LSP Environmental Studies Community Event Reports

Chelsea Ruplin Professor Schwartz
Environmental Studies December 9, 2008

After stressing about time running out before I could get to a community event, I was relieved in last Wednesday’s class when I learned of all the various opportunities that were still available. As I was too paranoid to procrastinate one more day, I attended the discussion on career paths that benefit the environment that evening, Wednesday December 3rd. The discussion panel was hosted by New York University’s Wagner school and was held in the Puck building on Lafayette. The discussion was led by four individuals who formerly attended the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and now hold jobs whose purposes are to increase environmental awareness and/or improve environmental conditions. The speakers and their respective jobs were: Meredith Bergmann, who assists a NYC film and television company make environmentally-sound decisions, Les Judd, who actually founded his own company called Green Boroughs, Samantha MacBride, who is an administrative official for the state of NY that lobbies for improved waste management methods, and finally Joshua Kleinberg, who works for the NY League of Conservation voters. The discussion between these four accomplished environmental advocates was conducted in a relatively laid back manner. In addition, the audience was comprised mainly of students, which I also liked because as the speakers were also former students, it provoked participation, as no one seemed to be intimidated by anyone in the room.

However, one thing I noticed was the fervor that each panelist possessed toward his or her field. As they shared their work-related and environmental experiences, it was clear that some of them, respectfully of course, disagreed with each other. The most heated and intriguing part of the discussion occurred when Samantha MacBride advocated taking environmental concerns straight to the nation’s capital. As she felt this was the most effective way of making environmental progress, Joshua Kleinberg quickly countered her statement by claiming that it was more realistic to accomplish change on a smaller scale, like a local level. Although neither of the two panelists was wrong, as the statement is based on opinion, I have to agree more with Joshua Kleinberg’s approach. It always seems as though changes are only made in Washington D.C. if the issue gets serious national attention, which can be very difficult to achieve. Therefore, if a concerned group of college students or even a sector of a notable company wants to make a relatively immediate change, it does seem as though starting off with local legislators would be a more effective and fruitful approach. Then if an amendment is made and passed by a local or state government, perhaps it will have more of a chance of being incorporated into the national law spectrum at some point.

Overall, this experience was new to me. Despite the fact that I have attended discussion panels in the past, I have never attended one in relation to environmentally conscious careers. The speakers who interested and inspired me most were Meredith Bergmann and Les Judd. As Bergmann discussed her efforts in making entertainment companies more eco-friendly, my interest was sparked because I realized that was a very effective approach towards making people aware of environmentally friendly behaviors. As large production companies are widely known and constantly in the media, their utilization of “green” methods of operation, such as improved waste disposal (which is one area that Bergmann focuses on), could be very influential as they have the means of becoming widely advertised. My interest also piqued when listening to Les Judd’s description of his company’s mission. After listening to him talk about the break down of his website and its purpose, which is to inform people how “green” certain companies really are, I actually went online at home and checked certain things out for myself. On greenboroughs.com there is a very informative homepage that gives background on Judd himself and the company’s goals and tasks and there are also links that lead to pages on “Green Business Marketing”, “Corporate Green Events”, “Sustainable Living in NYC”, and “Walking Tours”, which I particularly thought was awesome! I am a big fan of guided walking tours, as I think it is a fun way to become enlightened that is more interactive and hands on than simply sitting through a lecture or something of that nature. According to greenborough.com the mission of the walking tour is to show people how “green” businesses operate, how the owners went about making the change, and what the products of “green” companies physically are like. This is a great way to educate, for it allows people to experience something for themselves as opposed to simply taking a person’s word for something.

In conclusion, this discussion panel was definitely informative. As the world is in a state of environmental crisis, actions need to be made towards improving human habits and the condition of the globe. Although this discussion only reached a small handful of people within the NYC community, the knowledge that we acquired from this meeting can be passed on by word of mouth. It is better to start somewhere as opposed to nowhere at all. In addition the same concept that Joshua Kleinberg was trying to relay can be applied to this situation. As it is sometimes easier to start making changes locally as opposed to nationally, the same concept can be applied when trying to spread awareness. It is easier to gather a conference room full of people than a stadium full. However, once some are educated, they can take what they know and spread that information to others. In addition, environmental action is on the rise as NYU and NYC as a whole seem to be making steps towards becoming more “green” and environmentally friendly in their operations.

http://nyc.indymedia.org/images/2006/08/74665.jpg

Link to picture of Samantha MacBride, employee of the NYC Department of Sanitation

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/08/green-boroughs-nyc-sustainability-course.php

Link to picture of a green boroughs add for classes on sustainable living