From Niagara Falls to Long Island’s North Fork, NYPIRG’s newest hiring push is giving more New Yorkers the opportunity to become environmental advocates.

The New York Public Interest Research Group is hiring paid community outreach workers who call state residents one by one, educating the public on important environmental issues and bringing New Yorkers into the public policy process. This program acknowledges that while many people want to fight for what they believe in, not everyone has the luxury to donate their time for free.

Anna Henderson | Contributing Design Editor

Saving the environment should be a No. 1 priority, but those who have the power to change environmental policies are putting it on the back burner. New Yorkers should unite as activists and defend the environment against a presidential administration that doesn’t believe in climate change. With these paid opportunities, NYPIRG makes it possible for more people to do that.

The need to educate communities on the dangers of climate change has never been more urgent. The year 2016 was the warmest on record, and 2015 and 2014 were also record-breaking at the time, according to NASA.

But just this week, the Environmental Protection Agency removed online resources dedicated to helping local governments address climate change. Now more than ever, communities in New York state should be educated on the consequences of climate change and discuss what can be done to prevent further damage.

NYPIRG aims to educate New Yorkers on important environmental issues while connecting residents with methods to get involved. NYPIRG Program Director Megan Ahearn said the organization’s community outreach program contacts 1 million households each year.

The effects of climate change are widespread and can be detected in recent climate disasters, such as the wildfires blazing through California to the hurricanes that ravaged the South. NYPIRG shows New Yorkers how to address those issues and the effects of climate change that hit closer to home. But reaching out one by one means NYPIRG needs all the help it can get.

Anna Henderson | Contributing Design Editor

“The mission of the organization is to combine volunteers with paid staff in order to learn how the policymaking process works and to advance important public interest reforms,” Ahearn said. “Unlike volunteers who often have limitations on the time they can devote to an effort, staff focus their full work days to the efforts at hand.”

Paid opportunities like NYPIRG’s are great for activists who don’t have the time or money to dedicate to saving the environment otherwise. But if you have the ability, being an unpaid volunteer means you can still have a huge impact on environment.

Even if you only have a few minutes, there are ways to make your voice heard. You can call Gov. Andrew Cuomo and local representatives to urge them to curtail fossil fuels in New York.  Students at Syracuse University and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry can join the campus NYPIRG chapter that meets Fridays at 3 p.m. at the NYPIRG office on the second floor of 732 S. Crouse Ave.

If you’re frustrated with how the government has addressed issues with the environment, it’s essential for you to fight for the climate and join groups like NYPIRG. Students are known for taking the front line when it comes to standing up for their convictions. Now it’s our turn to get involved and fight for what we believe in.

Allison Weis is a freshman newspaper and online journalism major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at alweis@syr.edu.

Published on October 24, 2017 at 8:08 pm