"The truth was, I didn't hate New Jersey; I hated America before environmental regulation. The Clean Air and Clean Water acts, the most significant environmental legislation in history, were passed in 1970 and 1972 respectively."
"I grew up in an American wasteland, where open spaces like the Meadowlands were used as dumping grounds, and air pollution obscured the Empire State Building."
The author reflects on his childhood in Weehawken, New Jersey, during a time of environmental degradation and social neglect. Growing up playing baseball near the Lincoln Tunnel, he witnessed firsthand the dire impact of pollution and the effects of a lack of environmental regulations. After leaving for college in Colorado, he initially felt a deep disdain for his home state. However, as he entered the field of sustainability, he realized his frustrations were aimed at a pre-regulation America rather than New Jersey itself. The implementation of landmark environmental laws reshaped both the landscape and his perspective.
Read at High Country News
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