How to Go Green in the Town of Hempstead
Nassau News Staff Writer
Environmental sustainability has recently garnered a great deal of media attention -- from movies about global warming to magazine articles and celebrities promoting "going green." However, the degree to which the prominent media attention on the issue affects its importance locally seems to be minimal.
In the Town of Hempstead, where there are 32 miles of waterfront and the largest tract of open space left on Long Island, it is particularly important for residents to be aware of the environmental ramifications of their actions. Initiatives to make the town more environmentally friendly have been the object of debate for more than 30 years.
To view this article as a video, click the embedded player below.
Photos courtesy Flickr.com and Julia Gardiner. Standup photography by AJ Durwin.
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According to statistics from scorecard.org , an organization that tracks pollution on a community level for the U.S., in 1999 and 2002, Nassau County ranked among the dirtiest 10 and 20 percent of all U.S. counties in terms of air pollutants.
The Citizen's Campaign for the Environment , a grassroots organization focusing on environmental issues on Long Island, sends representatives door to door once a year to educate residents in a one-on-one setting. Government programs like the Environmental Trust Fund and Tom Suozzi's "Healthy Nassau" plan, announced in 2007 and focused on improving both the physical and environmental heath of the county, constantly work to educate and gain the support of locals to keep Long Island green and eliminate the negative statistics.
As the initiatives demonstrate, if you live in the Town of Hempstead, it is not necessary to install emergency solar panels on the roof of your house or stop using paper products to make a difference. It can be as simple as recycling when appropriate, making sure to pick up pet waste, making your voice heard in the government and insisting on the creation and enforcement of environmental initiatives, according to Fred Pollack, a councilman for the Town of Hempstead who has been working to make Long Island more green for three terms on the town board. "Everything depends on what people do locally," Pollack said.
Additional video interviews
To view the full interview with councilman Fred Pollack, click the embedded player below. Read the full transcript of the interview on Julia Gardiner's blog.
To view the full interview with Jackie Nese, a Hofstra student and Long Island resident who canvassed door to door for the Citizen's Campaign for the Environment last summer, click the embedded player below. Read the full transcript on Julia Gardiner's blog.
Additional Links
To read a project memo by Julia Gardiner, visit her blog.
View this article as designed by Nassau News Staff Writer Julia Gardiner on her website, which is hosted by synthasite.com.
View a photo slideshow here.
