Ecological citizenship and identity politics: A public philosophical inquiry into navigating the tension

In “Restoring Ecological Citizenship,” Light contrasts ecological citizenship with an ecological identity model, arguing that for environmental governance, we ought to prioritize citizen responsibilities over recognition of identity. Four specific tendencies of identity politics complicate its applicability to environmental problems; that it can be insular, hierarchical, nativist, and exclusionary. Following Light's own call for public philosophy, we look to the urban agricultural community in Lansing, MI for ways to navigate these four tendencies. This communities’ practical politics show that the supposed tensions between Light’s two models are not insurmountable, and that if inclusive community building should prioritize the recognition of diverse identities, it can do so without undermining ecological sustainability. This promises an urban ecological citizenship through which the community and the environment are open to democratic reconstruction, and that identity is a key nutrient in nourishing just and inclusive ecosystems.