Earth Day 2008: Enviros Have Come A Long Ways

Item: 38 years after the first Earth Day, its goals have become mainstream: Many Idahoans now make green living a personal crusade, and ‘environmental’ is no longer a political insult/ Rocky Barker, Idaho Statesman

More Info: A few short years ago, the word environmentalist was a pejorative in Idaho, wielded like a weapon against people loggers, miners and farmers blamed for destroying their industries. The industries have changed - and so have environmentalists. Today, Idaho industry is as much about high-tech or service as it is farms or forests. Protecting the air and water has wide support. And environmentalists, like the Idaho Conservation League, have become more practical, said Ken Burgess, a partner in the Boise public affairs group Veritas Advisors.

Question: Would you consider yourself an environmentalist? Why? Why not?