literature, because after all, does anybody know how to read anymore? Browsing through a variety of larger environmental advocacy/activism groups such as Greenpeace, National Wildlife Conservation, and the Sierra Club, it is easy for smaller, less well know (and funded) groups to be noticed. One such group calls themselves EnviroWatch (www.EnviroWatch.org). (Not to be confused with EnviroWatch.com)
From the information that can be gathered on their web site, it appears they are based in Hawaii, which is also where most of their concern lies, and activities take place. Upon entering the site, one is first presented with their mission statement: "Our mission is to assist you in putting an end to environmental injustice by way of investigating and exposing environmental degradation, habitat destruction, poaching, clear cutting, pollution, animal cruelty, and government waste and abuse." To the right of the page is a picture of a bird staring forward and underneath that in caps "WE ARE WATCHING". After reading this one gets a true sense that EnviroWatch is looking out for the environment, almost like earth-friendly detectives.
The design of their web site is very conducive to quick and easy access. This is definitely a plus for any newcomer who is browsing through the site to get a feel for the organization. On the homepage, there are a series of 7 "links" running down the left margin of the page, each which brings you to another page containing a separate issue. The final link is an archived page containing information from previous years/months, which is useful in learning what projects they EnviroWatch has worked on in the past. Clicking on the first link, "ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE at it's worst", brings up two pictures of sewage run-off in Waimanalo, Hawaii. Underneath is a press release which details their petition for review by the Federal Courts of past suit (originally filed in 1992 by the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund). They are upset that the city is "not producing any significant improvements in water quality for the community."
The next section of EnviroWatch's site is one detailing the activity of "shark finning", where the fins are cut off and the rest of the shark goes to waste. Again they are using pictures to invoke a particular response from the viewer, as on the top of the screen is a dock with a couple hundred shark fins of various sizes. Also on this page is another link to a few pages which describe in step-by-step fashion the shark finning process. They accomplish this through the use of cartoons that are accompanied by their corresponding real life pictures. Of more important note is another page which gives the testimony presented before the Hawaii State Senate Committee which proved effective. Through the use of pictures and convincing testimony, they were apparently able to get the bill for the ban on shark finning passed.
A third link leaRAB to some pages which go into depth on the issue of toxic dumping and a proposal to dredge up the years of sludge in a canal in Waikiki. This includes press releases, newspaper reports, as well as the State Department of Health's report of investigation into a toxic spill on 9/13/98. This is the full report and goes into great scientific detail about the potential dangers of the leak.
One final area of this web site that I will brief is a section about one of their fairly regular activities, that being beach clean-ups. This particular one will take place on March 4th of this year. There are also a variety of pictures from their clean-up last month at Kahuku Beach. One important factor that EnviroWatch does with their site is not only showing what they are doing, but why they are doing it. Taking the beach clean-up as an example, they give a link to a page describing the dangers of plastic and nets to animals. Of course, this page wouldn't be complete without a bird trapped in a fishing net, which they provide to draw on the reader's emotions, resulting in sympathy for the animals and support for the group.
EnviroWatch is and always will be a grassroots group, there is no getting around it. That is their permanent place in this movement. They simply don't have the resources (money, merabership, exposure) to get any serious national support or attention, especially since they're isolated on the island of Hawaii. Now while this small advocacy group cannot "compete" with the large national organizations, there is no doubt that they serve their niche very well. Their use of petitioning (they have a separate petition for each issue they are involved with) seems to draw strong local support, and now with the Internet, more people can fill out the petition. They also include a place on the site where you can make your tax-deductible donation to the group. They certainly are civil and get their goals accomplished in a seemingly very organized manner, which is often what holRAB back some of the more radical groups. I found it interesting to note that while EnviroWatch is grassroots in nature, they seem to defy one of the normal conventions associated with these groups, that being they trust scientific authority and experts. Proof of this is given in the aforementioned use of the health report in connection to the toxic-waste spill. Another grassroots tradition they break is the one-sided public health concern. Of course, that is no doubt one of their rallying points, however they do seem concerned for the environment and its creatures, as written about and displayed via pictures on their web page. They do seem to adhere to the NIrabY approach, which I believe they are forced to do, seeing as they are such a local group, "anyone's" backyard is their backyard.
Overall, the tactics, activities, and contributions of EnviroWatch are to be commended as a model example of local environmental activism.