When I started on my eco-writing path in 1992, I felt that too often my eco-passionate peers were (understandably) focused on ringing the alarm bell but didn't realize the feeling they were generating in their readers and listeners. Too often they talked in ways that were frightening, shaming, and blaming, which left people feeling depressed and discouraged, turning away folks who otherwise would want to understand and take action.
I felt that I could offer a different kind of style that was upbeat, inspiring, accurate, collaborative, and most importantly empowering. My premise is that most people aren't apathetic or cold-hearted, that they want to do the right thing, but they often just don't know what to do, and how to integrate actions into their otherwise busy lives. I felt that my natural writing style would be helpful in meeting those needs.
Thus these have become the principles I seek to embody in my writing, speaking, and community action:
1) I’m committed to talking to my readers in inspiring and compassionate ways. I don’t think despair is needed for us to act, or even useful. I think we do need to face our problems and see them clearly, but we also need to know that we can take them on and have an impact, each in our own unique and joyful way. We need to feel that our choices can make a difference!
2) I’m committed to empowering constructive action for the earth. Philosophical discussions are nice and background context is vital, but my focus is in how we can turn that into action that produces positive results. Yes, I don’t know everything, and sorry I can’t rescue the world all by myself. Still, there are so many great action ideas and groups out there, just waiting for our participation and help.
3) I seek to never bring up a problem without telling you what you specifically can do to help solve it. I think hearing about just the problems is frustrating and depressing, making us turn away. But hearing how we can help improve it perks us right up again. It’s thrilling not to feel powerless to a dark Mad Max future!
4) I seek to be both accurate and accessible. So I act responsibly by knowing the good sources, checking information I’m not sure about, and getting the facts right. Still, I seek to keep my language as non-technical as possible, so that everyday people can participate in these vital community issues and don’t feel that they have to become experts before they have a say or make a difference. In short, I do the research for you!
5) I’m committed to helping us be competent in making big changes through non-violent means. I understand how concern for the earth can lead some people to violence. However, I think that it’s almost always counter-productive and actually keeps us stuck in the same mentalities that allow us to harm the earth and other people in the first place. I think that committing to non-violent approaches encourages us to develop the real skills needed for our culture to navigate these crises and engage in our much needed positive cultural transformation. I think we get more powerful when we focus on what we’re standing up for, and how we can work together to make that a reality. It’s like we tell the children, “Use your words!” :-)
And through this exploration with my writing, I created EcoGirl nearly 5 years ago, this sweet inspiring geeky superhero who's empowering constructive action for the earth. And yes, as someone pointed out to me, I actually am a mild-mannered reporter by day!
So I hope that you find this approach exciting, and I look forward to connecting with you in this blog. You can check out more of my writing by clicking on "My writing projects" link above.
Blog content (c) Copyright Patricia Dines, 2011. All rights reserved. Links are encouraged! My content is also available for reprint, but please contact me for permission first. Thanks!
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I hope you enjoyed this piece and welcome your thoughts. Tell me what you like about it, or any other constructive thoughts you want to share. Thanks!