Big Think

Question: What is the environmental movement's biggest mistake?

Jim Moriarty: I think the environmental movement’s largest mistake is in selling itself to an exclusive clientele. In my opinion, in the past if you were an environmentalist that meant you were of this political party; it meant you had this- these set of tastes; it meant you had these letters after your name from an education standpoint, etc. Nothing in the world succeeds well when it’s pitched and pigeonholed to a small group. The environmental movement has to be every single person plugged in. It absolutely has to be. It has to be every grandparent. It has to be every 2-year-old. It has to be every lawyer; every college student; every grade school student; every soccer mom; every soccer dad. Everybody needs to find their place to change their lifestyle to be a little bit more sustainable. It has to be all political parties. It doesn’t matter what your interests are. You-- Everyone needs to be aligned to this.

Recorded on: 9/27/07