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Recycled Rhetoric?

By Daily Bruin Staff

April 21, 1996 9:00 p.m.

Monday, April 22, 1996

Environmental issues of years past enjoyed greater public
support than they do today. Has interest in protecting the Earth
become extinct?By Susan Lee

Daily Bruin Contributor

Between Ackerman Union and the men’s gym, a towering pile of
beer and other aluminum cans lay outside as students were
encouraged to add to it, as part of a reclamation effort by the
Earth Day Committee. A benefit concert featuring Sweetwater, Sandy
Baron and guest Bob Newhart played in Pauley Pavilion to raise
funds for various environmental groups. And more than 23 programs
were organized for students to recognize Earth Week, 1970.

Thirty-five years later, as the campus geared up for today’s
Earth Day 1996, the environmental hype that characterized the 60s
and 70s was noticeably absent.

"Environmentalism ­ what’s that?" joked Kevin Harris, a
visiting art student. "I mean, there’s definitely less media
attention on being an environmentalist now. But seriously, how many
people out there will wake up and say ‘wow … it’s Earth Day,
let’s celebrate by sorting our trash!’?"

The apathetic sentiments of many students today have left campus
activists wondering what happened to environmentalism and whether
or not the movement will survive at UCLA.

"I think there’s more who call themselves environmentalists but
less who know the issues," said David Rice, Earth Week
co-coordinator and a third-year geography/ environmental studies
student. "People understand that things are messed up, but it takes
the time and energy to go out there, and that’s where it
fails."

Members of environmental student groups agreed that Earth Day
was a larger event five years ago than it is now, and that the
student trend parallels the decline in coordinated national
activity in environmental issues since 1992.

Due to changing student attitudes about environmentalism,
organizations on campus are now finding other ways to cope. For
instance, members of the California Public Interest Research Group
(CalPIRG), a state-wide environmental organization, find it more
effective to get students involved and by approaching them on
campus and conducting large drafts in classes for new members, said
Luan Huynh, chairwoman of CalPIRG.

"People care, but it takes passionate people to get things done.
Lots of people say they are environmentalists, but their actions
aren’t necessarily so," Huynh said. "But once they start, even with
a small issue, then they can move on to a bigger one and elevate
from there."

Although some students believed the lack of activism in recent
years is signaling the end of the environmental movement, others
argued that the decline in outright activism does not necessarily
mean a drop in interest in the environment.

Some argued that the belief that environmentalism is dead stems
from the idea that environmentalism is a narrowly-focused movement.
Environmentalism also means understanding that social, economic and
political issues affect the environment, Rice said. He added that
there are so many aspects and overlapping levels that there really
is no way to define "environmentalist."

A recent report issued by the Nathan Cummings Foundation stated
that 84 percent of students entering college believe that the
federal government is not doing enough to control environmental
pollution. However, UCLA students believed that the number of
people actually participating in the movement is significantly
lower.

But while the number of activists is low, Yuki Kidokoro,
director of the Environmental Coalition, believes that the few
active volunteers have a better grasp of the issues than did past
volunteers.

"Ideally we’d like to see more people … participate, but we
don’t really want to force them to join just because it’s a fad or
trendy to be environmentally conscious," Kidokoro said. "The people
out there now have a real understanding of the issues. This is a
slower process, but more meaningful in terms of reaching out and
having more understanding."

Kidokoro added that much of the hype surrounding
environmentalism was spearheaded by the media, which she claimed
picks up environmental issues at a very superficial level. She also
believes that as a result of environmentalism’s trendiness five
years ago, its deeper issues were ignored in the rush to
recycle.

However, even the recycling program on campus has been lacking
in recent years.

"There’ve been a lot of questions, especially since ASUCLA (the
students’ association) gave up separating its trash," said Richard
Schoen, a research professor of architecture who is actively
involved in the field of sustainable architecture, which focuses on
recycling and energy usage.

However, when the students’ association made the decision to
eliminate their recycling program, they cited lackluster student
participation as one of their main justifications.

"UCLA is pathetic in terms of recycling commitment," Huynh
claimed, adding that most University of California campuses and
state campuses have a recycling program. "If you look at other
campuses, L.A. is one of the least environmentally aware and active
campuses around."

For Earth Day, along with various activities going on during the
week, CalPIRG plans to help the Environmental Coalition by setting
up an endangered species "graveyard" in the free speech area. They
also plan to send a video postcard to President Clinton protesting
legislation which would cut back on current environmental
protection acts.

Earth Week 1996 schedule (68K)

Daily Bruin File Photo

An aluminum can recycling drive was sponsored by CalPIRG in
November 1993.

Daily Bruin File Photo

Jewish Student Union President Joe Levin passes out trees in an
environmental promotion organized with CalPIRG in February
1996.

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