How to Start Your Environmental Activism Journey

Medium
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
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Giving Compass’ Take:

• Saurav Pathak discusses ways that aspiring activists can get involved in environmental issues, from diving deep into research to uniting like-minded people.

• How can we all start putting our ideals into action? These are some good, basic steps — but it’s up to everyone to forge their own path.

• Looking for some impact investments? Here’s why environment-related bonds are catching on.

For most things in life, from keeping a bug collection as a hobby to putting a satellite into orbit, taking off is the hardest part. The same happens even for activities people are really passionate about. There are a lot of people around the world right now who feel they need to get involved in environmental activism but put off the effort for tomorrow.

Here are some ways to get involved.

Stick to the facts. Every time an issue or bill related to the environment comes under discussion, the furore is caused by skeptics who tend to downplay the impact. They would cite the lack of concrete evidence or turn to misinformation to strengthen their position. At such a situation, it is natural to want to take them head-on and prove them wrong. Fighting the naysayers is not worth your time. Reach out to the undecided individuals and get them to participate.

Contest for an influential role. It is likely you would feel insignificant to affect policymakers’ decision on a matter on your own. If the issue is a local one or affects your community, you should gear up for a position where you can influence change. Stand for election to your city council or a position in your municipal board.

Reach out to decision makers. Even if you cannot commit to contesting for an election or organizing a public event, you could still do a bit every day for the environment. That is you can call your local congressman’s office to let them know your position on the issue. The opinion of their home constituents matters for representatives and senators because they face re-election every few years.

Read the full article about how to get started with environmental activism by Saurav Pathak at Medium.

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    The Urgent Need for Evidence-Based Policymaking

    Giving Compass' Take: • Thomas Flack argues that well-intentioned government programs often fail because they do not have a strong evidence base. Going forward, rigorous evaluation must be part of the policy process. • How can funders help to support policymakers in collecting, creating, and acting on evidence?  • Learn about the 3 key principles of evidence-based policymaking.  In key areas of social policy, the United States has made little progress over many years: The earned income of the bottom 40 percent of the population is almost unchanged since the late 1970s, after adjusting for inflation. The average reading and math achievement of 17-year-olds has not increased since 1973. More than one-quarter of 12th graders now score below basic competency in reading and more than one-third score below basic competency in math. Government has launched many well-intentioned initiatives to address these problems. The fundamental flaw in these efforts is that policymakers are guessing at the solutions— i.e., launching major new initiatives based on what sounds like a good idea. Guessing doesn’t work for a straightforward reason: Most guesses—that is, most new programs and policies—are unfortunately found not to produce the hoped-for effects when rigorously evaluated. But rigorous evaluations have also identified a few programs that are effective, producing sizable gains in education, earnings, and other important life outcomes—thus illustrating that success is possible. To address major national problems such as educational failure and stagnant income will require fundamental reinvention of government so that evidence, rather than guesswork, becomes the central defining principle in what gets funded. Read the full article about evidence-based policymaking by Thomas Flack at Straight Talk on Evidence.

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