Americans know more about pop culture than global warming, said Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his speech "Our Environmental Destiny" in Bender Arena Wednesday night.
Kennedy, who has been named one of Time magazine's "Heroes for the Planet," is also a distinguished environmentalist, best-selling author and former New York City district attorney. In addition, Kennedy is the senior attorney for the National Resources Defense Council and president of the Waterkeeper Alliance.
President Bush "put polluters at the head of [environmental] agencies," and these individuals are currently trying to "subvert the very laws that they are now in charge of enforcing," Kennedy said.
Kennedy also attacked what he believes is a "negligent and indolent press" and argued that there is "no such thing as a liberal media in this country. There is a right-wing media."
The problem is that "five guys decide what Americans hear as news; their only obligation is to their shareholders," he said, which has led to a "huge gap between reality and perception."
Kennedy said that he thought the Democratic takeover of Congress would help prevent "some of the really dastardly stuff the president has planned for us."
In an interview with The Eagle after his speech, Kennedy said that in order to bring the relevance of environmental issues to their home districts, members of Congress must "connect the dots" for their constituents because "part of leadership is explaining reality to the public."
Arielle Burlett, a junior in the School of Communication, said she thought Kennedy addressed a variety of environmental concerns that people should take seriously.
"He provided a lot of serious information that hopefully will make people think about the importance of saving the planet," she said.
Kennedy's speech was the headlining event of the Kennedy Political Union's Environmental Summit. The summit's aim is to promote awareness of ecological and environmental issues. It is the first time that KPU has attempted such an event.
Planning began in the summer and was envisioned by KPU Director Taylor Robinson.
"The environment was one of the topics I wanted to cover as part of this year's lecture series [because] after 'An Inconvenient Truth' premiered, [the environment] has become a much more popular and sexy topic that campuses are focused on," Robinson said.
The summit also represents a combined effort of a variety of on-campus organizations. Other co-sponsors included the Community Action and Social Justice Coalition, the College Democrats, the Class of 2009, Eco-Sense, Student Advocates for Native Communities, the School of Communication Undergraduate Council and the Student Union Board.
The summit included planned events throughout the week.
On Monday, KPU, the College Democrats, SUB and the SOC Undergraduate Council sponsored a showing of "An Inconvenient Truth", the documentary on global warming starring former Democratic Presidential nominee Al Gore.
Tuesday's events included a screening of the documentary "Choropampa: The Price of Gold" by KPU and SANC. The documentary focused on a mercury spill that converted a small village in the Andes into a flashpoint for resistance against the multinational mining industry. In addition, KPU and CASJ put on a presentation titled "Appalachian Treasures: The Effects of Mountaintop Removal."
The summit will continue on Thursday with a panel titled "Bringin' Sexy Back: Environmental Issues Revisited," which will feature a number of environmental organizations. KPU, Eco-Sense and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network will present "It's Getting Hot in Here!," which is billed as a "Climate Change Parody Performance," Thursday night in the Davenport Lounge.
