Why Environmental Nonprofits Need to Hire More Poor People
Classism in the ENGO World Limits Innovation, Wastes Resources & Stagnates Progress
Where we live in Mexico, very few physical items have only one purpose.
A large container of laundry soap might be cut in half and drilled with holes and used as a planter. So might a stack of old tires.
A large container of laundry soap might also be used as a navigation buoy.
A stick from a tree might be used in place of the original metal — lost to events from years ago — to hold up a tent.
A shipping pallet might be used to construct a fence.
A pair of gardening shears might double to pare down a pet’s claws.
I have seen or done all of these, recently. It’s not a big deal.
Of course, this sort of ingenuity and pragmatism doesn’t seem to be common among the wealthier of citizens, but it is commonplace and does not feel at all shameful to be resourceful, efficient, waste-saving, and economical in this fashion in the community where we live. By most accounts, the people who we meet and who live around us who regularly approach life with this sort of pragmatism are “poor.” I use this term deliberately, to highlight the discomfort…
