Green Baby Names

Where do you turn if you want to choose awriting.
"green" baby name for your upcoming child - aIn the environmental field, girls have their heroes
name that will truly embody some aspect of theas much as boys do. Here, it is impossible not to
environmental movement? It's a tempting idea -begin the list with perhaps the most famous
after all, the environmental movement, likewoman environmentalist of all time, Rachel Carson.
children, is all about our future and the future ofAn American biologist, conservationist, and nature
the planet.writer, who lived from 1907 to 1964, Carson is
I saw a "green" baby name list recently that waswidely credited with helping increase environmental
comprised of names from nature like Skye,awareness around the world with her 1962 classic,
Storm, River, and so forth, and it seemed to meSilent Spring. Her book spurred the banning of the
that such a list misses the mark. Those arepesticide DDT in the United States and helped
"nature" names - a cool category of baby names,spark the modern environmental movement. For
but not "green" in the sense of the modernbaby girl names, it is a happy coincidence that
environmental movement.Carson makes a beautiful middle name!
One of the best ways to go green is to choose aSecond, Jane Goodall, born 1934, has made her
baby name from one of the true pioneers of thename almost synonymous with conservation. An
environmental movement - to name a child afterEnglish anthropologist and primatologist, Goodall is
one of the great environmentalists who madefamous for her lifelong study of chimpanzees in
such important contributions to our knowledge ofTanzania, and internationally recognized for her
our world. In their day, they may have beenwork in the protection of primates and their
laughed at as oddballs, jeered as "tree-huggers,"habitats.
and generally marginalized. Today, looking back,Third, Dian Fossey, 1932 to 1985, is another
we can see that they were true visionaries.environmental hero, and sadly one who gave her
Most of them had fairly ordinary first names. Alife for the cause she cherished. An American
good way to adopt one of these green babyzoologist and gorilla expert, and an ardent
names is to use both the first name and lastconservationist, Fossey was brutally killed in an
name of a great environmentalist as the first andunsolved murder at her cabin in the Virunga
middle names for your baby. In most cases, theirMountains of Rwanda, where she had dedicated
last names work beautifully as middle namesher life to the study and preservation of the
today!mountain gorillas.
Here is a list of five green baby names for boysFourth, also in Africa, works Wangari Maathai.
and girls, honoring the pioneers of theBorn in 1940, Maathai was the founder of Kenya's
environmental movement. Any child today givenGreen Belt Movement, active in battling
such a notable name would surely have a namedeforestation in Kenya. She was the recipient of
for the future.the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for her environmental
For boys, where else to start but with Henryactivism.
David Thoreau? In this case, Henry David wouldFinally, back in the United States, a world away
be all that's needed to make the namefrom Africa but driven by similar passion, was Lois
recognizable. Thoreau, 1817-1862, was an author,Gibbs. Born in 1951, Gibbs became a pioneer
a naturalist, and a philosopher, and his writings onactivist against toxic dumping, spurred by the
natural history helped plant the seeds of modernnotorious Love Canal dumping in Niagara Falls, New
day environmentalism.York. Gibbs was the founder of the Love Canal
Second, consider Aldo Leopold, 1887-1948.Homeowners Association, which fought hazardous
Leopold, the author of the ecological classic, Awaste dumping in Niagara Falls. Her work helped
Sand County Almanac, was an American ecologistestablished America's "Superfund," the
and environmentalist, and is considered a pioneergovernment program responsible for toxic waste
in environmental ethics and wildernesscleanup. She went on to become Executive
preservation.Director of the Center for Health, Environment
Third, David Brower is a name well-known toand Justice.
anyone interested in the history ofThese are just a few of the names of the
environmentalism. Brower, who lived from 1912 toheroes, men and women, who helped build the
2000, was an activist and environmentalist whoenvironmental movement in the United States and
believed in organizing people. He founded Friendsaround the world. Today, as an energy crisis and
of the Earth, the League of Conservation Voters,global warming beset the planet, the work that
and other environmental organizations.these men and women began is the foundation
Fourth, for boys, the name John Muir would makeupon which future environmental action will be
an outstanding first and middle name combination.built. Nothing could be more important for the
Muir, (1838-1914), is a towering figure of Americanhuman race. If you are looking for a "green" baby
environmentalism. He was a committedname this Earth Day, you need look no further
preservationist who founded the Sierra Club, andthan among the humble names of the
his writings are treasured today as fundamentalmovement's pioneers. Many parents name their
texts of environmental awareness.children after heroes of one sort or another. But
Finally, for boys' names, the name Edward Abbey,few will be as meaningful as a name chosen from
1927-1989, is a "green" baby name with a colorfulthis particular group. Like Superman and
heritage. Abbey, besides being an environmentalSuperwoman, these heroes truly have helped to
activist, was an author. His book, The Monkey"save the planet.
Wrench Gang, is a classic of radical environmental