Red, White, and Green: Can American Patriotism Fuel Environmental Reform?
Uncle Sam in Zion National Park. Source: AI-generated image via ChatGPT
Reimagining Patriotism in a Time of Climate Crisis
In 2024, the Pew Research Center surveyed individuals, asking for one word that respondents may offer to describe American politics. Survey results indicated that the word, paradoxically, that brought responses together was the word divisive. Viewing the concept of alienating practices of politics in the United States within the lens of the last twelve years, it is clear that politics are being bookended by the current President Donald Trump’s second term. Democrats and Republicans each view one another as a threat to their respective parties. In another study conducted by the Pew Research Center, it was found that 27% of Democrats see Republicans as a threat to the nation’s well-being; 36% of Republicans see the same in their Democratic counterparts. In the same study, results suggest that there has been an increase in political polarization as well. Citizens are passionate about their respective ideas and opinions are indeed being voiced, which often reflect the foundations of a democracy, a rule by the people. The concept of political passion is a concept I often observe as a student at UNC-Chapel Hill; if I had to describe the school on political terms, I would deem it passionately political, with individuals from both Democratic and Republican sides being extremely vocal about their opinions, whether that is through protesting, or speaking and advertising in outdoor spaces on campus.
Political energy, as it is defined in the context of pride and loyalty towards one’s country, may be defined more formally within politics as nationalism. Such pride in individual parties often acts as a catalyst in the fire of political division. With the existence of so much political energy, perhaps what is now a divide may be used to bring those from opposite sides together. With this, I became curious about how an excess of political energy in the United States may be reframed for positive change in other facets of national lawmaking, namely, environmental policy. In the following section, I intend to use a concept called Greenwashing and American nationalism as case studies for reimagining environmental policy, and more broadly, environmental justice, in the United States, perhaps providing a framework for thinking differently about how and in what locations national pride may be channeled.
Greenwashing
Environmental greenwashing refers to when a company, governing body, or, in this case, a country, claims to advocate for aspects concerning environmental protection, but ultimately fails to do so. Environmental greenwashing is a concept that has been recently exposed in the United States, as policies still exist from past administrations, vowing to protect and advocate for the environment. In 1970, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was signed into law. Since the current President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January of this year, the country has seen a slew of environmental policy rollbacks. For instance, many regulations from the NEPA have been rescinded, acting as one of many diminishing environmental policy measures taken in the country since January. Environmental policy reductions are currently being carried out by the current administration in the name of fiscal responsibilities of the United States; that is, effectively managing resources, particularly money, perhaps under the ideology that caring for the environment is not possible in the eyes of effective economic growth. To this, a quote by the U.S. Representative, Claudine Schneider, comes to mind: “A healthy ecology is the basis for a healthy economy.” Providing quantitative backing for this claim, statistics released by the Environmental Protection Agency suggest quite the opposite, claiming that contributing to environmental policy (comparing areas of economic growth to a reduction in emissions) has led to positive contributions to sectors such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Population of the United States.
Our Nation’s Air. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Symbols and Green Goals
What does it mean to Love Your Country? In the words of 19th-century naturalist John Muir, he writes, “[O]nly Uncle Sam [can] save our country’s land for future generations to enjoy.” Muir’s philosophy ultimately led to the creation of the National Park Service in 1916. Widely considered as a symbol of nationalism in the United States, Uncle Sam serves as a pillar for what it means to Love Your Country.
Green Nationalism. AI-generated image via ChatGPT
In the eyes of environmental policymakers and those passionate about advocating for the ecology of the United States, what it means to love one’s country may be summed up into a single statement: to advocate for all aspects of what it means to live. For instance, funding the National Parks Service, a critical stakeholder in American culture, a nearly 110-year-old country-wide program, serves as a means by which to be proud of what the country holds. After all, National Parks account for 3.4% of the total land in the United States; 84% of American citizens have visited at least one National Park. With this, National Parks may be considered a critical component of what it means to be and live within American ecology. In 2023, American National Parks contributed over $50 billion to the country’s economy. With this, a question may be raised: Considering the degree of nationalism that is perhaps engrossed in the American nature scene, why, in 2025, is such an economic powerhouse and symbol of what it means to be American, a program that is being so heavily defunded under the current administration? In order to repair the concept of what it means to Love Your Country, the conception of American nationalism must be reframed to current supporters of defunding environmental policy in the United States. America’s ecology is a critical aspect of what it means to be an American citizen, providing a framework for economic growth and a cohesive, green American identity.