RE: Public Participation

[Rich Puchalsky <rpuchalsky@att.net>]

LaTonya Spencer writes:

"Especially in minority communities, they don't understand a whole lot about the environment. I am presently trying to seek ways to get minority/EJ communities first educated about the environment (basics like conserving water, energy, etc. things that concerne their everyday living), second introduce the the site that may surround their area [...] "

Why should you spend time with issues like conserving water and energy?  If there are things people can do that will help them save money, then I guess that could be helpful, but usually people are motivated to save money already.  In terms of environmental issues, these really don't matter; people in EJ communities have a negligible effect on our society's water and energy use.  Now, if you were going to speak to people in Beverly Hills, that kind of talk might make sense.

There is a tendency to tell people that we are all responsible for environmental problems and that our focus should be on recycling, conserving, and other acts of personal virtue.  That is nonsense.  Most environmental damage is caused by a very small fraction of the population, those who make millions of dollars from it.  Convincing the government to include SUVs within normal car MPG standards would save more gas than convincing all every SUV owner in the country not to fuel up for a month.