I was sick Friday, so unfortunately I was unable to attend the video conference. My response is just going to be based on the summary Professor Nicholson gave in the question. I apologize if I am misinterpreting Maniates ideas and my response makes no sense.

The combination of the assumptions of the Trinity of Despair really would leave one feeling helpless in their ability to effect any change in the state and treatment of the environment and I think they are aptly named. Many environmentalists do follow these trains of thought. It does seem a daunting task to try to educate and mobilize the entire world. In response to the ES point, I would argue, however, that oftentimes environmentalists don’t assume that the easy stuff will necessarily build a social movement. Rather, I think that the easy stuff receives a lot of focus because it is assumed that the general public won’t want to take the political and economic actions necessary to organize and resist the existing political economic system from which stems much environmental damage. The push for the “easy stuff” can have some value in just getting people to think about the effect they are having. It can, however, result in a false sense that one has done their part in helping the environment by such small tasks that really impact little overall.