With each passing day, it seems our ecosystem is in a more and more precarious position. With global emissions rapidly rising and government protections on the decline, the future of the natural world and our place in it seems increasingly uninviting. In consideration of these circumstances, it is clear that we must act as individuals in order to ensure the protection of our environment.

 In spite of the countless environmental organizations and movements arranged by hundreds of activists around the nation, participation in these groups is shockingly uncommon. According to gallup.com, only 18 percent of adults actively advocate for environmental reform. Concerningly, student involvement is even lower, with only 11 percent of high school students having participated in community-based conservation groups according to jespnet.com. 

Seemingly, many Americans are not even willing to take the slightest action in order to better protect our ecosystem. For example, New Jersey’s groundbreaking Single-Use Plastics Reduction Law, signed by Governor Phil Murphy and implemented in 2022, was expected to have a colossally positive impact on the environment by banning the distribution of single-use plastic bags in all stores and businesses. However, it badly backfired solely due to the failure of New Jersey consumers to make use of the reusable bags they were given, instead acquiring a new one with each purchase and discarding them by the thousands. According to instituteforenergyresearch.org, the larger amount of plastic needed to make these reusable bags caused plastic consumption to go from 53 million pounds before the ban to 151 million pounds following it. This issue must be addressed for any real environmental reforms to occur.

It is evident that action on a local and state scale is now more significant than ever with grim prospects for national policy. The forthcoming Trump administration is predicted to be disastrous for environmental efforts, with the former president expected to champion the increased production of oil and gas. This, in turn, would only further the climate crisis and increase the frequency of the extreme weather New Jersey and all of America is already experiencing. Individual participation in environmental initiatives has never been as vital as it is today, and yet the nation continues to suffer from a fatal lack of it.

This is all in consideration of the fact that there is an abundance of ways in which individuals can advocate for the protection of the natural world. Hundreds of organizations have their doors open to new volunteers of all ages. Our own town is proud to host the Westfield Green Team, which works in collaboration with state and even national institutions to ensure that our community is at the forefront of environmental initiatives. It is through the efforts of these organizations that our town and state has passed the legislation necessary to lower our emissions, protect our waterways, conserve our green spaces and more.

Whether you want to participate on a local level or hope to play a role in motivating national reform, joining one of our nation’s countless environmental groups is never more than a few minutes away. Clearly, there is no better time to seek involvement in an environmental organization than now.