Thoreau as a Practical Environmentalist

Living in the woods, as Thoreau did at Walden Pond is not a practical means of living, even he conceded that. That does not mean, however, that Thoreau’s experiences and insight in Walden went to waste. There is a lot that can be taken out of Walden for the contemporary reader. What exactly, however, has been long discussed and debated. One main point of contention has been how best to interpret or place the work. Experts argue whether Walden is to be read philosophically, politically, culturally, spiritually or numerous other ways. While Walden offers some credence to numerous interpretations, treating it as a “practical environmentalist’s volume,” like McKibben suggests, is helpful for modern day environmentalism as Thoreau’s ideas put to work would be a good method to improve society’s mindset and likewise mankind’s sustainability and protection of the environment.

While Thoreau had little insight into what was happening to the environment as the world industrialized around him, in his philosophy towards how to live life, he unintentionally lived his life in a sustainable, practical way that is applicable today. Throughout his works Thoreau “was offering counsel and example exactly suited for our perilous moment in time”(McKibben ix). Thoreau knew little of problems we face today like pollution, global warming or destruction of the ozone. This does not mean, however, that his ideas do not offer something to discussion on how to slow these destructive forces. Thoreau focuses on the idea of a simplistic life. He states “the necessities of man … may … be distributed under the several heads of Food, Shelter, Clothing, and Fuel” (Thoreau ?). Anything more is too much, and many people waste their time working so hard even when they a...

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...of the problems we are currently having in the environment. If people only took what they needed then there would be a lot less waste and pollution. While it may be highly impractical to expect people to give up material possessions in today’s society, some small step, even, could be highly beneficial for the environment. Regardless, it is prudent to see the practical side of Thoreau’s writings, especially as we head into uncertainty on how to preserve the environment.

Works Cited

Botkin, Daniel B. "The Depth of Walden Pond: Thoreau As a Guide to Solving Twenty-First

Century Environmental Problems." The Concord Saunterer 9 (2001): 4-14. JSTOR. Web.

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McKibben, Bill. Introduction. Walden. By Henry David Thoreau. Boston: Beacon, 1997. vii-xxiii. Print.

Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. Boston: Beacon, 1997. Print.