 Millennials
|
|
Millennials Want Leaders to Step It Up on Environmental Issues
The results of our Environmental Anxiety Index revealed that Millennials don't have much faith in the federal government to protect the environmental health of their communities and are more inclined to trust those outside of government service. 24% of respondents said that they trust community and religious leaders to fight for clean air and water where they live, that figure rose to 35% among Millennials. While 33.6% of respondents trust their member of Congress, that number drops 7 points to 26.3% among Millennials. While only 18% of all respondents trust the President to be the best environmental steward, among Millennials, that number drops to 13.3%.
Over half of all Millennials trust Democrats to protect them from air and water pollution which is 20% higher than Gen X. Still, 40 % of Millennials don't trust either party to stand up to pollution and 78 % say that they want their member of Congress to fight harder for the environment in their communities.
The Takeaway: This should be a wakeup call to Democratic candidates who are courting Millennial votes in upcoming elections to make the environment a platform issue. Millennials want environmental action but many of them are feeling let down by both parties and elected leaders.
|
|
 Water
|
|
|
Photo: Auburn University Food Systems Institute
|
|
DOD Comes Clean: 126 Installations Have Unsafe Water
We reported last month on a story about residents living near numerous Air Force Bases around the country suing the government and 3M for contaminating their water supplies. It turns out the problem was worse than previously acknowledged. In a report to Congress released this week, Ecowatch reports that the Defense Department for the first time disclosed the locations of the more than 125 military installations where tap water or groundwater on or off base is contaminated with highly toxic fluorinated chemicals. However, DOD only identified the installations where they exceeded EPA's safety standard for tap water, which is less stringent than the standard recommended by independent scientists and regulators in a growing number of states.
- EPA's advisory level is 70 parts per trillion, or ppt, for the combined level of PFOS and PFOA, the chemicals involved, but it is not an enforceable legal limit.
- New Jersey recently set the nation's lowest legal limit for PFOA in tap water, 14 ppt.
- A recent study concluded that an approximate safe dose of PFOA and/or PFOS in drinking water is 1 ppt.
The Military Times, broke the story late last month and tied the contamination to cancer and birth defects. The list of contaminated installations cuts across all the services and includes 50 Air Force bases, 49 Navy or Marine Corps bases, 25 Army bases and two Defense Logistics Agency sites. Some of the bases on the list are now closed and have been converted to civilian uses.
Why This Matters: Millions of people across the country have been exposed to these toxic chemicals in their water -- with military families more at risk than most. Last month, the latest update of an interactive map from the Environmental Working Group and Northeastern University detailed fluorinated chemical contamination at 94 military or industrial sites in 22 states, and in public water systems serving 16.1 million Americans in 33 states and Puerto Rico. There is a growing clean water crisis in this country, unlike anything we have seen since the early 1970's when the original Clean Water Act was passed.
To Go Deeper: Click here for the interactive map. Click here for the full list of sites - military and civilian.
|
|
 Air
|
|
Beating Rush Hour
Traffic seems impossible to avoid in most cities and for many of us it's a frustrating waste of time that no podcast or Spotify playlist can ease. Cities are grappling with how to get more people to forgo cars and instead use buses, metros, and bikes as their primary modes of transportation. A current policy mechanism that cities like Seattle and New York City have attempted to implement is called congestion pricing: a system of surcharging drivers to drive on congested roads at peak hours. Traffic is a major contributor to particulate pollution in America's cities which can lead to adverse health effects such as asthma, non-fatal heart attack, decreased lung function and even premature death. Check out Grist's video above to get a crash course on congestion pricing and its positive benefits for people and planet.
As an added benefit, cities can use the money collected from congestion pricing to help improve public transportation and other infrastructure projects. Additionally, some researchers propose that the funds can be used to subsidize the cost of public transportation for people who have been priced out of city centers and have longer and more expensive commutes to work. While congestion pricing proposals have temporarily failed in New York and Seattle is slow-walking implementation, research shows that the mechanism is the most efficient way to reduce vehicle emissions.
Why This Matters to Millennials: Millennials are choosing to live in cities over suburbs and rural areas at higher rates than other generations. According to Nielsen, 62% indicate they prefer to live in the type of mixed-use communities found in urban centers, where they can be close to shops, restaurants and offices. Millennials are also choosing not to purchase cars and instead are relying on ride-sharing services and communities with transit nearby. Congestion pricing could be a very beneficial policy to this generation, generating more money for better public transit while also cleaning up air pollution in cities.
|
|
 Climate Change
|
|
Millennials Engage in Politics and Offer Solutions
In 2016 about half the number of eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 29 cast ballots in the election, that's lower than the estimated national voting average of 58%. Millennials have also had historically low turnout for midterm elections but hopefully, the rise of Donald Trump can serve as a serious civics lesson to my (Miro's) generation. In the aftermath of the 2016 election Millennials have become more politically engaged than ever, even being labeled as the "foot soldiers of the Resistance." Politicians and Democrats especially are looking to tap into the voting potential of Millennials for this Fall's midterm elections and beyond. Below are some snapshots of how young people are getting more involved:
Young conservatives have come together to form the American Conservation Coalition and propose market-based solutions to environmental challenges. Advocating that the long-term security and wellbeing of any human society is dependent on healthy and sustainable ecosystems and the agricultural processes operating within them. Read ACC's Comms Director Bethany Bowra's op-ed in Teen Vogue to learn more about this Millennial-led advocacy group.
Though technically Gen Z, a group of young Alaskans who are suing the state of Alaska for causing climate change and failing to protect the climate for future generations. They are asking for a science-based energy policy—one that will shift to renewable energy sources and bring greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050. Read more from Inside Climate News.
On Monday, the NAACP’s Environmental and Climate Justice Program launched their Youth and College Organizing Toolkit for Environmental and Climate Justice . The toolkit speaks to young organizers who are either already engaged in environmental and climate justice or who are just starting out. Many of NAACP’s Youth and College Chapters are leading efforts to end the toxic pollution of Black and other frontline communities who are often hit first and worst by the impact of climate change and the fossil fuel industry.
Why This Matters to Millennials: Millennials and younger generations are going to inherit a drastically warming planet that our parents and grandparents waited too long to start protecting (sorry, fam). It's going to be incumbent on us to stay engaged, informed, and to vote for candidates who are going to make tangible efforts to reduce our emissions and ensure that all communities are represented as we work to abate climate change.
Primary Election Update: Former Massey Energy CEO, Don Blankenship, lost the West Virginia Senate primary on Tuesday night. As we reported on Monday, Blankenship is a convicted felon, who spent a year in jail (he was released almost exactly one year ago) for his role in the deaths of 29 coal miners in 2010. State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is projected to become the Republican challenger to Sen. Joe Manchin III (D) in one of the country’s most pro-Trump states and the heart of coal country.
|
|
People
|
|
ODP Exclusive Interview with Jacob James, Managing Director of the Waitt Foundation, where he creates and manages novel approaches to philanthropy and public-private partnerships around the world.
ODP: How did the Waitt Foundation land on restoring ocean health as a principal goal of the organization? Has that always been your passion?
JJ: I am lucky to have joined Ted Waitt, co-founder of Gateway, Inc. and Chairman of the Waitt Foundation, as his Assistant and Policy Advisor just under ten years ago. Around that time, the Waitt Foundation was reorienting from a US-focused community development grantmaker to what we do today: Ocean Protection, mostly in the developing world. Except for my one year of service in “The Swamp,” I have always lived within 15 minutes of a beach, or on an island. The ocean is key to my family, my soul, my happiness. Put another way, my adopted Barbudan puppy, “Hurricane” José, would much rather play with washed-up California kelp than with a ball. That pretty much sums me up. Finally, my overarching life passion is solving gender pay equity -- environmental policy and human equity are not that distinct for me. How will societies ever respect Mother Nature if we cannot respect our own mothers?
ODP: You have funded projects from Tonga to Panama to Gabon -- what is the key to success for your work with communities?
JJ: Bold political leadership because - as the boss often says - “fish can’t vote.” In nearly every case where the Waitt Foundation has seen successes for the ocean – through NGO partners or through direct government engagement – it has been because someone, somewhere in some government, made the future of the ocean their personal/familial/political cause. Our goal is to be the (sustainable!) fuel behind those leaders, individually and collectively. The Waitt Foundation tends to work through partnerships with these key government champions (aka inside baseball), where our affiliated Waitt Institute and Barbuda Recovery & Conservation Trust do the really hard work, what I call ‘Hand to Hand Conservation’ (and in Barbuda’s case, direct-to-community hurricane relief & recovery).
ODP: What did you learn about how to be an effective conservation advocate from your time working on Capitol Hill?
JJ: Well, my Master’s ‘thesis’ (written while working on The Hill) was titled “In Defense of Earmarks,” so that gives you an idea of how I view driving public policy outcomes. As in life, everything is a negotiation. When you negotiate, you need tools, you need leverage and to the best extent possible both ‘sides’ need to win something. I was extremely privileged to work for the most honorable Member of Congress I ever met on Capitol Hill -- Rep. Susan A. Davis of San Diego. In an ugly world, for me, this was hugely important foundational professional training – how to get things done without being evil. Finally, it simply can never be said enough: All politics is local.
ODP: At a time of so much challenge for conservation and the oceans, what makes you optimistic about the future?
JJ: I am endlessly astounded by the forward-looking policies of many of the Governments and Communities of Small Island Developing States, or SIDS. As a block, SIDS have begun to engage the global community in a hugely impressive way, wielding outsized influence through truth, cultural heritage, facts, and first-hand experience. A feat of diplomacy, really. In my opinion, SIDS have become the true Voice of the Ocean, particularly within the context of Climate Change. I love how these island states, with their extremely limited resources, have no qualms in taking on global leadership in ocean protection. We can only hope developed countries catch back up, and fast. To be frank, I’m not that optimistic. But I’m hopeful.
ODP: Since we are spotlighting the work of the millennial generation, we wonder what millennial stereotypes do you defy and which ones do you resemble?
JJ: I am an Institutionalist, not a “Disrupter” or an “Influencer.” I am an "old soul" -- I love navigating bureaucratic systems, parliamentary procedure, non-profit governance, political intrigue… the list of ‘boring’ goes on. While recent US history has tried to give the “Deep State” a bad rap, those are my people – in almost every country where we work. They get stuff done. Other than that, I generally find myself more comfortable transacting business with folks of earlier generations, rather than trying to understand why everyone is “pivoting” around all the time. Just stand still and get something done. See a theme? In terms of similarities, I think it’s mutually cool and exhausting that many millennial like me grew up without the internet, and now exist in an entirely interconnected world.
What You Can Do: There is a relief fund for hurricane victims in Barbuda. You can find out more here.
|
|
|
We agree -- Jacob's dog Hurricane José is pretty cute!
|
|
 Sustainability
|
|
|
Photo: Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press
|
|
One Cool Thing: The Chicago White Sox + Their Fans Don't Suck!
OK so they may be off to a rocky start this season, but at least the White Sox are doing right by the planet! Their stadium, Guaranteed Rate Field (yes that is its name), became the first major league ballpark to ban plastic straws. Ecowatch reports that they are teaming up with the Shedd Aquarium to eliminate single-use plastic straws for the season. Concession stands at the ballpark will no longer automatically give customers straws, but will provide biodegradable straws to fans if requested. Or you can bring your own -- check out the 5 best here.
“We are thrilled to team up with Shedd Aquarium and help lead by example in the way of sustainability within our gameday operations,” White Sox Senior VP of Sales and Marketing Brooks Boyer said.
Why This Matters to Millennials and Everyone Else: The partners hope to keep more than 215,000 straws from being used at the ballpark this season alone. As our loyal readers know, straws are nearly impossible to recycle -- that means that every plastic straw used in all of human history still exists somewhere in one form or another. It is hard to be perfect -- we all suck on straws sometimes, but it is great to see this effort to reduce the number of straws taking hold across the country. Every straw matters! Thanks to Shedd Aquarium and activists like the Plastic Pollution Coalition and Adrian Grenier and his Lonely Whale Foundation for helping to raise awareness of straws and plastic pollution.
|
|
 Friend of the Planet Tees
|
|
|
We are so grateful to you guys for being part of our ODP community. For the next 8 days, we will be selling Friend of the Planet T-shirts -- the proceeds will help to pay for our summer internship program. They are only $20. We need to sell 100 more! They come in Men's, Women's and Children's sizes. They make great Mother's/Father's Day and graduation gifts! To purchase them, just click here. We thank you for your support!
|
|
|
|
