University of Virginia Library

Ecology Activists Maintain Local Movement

By MARY ANN HUEY

"Working To Effect Change On All Levels Of Society"

The late 1960's was
a turbulent period punctuated
by "movements" of every size,
shape and persuasion.
Somewhere, someone
rediscovered the word
"ecology," and it soon became
a focal point in the vocabulary
of newscasters, editors, party
hostesses, liberals,
conservatives, and even the
President. Conservationists
enjoyed a renewed popularity,
and became "environmentalists."

The "ecology movement"
was born with a flourish on
Earth Day, 1969. Today there
is a curious absence of the
superficial glitter that heralded
the arrival of "ecology." The
faddists have been replaced by
a heterogeneous group of
dedicated individuals working
to effect change on all levels of
society.

What attracts people to the
Ecology Movement of the
seventies?

Second-year man Barry
Selkin of Charlottesville
Friends of the Earth (CFOE),
represents the sentiments of
most members.

"It's the only grassroots
environmental organization on
the Grounds for people like me
who want to do something
constructive."

Munching on organic
corn chips and sipping apple
cider at a recent CFOE
meeting, member Terry Skelly
added another dimension.
"The initial reason I joined was
personal contact with the
people in the group. They are
an interested, alive group.
There's a lot of room for
personal initiative."

Tri-Coordinator of CFOE
Christine McKay commented
further about the structure of
the Friends. "We're extremely
flexible," she said. "Our whole
philosophy is centered around
action, and if someone has an
idea and can work out a plan
to put it into effect, we say
'Okay, if you will assume
responsibility for this project,
we'll pitch in and help.'"

Another organization, Legal
Environment Group (LEG),
combines the flexibility of a
grassroots organization with
the skills of the legal
profession. The members of
this group respond to projects
initiated within the group as
well as those requested by
outside sources.

Members of LEG hold open
meetings in vacant classrooms
emphasizing a casual
atmosphere. Typical
discussions revolve around
group projects and topics to be
included in Legwork, their
nationally circulated
publication, which, according
to editor Jeremy Kahn, "acts
as a source of information for
individual citizens that have
environmental problems."

Across the Grounds in
Campbell Hall, a group of
landscape architecture faculty
and students are attempting to
parallel LEG's application of
professional skills
in environmental planning.
Assc. Prof. of Landscape
Architecture Larry
Heackenberg described the
impending formation of this
viable student group as an
organization that "one could
take questions to which are
environment-concerned in a
design sort of way." He
explained that interested
architecture students could
then "deal with and show
alternatives to specific
problems" presented to them.

Possible projects for this
group might include
investigation of the effects of
widening Main Street as well as
proposals of alternatives as to
what could be done
"environmentally to clean up
fraternity row."

With the publication of Paul
Erlich's The Population Bomb
five years ago, the problem of