M y cell phone background is a photo of a waterfall in Puerto Rico. My specialization is environmental studies. In June, I will go on a backpacking trip in Costa Rica. This semester, I took a class called Voluntary Simplicity, which was about living with less. I have been to conferences about environmental education and activism. I try to recycle everyday. My friends know they cannot litter – at least, not in front of me. Long story short, I love nature.

To some, I am a great example of a tree hugger, hippie, nature freak and I have even heard people call me a “tree humper.” I honestly do not understand why some of these names have been used to describe people who love nature and want to protect it. Let me start by saying I have never, ever hugged a tree. Saying someone is a nature freak sounds very freaky, and do not even get me started on the term “tree humper.”

None of the characterizations above describe me. Even when I consider how hippies were very cool — I wish I could have gone to Woodstock and seen Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix — I am not a hippie. Every time I tell someone my specialization is going to be in environmental studies, even though my major is journalism, I often get comments like this from people I do not even know very well.

It is funny (kind of) that many of the people who use those adjectives are the ones who do not understand the concept of environmentalism. Environmentalism is the idea or philosophy that arises from the concerns of environmental issues and the protection of the Earth. In other words, the word environmentalist can be used for anyone who genuinely cares about the environment that surrounds him or her and the planet we live on.

There is another term that people often mix up with other concepts: environmental activist. Activists are the people fighting for the protection of the environment in different ways: protesting, researching and advocating. Activists are on the front lines, and as such, they are more likely to be arrested and are the target of people who erroneously claim there is “no such thing as climate change.”

I feel that I can be both an environmentalist and an activist. Although some might think being these things make me a “freak,” being an environmentalist does not mean we just care about protecting an endangered species or a lake facing the threat of pollution. It is about more than that. I do it because I think everyone deserves a healthy place to live. I am an environmentalist because I am grateful for living and breathing, which I owe to the trees around us. The fact that I am speechless every time I am in front of a waterfall makes me understand the direct connection between humans and nature. The sun makes me happy and the snow does, too, and I want to enjoy those few free things we still have and have taken for granted: the beach, the lake, the river, the sun, the snow, the trees, the life.

I also will admit there are some things about injustices that move me and make me want to speak up. More people should recognize there are things such as environmental racism, where some ethnicities and races are more likely to live in neighborhoods with higher rates of industrial pollution. It moves me to know there are places in the U.S. that do not have running water. Millions of people are suffering because others have been negligent with the environment.

I may or may not have “environmental lover” in my Twitter and Instagram account bios, but that is not important. What is important is that we, the “tree humpers,” the freaks, the hippies, the activists and the environmentalists, share something in common: our love for the environment is immense and we care about it every day of our lives.

I am an environmentalist and activist because I want my nephews, nieces and my kids (although there is still a lot of time for that) to enjoy the beautiful things life can offer us. I want to live in a simpler way as well — in connection with the environment, Earth and the universe. I want others to realize the importance of protecting the environment and caring about it... and for those of you who still have that question in your mind: yes, I shower every day.

Sergio Martínez-Beltrán is a State News reporter. Reach him at smartinez@statenews.com.