Top 100 Eco Heroes
Posted by DavidM in Green Politics | 30 November 2006
The Environment Agency's poll of the top 100 Eco-Heroes contains many obvious candidates as well as a few surprises. The poll was created through peer votes - who environmentalists felt were the biggest heroes.
Rachel Carson was voted in at number one. The publication of Silent Spring in 1962 had a major impact and the EA says many environmentalists see her as 'the patron saint of the Green movement'.
At number two is EF Schumacher, another author, this time of Small is Beautiful, which challenged economic thinking and man's 'battle against nature'.
Third is Jonathon Porritt who I first saw on TV when he was director of Friends of the Earth. As a teenager he was the first 'environmental' person I saw who struck a chord with me.
The surpises start a little lower down. The Prince of Wales is outspoken and gains publicity due to his standing but I wouldn't have thought of him as the 7th most influential person ever on the environment.
The first politicians come in at 9th and 10th. Al Gore comes one place above Gro Harlem Brundtland, the female Norwegian Prime Minister. At the same time as Thatcher took Britain increasingly capitalist, Brundtland promoted 'sustainable development'.
On the celebrity side, David Attenborough deservedly comes in 4th and David Bellamy at 18th. Arnold Schwarzenegger comes in at a surprising 29th, but the man reviled for his penchant for Hummers is awarded hero status for his green approach as Governor of California.
There's even room for a fictional couple - Tom and Barbara Good from the 1970's programme The Good Life about a corporate manager who chucks it in and lives a sustainable life. Looking back it was amazingly far-sighted of the BBC.
At number 53 is Swampy, probably not known outside the UK. He brought eco-activism to the TV screens of the UK during his protests against road building, being the last to emerge from a series of tunnels to stop the building of the A30 in Devon.
What I like about this poll is not that I agree with it 100% but rather that it gives an excellent overview of the breadth of characters who have played a major part in making a difference. From politicians and activists to actors and scientists, from the very rich to those with almost nothing.
As a group these heroes should serve as an inspiration to us all, whether our personal impact is large or small.
