Allison Burbach (11/28): Gandhi’s Influence on Environmentalism

Gandhi is a historical figure who has come up a few times in my college career in leadership and social studies courses. However, Gandhi’s connection to the environmentalist movement has never been mentioned. The method of nonviolent protest practiced and detest of industrialized society can be connected to the environmental movement, but I would not say he initiated or supported the movement. Some could say Gandhi foresaw the ecological crisis of modern industrial societies with one of his best-known quotes, “the world has enough for everybody’s need, but not enough for everybody’s greed.” This quote demonstrates the need for sustainable lifestyles that do not strip the earth of resources. Gandhi emphasized simple living throughout his life, which certainly lends itself to an environmentally conscious attitude, but only as we interpret it in contemporary times. It would be an interesting research topic to study to what extent Gandhi influenced the environmentalism movement in India.

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