Civic Environmentalism: Developing a Research and Action Agendaby Dr. Marc Landy and Dr. Charles T. Rubin
June 30, 2003 Environmental policymaking too often is driven by a mistaken focus on big culprit, big ticket, and big government solutions. Many of our most persistent environmental problems are local in nature and cause. A new way of thinking about protecting nature is needed to deal with these kinds of environmental challenges. "Civic environmentalism" abandons large-scale, command-and-control politics for workable, local efforts. It recognizes that "the environment" is not a special realm for experts and professional activists, but an essential aspect of public life - a place for citizens.
After outlining the implications of civic environmentalism for public policy, Landy and Rubin led a discussion to identify issue areas for futher examination to assess the broad applicability of civic environmentalism.
Dr. Marc Landy, Professor of Political Science at Boston College, is an author of The Environmental Protection Agency from Nixon to Clinton: Asking the Wrong Questions.
Dr. Charles Rubin, Associate Professor of Political Science at Duquesne University, is the author of Green Crusade: Rethinking the Roots of Environmentalism.
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