A New Generation of Environmental Activists?

I'm usually not one for public speaking -- I get nervous, my hands clam up -- or for shout outs. But here goes.

To the bright kids in Lucia Plumb-Reyes's chemistry class at the Bronx Theater High School, I say: keep it up! We need you now more than ever.

Quickly, here's the story. My good friend Lucia invited me to speak to her class on any topic of my choosing. Having harbored a dream of teaching, and a passion for the environment, I chose to talk about urban environmental issues, and a bit of environmental justice. After all, her class -- inner city kids primarily of color -- have been under-represented by the environmental movement. One of my interests has always been how to reframe the discussion of environmental issues from conserving pristine, far away spaces, to include the often degraded spaces in which we live. To the people traditionally underrepresented by the environmental movement.

This was an opportunity I couldn't turn down.

Or so I thought until I arrived a few minutes early. The class she was finishing up was terribly inattentive, barely able to follow along let alone answer a question. I thought I was aiming too high, that I had made a terrible mistake.

And so I was stunned by the knowledge, and focus, of her chemistry class. They knew the basics of climate science, and brought with them a concern for the environment. I actually had to scrap much of my climate science review, and engage in the broader debates. They asked questions about technology, about wind farms in Germany, and anticipated topics I was going to cover.

Two examples stand out.

First, while I was talking about the growing water shortage, I picked out a girl in the front row (apologies to her!) and held up her Poland Spring water bottle to talk about consumer choices, about the quality of bottled water vs. tap, and other issues. When I put it back down, I overheard her say, "I didn't know."

But that's the point: they want to know. Young adults like this in urban areas are concerned about their environment. They're smart. They're knowledgeable. But we need to spend more time educating them about environmental issues. And we need to make sure their interests are represented in our courts, and in our laws.

This brings me to my second point. When I was wrapping up, I was talking about what they can do. About how our democratic system is an open system. That with enough pressure applied to their congressmen, or their local representatives, they can have an influence. But as I was saying this, I was aware of the fact that not only are their interests still underrepresented, but that the environment -- now more than forty years after some say "Silent Spring" launched the movement -- continues to struggle for influence as well.

I wish them luck. We need a new generation of environmental activists from urban areas. Maybe, just maybe, one of them is in this picture? We can only hope so.