Some people hold their religious beliefs as the most sacred thing about their character. For centuries people have placed belief in religion in its own special category when it comes to working conditions and hiring practices. It has long been illegal to discriminate against a person based on their religious beliefs and companies are forced to honor all major religious holidays or risk being sued. Some see this as an unfair practice, as it rewards those people who believe in God, while seemingly punishing those who do not. This is all about to change after a recent lawsuit which added environmentalism to the list of belief systems which are protected by the law.
A recent court ruling gave an executive the right to sue his employer on the grounds that he was fired for his green views. The judge in the case ruled that environmentalism should have the same legal weight as religious beliefs. The controversy began after Timothy Nicholson was dismissed from his position as head of sustainability at Grainger plc after classing with management over his green views. Nicholson claims that the company treated his green concerns with contempt after he refused to take a flight for a business trip, citing his green views as his reasoning behind the refusal.
Nicholson made the case that his views were based on science and not faith and should therefore be treated with at least the same respect as religious views if not more. This decision cleared a path for future law suits in which employees could claim their green lifestyles were not accounted for or accepted by their employer.
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