What you do, or don’t do, has political ramifications. The odds are that if you are reading this column you are invested in the quality of our environment and support good environmental practices. Now as much as ever, actions speak louder than words. Feeling strongly about something and talking it up with your friends and family is great, but unless the talk is backed up by action the environment will suffer.
Decisions are made by those who show up. Voters at town meetings decide what gets funded and what projects advance or die. Voters at town elections decide who their elected officials are, and by extension, what perspectives drive the priorities of their town. The same dynamic is in place at regional, state and federal elections, although nowhere is the impact of your vote greater than at the local level.
The hard truth is that support for the environment, especially for projects that require large capital investment, is facing national and international headwinds beyond our immediate control. As financial pressures and other macro political forces eat away at environment protections, your decision to participate in the governance process assumes greater importance. Simply put, unless you show up and vote for the environment you are amplifying the impact of the voices calling for slower and lower investment in clean water, further development of critical open spaces, and rollbacks of environmental protections once assumed reliable but now being gutted daily.
Staying home and not voting cedes your voice to outcomes you may not support. Sitting out this next election, at whatever level, has consequences. Sidelining yourself is a non-action with profound negative implications for the environment as well as for society as a whole. Now is the time to recommit, not to pull back.
Watch our newsletters in the coming weeks for important information on upcoming town elections. APCC is here to help you get involved, but we can’t do it for you. What you do it up to you.
