In John Muir's Footsteps
Emily Harradon
at
U. of Maine, Orono

She's not a green party political activist. She's not a logging protester. And she's definitely not practicing "angry environmentalism" like people might think.

"I hate when people say that," says Leanna Ruth, a 20-year-old elementary education major and president of the UMaine chapter of the Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC).

With this year's national Earth Day celebration, Ruth is spearheaded the drive to bring the focus to UMaine for another year. Instead of concentrating on the negative aspects of attitudes toward "being green", she is the perfect picture of environmental optimism.

"I know there are a lot of people on this campus who do care," she says, as she tugs on the zipper of her fleece pullover that proudly sports a Bangor Garden Show pin.

A native of Simsbury, Connecticut, Ruth has a very personal history with activism. Her family has always been involved in philanthropic work and community service, so she is no stranger to taking action and working to make a difference. It wasn't until the end of her high school years, though, that she came to fully realize her desire to work with the environment. "Someone handed me an Audubon Expedition Institute brochure and I thought, "I want to do that," she says.

And so, she did. In 1997, she got on the bus that would take her on a yearlong journey she would never forget. The expedition was a traveling environmental studies program that is part of the National Audubon Society. It was the beginning of what would eventually become her quiet passion, and it would develop into a determination that is reserved, yet unsubtly evident in her eyes when she speaks. Not only did Ruth travel across the country, but she traveled into the lives and personal experiences of people whose livelihoods were affected by environmental issues everyday.

"I think that's what started [an interest in environmental work] for me," Ruth says. "I just hear the voices of so many people in my head- telling their stories." I seriously learned more in that year than I have learned in any year of my entire life."

Upon returning to college, she felt it was her duty to continue her involvement with activism, and joined SEAC. After only one year with the group, she took up the position of president of the coalition.

Ruth, now a senior, feels lucky to have gained the perspectives she has after experiencing environmental issues in a national scope. I looked at political and environmental issues from all different sides," she says. "Before [the trip] I kinda looked at the environmental side of it, but talking to a logger and hearing his point of view of it made me confused, but it also made me realize how complex issues are."

Ruth believes those who haven't had the opportunity to become as educated on those issues are often too quick to take a rigid stance on the seesaw of environmental topics. For Ruth, it's just not as black and white as it may seem. It's not all one sided," she says.

For Earth week, Ruth says she will be happy if small changes are made individually. She's not expecting a huge rise in campus activism.

"I feel successful if someone stops at our tables, or stops to talk to us, or stops to ask what we're doing to say, 'oh, I didn't know that!' when they learn something new," she says. "That's enough for me."

 

Copyright ©2000 Emily Harradon
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