LSP Environmental Studies Community Event Reports

On Wednesday evening, December 3rd, I attended a panel discussion on environmental careers at the Puck Building, sponsored by NYU’s Wagner school. The four panelists were all former students of the Wagner school and currently have careers in the environment. The speakers included Meredith Bergmann, Les Judd, Joshua Klainberg, and Samantha MacBride. Each talked about their experiences in different careers in or around New York City that helped to conserve the environment. Meredith Bergmann works as a partner for a firm that deals with film and television productions, and helps them make more environment-friendly decisions. Joshua Klainberg works for the New York League of Conservation Voters, a political action organization that works to make environmental issues the priority of elected officials, both local and national. Les Judd is the founder of a business called Green Boroughs, whose mission is to “promote green business and sustainable living in the five boroughs of New York through educational, marketing, and networking services.” Samantha MacBride works for the NYC Department of Sanitation, and works on public policy regarding waste management and recycling. All of these careers help to improve our environment, often from the perspective of politics and public policy.
The moderator of the discussion also had a career in the environment, working as a coordinator for the Wagner school’s programs. He had only graduated NYU two years ago and took the position after graduating. According to him, his position existed in 40 schools across the country when he was a freshman, and today there are several hundred such positions. This exponential growth of such programs at the university level is a testament to the growth of the green movement in our country.
Approximately 30 students were in attendance at the discussion, which was conducted in an informal environment. This was effective, as it allowed for a good deal of interaction with the audience. The panelists each talked about their careers, then had some interaction with each other about the similarities and differences or their work, which was interesting. They then opened the floor for questions from the audience. Addressing a group of mainly Wagner students, who would soon be entering the market for jobs in the environment field, there was a degree of optimism. Since the green movement is currently growing, jobs will be opening up for thousands of young workers. Also, one panelist encouraged people to stay local rather than going to Washington D.C., stressing that most problems can be better addressed at local levels rather than on a national level.
Ms. Bergmann’s career was quite interesting, as she discussed how she worked with film studios to make environment friendly productions. It was encouraging and a little bit surprising to hear that large studios, such as NBC/Universal, were willing to take part in the green movement. She talked about how she advised studios on environment friendly construction, as well as disposal of waste. To her, there was nothing more satisfying than taking unusable waste products and finding something do to with them. Also interesting was the career of Mr. Klainberg, whose organization analyzes politicians’ environmental records and stances, and makes endorsements based on these. His office analyzes the positions of politicians on many issues, ranging from nuclear power to construction.
Overall, the event was worthwhile, because it educated me on the wide variety of careers that one can work in to effect positive change on the world. It seems as if the country is beginning to see the need for environment friendly decision making with respect to everything in our daily lives, and it seems as if this movement is still growing fast. While NYU and New York City is probably at the forefront of this transition, it seems as if the future is encouraging.