The People Speak
Check out this update from Massimo on the People Speak event at Xaverian High School-

Sam, Anushka, John, and Pat	The Students of Xaverian!

Over 100 students gathered at Xaverian High School to celebrate the only People Speak event to take place in NYC. The event was co-sponsored by Xaverian? Biology Club, and Young Republican?s Club along with SustainUS.

The event was moderated by Sam Krevor, graduate student at the Earth Institute of Columbia University, a panel discussion on the topic: Global Sustainability, Local Environment and Youth Environment. Three speakers each shared relevant insight by drawing on their own unique experiences.

John Russo, teacher of Environmental Sciences at Xaverian, provided a ?sustainable development 101?. John began by stating how the UN defines sustainable development. He followed by illustrating real-world examples of economic development needs meeting pro-social and environmental standards.

Local District Representative, and Xaverian alumnus, Pat Russo (no relation to John) explicated the role environmental issues play in the mind of a local politician. He specifically examined the relationship local level politics has with larger issues of sustainability. Many in attendance excitedly learned that new Bay Ridge zoning legislation, through its emphasis on mitigating the rapidly rising expansion of condominium developments, is considerate of the pressure increasing population levels exert on local life support systems such as balanced water supplies. ?Build a new six family development to occupy a space previously occupied by one family; well, build these condos in enough instances, you will get a community unprepared to deal with the consequences, and that becomes unsustainable?.

Anuska Shenoy, SustainUS member and co-coordinator of Agents of Change, followed by sharing her insight on the role youth play in advancing sustainable development. She gave examples of pro-social youth engagement through the vehicles of SustainUS and Agents of Change which generated a roaring wave of excitement from the audience.

The event ended with film showing excerpts of youth at previous UN conferences. This following a spirited Q& A session in which SustainUS members fielded questions from the audience members.

EcoMetropolis we were there!
SustainUS organized the panel Alternative Energy in the Metro Area with Wilson Rickerson of the Center for Sustainable Energy at Bronx Community College Matt Williamson of Natsource LLC and Gordian Raacke of Renewable Energy Long Island