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.
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.
Collection
[
|
...
]