Have you ever heard the story of the starfish?

Conservation always seems to cause conflict within individuals.  It is often hard to believe that one person doing one small action can make a difference in the world –especially for something as critical as climate change.  If you have ever heard the story of the starfish, you might be a bit more optimistic when it comes to conservation…

The story begins with an old man walking along a beach.  A young boy watches the man as he picks up a starfish off the sand and gently throws it back into the water.  The boy watches for a while and sees the man saving starfish by starfish.  The boy finally walks up to the old man and asks him why he is bothering to throw them back.  The beach is covered in starfish; he will never make a difference.  The man responds by picking up another starfish and telling the boy, “It made a difference for that one.”

This story exhibits how the little things in life may not start a movement, but it can make a difference somehow. Maniates (2001) refers to this type of action as “individualization of responsibility.”  This could be described as a calling for “individuals to understand themselves as citizens in a participatory democracy arst, working together to change broader policy and larger social institutions, and as consumers second” (Maniates, 2001).  There is an obligation for citizens to respect natural resources and upkeep the land.  This theory blames the consumer for choosing unsustainable lifestyles and often lacks collective, public action.

Maniates suggests that the proper course to take for environmental action would involve long-term projects encompassing communal policy throughout the public that encourages conservation and reduces the use of fossil fuels and other harmful facets from industrial products.  This makes me wonder: why can citizens not work together to each do their part to conserve while creating a communal responsibility of sorts?  This may be glass-half-full; but haven’t you ever heard the story of the starfish?