I found Who Rules the Earth?: How Social Rules Shape Our Planet and Our Lives by Paul Steinberg, to be the most enlightening text we read in environmental studies. The most profound overarching theme in this book was the importance of bridging the gap between researchers and activists. With his own personal background in both research and activism to back him up, Steinberg came to realize that “rigorous research can serve as a powerful weapon against poorly constructed public policies”(Steinberg p.17). This statement is so simple and intuitive, but having been warned in the past about the complications that come when mixing research and activism, I was caught off guard. The majority of this book continues to explore the wide gap between researchers and agents of change, why it exists and what we as individuals and as whole can do about it. WRE does not merely suggest that concerned citizens take small easy-to-swallow actions, it outlines how any relatively average citizen can make positive change.
Steinberg critiques the old saying “Think globaly, act locally”, advocating instead for the use of the more effective phrase, “think vertically”(Steinberg p.163). He provides a great example of this in chapter 11, relating a personal experience he had advocating for recycling bins at his local Starbucks. Steinberg first asked the barista why they didn’t have recycling bins, then followes a trail of increasingly powerful individuals in charge. He eventually spoke with the building owner and discovered, “the city of Claremont prevents it, because his building is too small to qualify for a large recycling dumpster”(Steinberg p.265). After he advocated for a recycling dumpster, one appeared behind the store. This is a wonderful example of thinking vertically because in seeking to understand the reason for the absence of the recycling system, steinberg discovered the root cause behind the issue and alerted someone who actually had the power to fix it. In contrast, an example of the adage “think globally, act locally,” can be found in the barista’s response to the absence of recycling. Steinberge learned, “She and her fellow baristas had actually taken to filling their cars with empty milk containers at the end of their shifts and were carting these by the dozens to recycling bins at their homes”(Steinberg p.265). While this was a commendable effort, it ultimately did not fix the problem. To resolve the issue, someone needed to bridge the gap between the concerned citizen, and the individual with some power to change the rules. By thinking vertically, concerned citizens can spark more effective change in their communities.
Personally, I have always been confident that my two main areas of focus as a student have been art and the natural sciences. On of my greatest challenges as a college student who must subsequently pick a major and focus of study, has been to unite these two disciplines in a productive way. Naturally, I found I could relate the successful marriage of research and advocacy to the fusion of science and art. Art is a form of advocacy that under the right circumstances, can reach all sections of the public. In a New York Times article, photojournalist Yannis Behrakis stated, “To me it’s important to tell the world what’s going on. What you do after you see the picture or read the story — that’s up to you. But my job is to make sure that nobody in the world can say, ‘I didn’t know”(Culture as a Bridge Across Global Troubles). Many people don’t have the time, energy, or interest to educate themselves about serious global issues. I think that if one has expertise about the message they want to convey to the public, as well as working knowledge about how to address real social issues, they can be an activist through art in a way that effectively provokes social change. In addition, I think that as an influential part of our culture it has the power to actively shift public focus towards outdated social rules that need to be changed, and societal issues that need to be addressed.
My quest to combine art and environmental studies is an ever evolving process, but I will confidently pursue both subjects with equal devotion and purpose because they truly work well together. As a scholar and perhaps a researcher, I can explore the workings of our earth and humanity’s relationship with it. As an activist and artist, I will communicate the ideas and expertise I gain in pursuing environmental studies with a greater audience of people. In effect, making the complex world of environmental studies more accessible through art.
works cited:
Pogrebin, Robin. March 18, 2017. Culture as a Bridge Across Global Troubles. New York Times.
Steinberg, Paul. 2015. Who Rules the Earth?: How Social Rules Shape Our Planet and Our Lives. Oxford: Oxford University Press.