I decided to attend an event called Social Justice, Health and the Environment Coffeehouse at the Reformed Church of Highland Park. Dean of Rutgers Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy Michael Greenburg, was the guest speaker for the event. Correspondingly, activist poet and A.I.D.S. researcher Sam Friedman added a bit of comic relief to the program by reading a few poems he wrote to express the love that he has for his environment.
Dr. Greenburg started off the presentation by giving a little bit of background about himself. Of course, he is a Dean and distinguished professor at Rutgers University however in addition, his professional accomplishments include being the …show more content…
Greenburg strongly suggested that we as citizens of the Unites States need to start caring more about Mother Earth and protecting the very place that we take for granted every day. He went on to explain that there are individuals who are “excessive” conservationist, just as there are individuals who will not care about this matter even if you lay out all the facts to them. Moreover, he explained that there are individuals whose beliefs are stuck in the middle and those are the very people whom we should be focusing our time and energy on by educating them on the horrors of pipeline expansions and dangers to the environment in general. He firmly believes that this sort of advocacy needs to be done by every day citizens rather than an expert like himself. Dr. Greenburg elaborated on the fact that people resonate better and trust the ideals and beliefs of their neighbors more than an “expert” who they believe is trying to force their opinions on them. Additionally, after educating our family. neighbors, and community, we need to branch out to a wider population. It is essential that we inform the public about current issues so that they are encouraged to take action. Many individuals do not pay attention to their surroundings thus are uniformed about the potential threats to our environment. It is up to us to contact the media, organize local activist meetings, create pod casts, write newsletters, form petitions, and do anything else in out power to get information out there. If we are successful in bringing attention to environmental issues to those who have the power to create change such as celebrities, politicians, and the media in general, our cause will be increasingly successful. Another strategy that we can take part in to protect the environment is partaking in research. The more we learn about the detrimental effects that humans bring upon the environment, the more that can be done to reverse these damages before it is too late. We need to first unite