Question #3

In the book Devoted to Nature: The Religious Roots of American Environmentalism, Evan Berry has examined the way American environmentalism has become attached to religion and religious experiences. One of his goals of this novel is to steer the conversation of American environmentalism away from the technical or political aspects of it and steer it more towards the theological or ethical point of view. This objective is imperative to expanding the understanding of the general population of America. The way I view this objective is that Berry wants more groups of people from every walk of life to be able to talk about this and understand it. Also, if you consider American environmentalism from a theological or ethical point of view, it brings up different types of issues or observations when thinking about it in different ways. He also mentions that environmentalists should  not look at in the way of "historical redemption," this means that we should not focus on the past and how the environment was harmed. We cannot change the past therefore it is not worth trying to change. We have to focus on the now and what we can change that is happening right now. The way that the conversation is changing in America now is, the best example, this book. The fact that this book was taught in class is expanding the conversation to different groups of people. Another way mentioned that this conversation is spreading is through club journals or information newsletters at state parks of through a mail service. These organizations at least make an effort to include some information in these letters about the environment and how we are affecting it. These efforts are successful in expanding the conversation about American environmentalism.