“I’m an organic gardener. At home we are very focused on sustainable living.”
Hillary Kwiatek
“I personally take the opportunity to advocate in my daily life to people around me. . . . Being a teacher is always with me.”
Kiera Wilhelm
“I like to consider myself a Lorax, I speak for the trees.”
Rachel Leon
“My kids and I, pretty much all of our clothes are from gently used stores.”
Grace Crampsie Smith
“The biggest thing that I do in my personal life . . . financial backing as much as I can . . . I’m a big supporter of Tara and Congresswoman Susan Wild.”
Bryan Callahan
“I’m that guy out on the trail who’s picking up litter.”
Dana Grubb
At the Environmental Advisory Council meeting at which the candidates for election appeared, Breena Holland posed some good questions appropriate for today, Earth Day.
What have you actually done personally to protect the environment?
Hillary Kwiatek
- Involved in protests
- support climate action candidates
- walk to work
- organic gardener
- very focused at home on sustainable living
- lives in 1860s home
- picking up trash at Higbee playground
- captained playground bill to clean up park
Kiera Wilhelm
- voting record of support
- walk to work
- use own grocery bags
- if use plastic bag, wash it
- advocates in daily personal life with people around her
- a teacher, teaching young people about environment was important part of her past
Rachel Leon
- she’s a Lorax
- life revolves around environmental issues
- environmental studies career path (student At NCC now)
- environmental justice subcommitee of Climate Action Plan
- Sierra Club
- president of Climate Action Network at NCC
- monthly clean ups
- does Earth Day events
- global environmental issues at UN
- Afros in Nature
- working with school in Puerto Rico
Grace Crampsie Smith
- has always supported the EAC
- grew up close to the environment in a small town near Jim Thorpe
- spent young years at Glen Onoko Falls, Mauch Chunk Lake
- gave great appreciation for the environment and the land
- instilled compassionate care for environment in her children
- recycles, no plastic
- cleanups
- clean up at Musik-Fest
- reusing items
- clothes from gently used stores
- clothes at Cancer Boutique
- walks and bikes
- car with almost zero emissions
Bryan Callahan
- Mauch Chunk lake every year
- avid camper and hiker
- regular upstate New York
- lot of time on our trails
- South Side Little League clean up
- biggest thing is financial supporter of officials like Tara Zrinski and Susan Wild
Dana Grubb
- Drives Subaru, made in zero-waste facility
- executive committee of Boutique at the Rink
- Sierra Club
- picks up litter on the trail and in parking lots
- canvas shopping bags, no plastic
- huge recycler, waste stream is limited
- walks the walk
Councilman Reynolds, could you give some priorities in the Climate Action Plan? What do you think is important, and what do you think you
can actually get done and how?
Willie Reynolds
- enormous undertaking
- building 6-7-8 different roads at the same time
- need coalition as big as possible
- building codes, internal city operations
- priority is creation of sustainability office
- Green Ribbon Commission
- Climate and Environmental Justice Council
- biggest thing we can do is education and show people we are serious
- will take a while but confident in coalitions