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Environmental Activism
Earth Day 1999 | Riverkeepers


By Carriann Mikish

WHEN you think of peacemaking you think about stopping wars, resolving conflicts and generally making the world a better place. But do you ever consider that taking a proactive environmental stand could be considered peacemaking.

Environmental Activism
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and The Hudson Riverkeepers think that environmental activism is a form of peacemaking.

Kennedy co-wrote "Riverkeepers" with John Cronin. Cronin has been the "Riverkeeper" since 1983.

Cronin states that, "the battle for the environment was the ultimate civil rights and human rights contest, a struggle to maintain public control over publicly owned resources against special interests that would monopolize, segregate and liquidate them for cash."

Earth Day 1999
Kennedy was the guest of Augsburg College in Minneapolis, on April 21, to kick off Earth Day 1999. He addressed a packed house on the subject of "Our Environmental Destiny."

Kennedy was less than a mile away from the Mississippi River when he stated that the Mississippi was a "cultural centerpiece" for the United States of America.

He also acknowledged that there were pollution problems with the River that must be taken care of before they got out of control. Issues with chemical run-off from farms and pollution from surrounding industry are some of the concerns for the Mississippi River.

Riverkeepers
The Riverkeepers organization is serving as a model of community involvement for other communities. There are groups of people across the nation that are joining the Riverkeepers ranks and using their model of a "grassroots movement fueled by people power" to protect their water resources.

According to Kennedy even ordinary citizens can make a difference in the crusade to clean America for future generations.

He suggested several steps that the ordinary citizen can take above and beyond the small personal steps of recycling and reusing.

Among his suggestions are joining a local chapter of a national organization, writing to city, state and federal elected officials with concerns and getting involved in your community through grassroots politics.





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