“The earth doesn’t have enough time for us to be embarrassed,” explained David Radcliff in regards to pulling a paper plate out of the trashcan to reuse, to avoid adding to the trend of single-use materials.
David Radcliff is a member of the New Community Project, a small nonprofit organization that works towards environmental sustainability and social justice. Last week he came to North Penn High School to speak to the many Environmental Science classes and Women’s Voices classes, along with anyone else who wanted to attend. With only a 42 minute period it’s hard to push an entire message out, yet Radcliff succeeded in leaving an impact on the students, similar to the global impact he has made.
“I’ve actually been working on environmental issues for about 35 years. The thing that got me started in the first place was the feeling that we weren’t treating nature fairly. And then later on I began to realize that when we do these things to nature it comes back on us. Life is just going to get more difficult in terms of air and water pollution and the loss of biodiversity on our planet in the years to come, unless we start to change things big and soon,” stated Radcliff.
It may have started with just the environment but he and his team have continued to work towards helping underprivileged people around the world.
“I am also inspired by nature itself, as it is doing its best to adapt to the drastic changes we are bringing on it. The same with people – many of them are struggling around the world due to lack of education, or as child workers, or as young women who’ve been trafficked. And yet if we find a way to give them the opportunity for a better life, they take it and run with it!” explained Radcliff.
The New Community Project goes on learning tours with high school students each year all over the world, with some of the places they are visiting this year being Borneo, Ecuadorian Amazon, Nepal, South Sedan, and more. Even if this isn’t something that interests you, there are plenty of other things you can do in your everyday life to help.
“I think we have to start on the personal level by being very conscious of what we buy and what we waste. Just very basic daily things like paper, plastic, lots of meat in our diet, how we get around. They say that about 2/3 of our greenhouse gases as a country come from these daily choices,” said Radcliff. “I think it’s also important to get to know our world. When students go with us to Alaska, they see the melting glaciers and the troubles facing the wildlife there – and also bears and moose and Dall Sheep. Down in the Amazon rainforest, it’s palm oil plantations, oil drilling operations, farms and cattle ranches. Seeing these things, while also seeing the beauty and biodiversity of the rainforest, can make us really want to do something to make this situation better.”
There is always something that one can do to better the world and our environment, and for David Radcliff, he chooses to only travel by bicycle in his hometown in Virginia, eat mostly vegetarian food, and use only reusable utensils and dishes. These aren’t all difficult things and even if you don’t choose to ride your bike around everywhere, you can choose to be more environmentally conscious with how much waste you make.
“The hardest thing may be seeing so many people in our society who either aren’t aware or don’t care about what we’re doing to the planet, to ourselves and to our future. And now our current government seems to be set on disregarding the environment for the sake of making money,” stated Radcliff. “We built a school for girls in South Sudan. Currently there are over 900 girls going there. We’re planting 200,000 trees a year around the world, and that makes a big impact in those places. We have Sustainable Living Centers in Virginia and Vermont, where students and others can come and live and work for a day, a month, a year – and maybe get paid for doing it. And I consider it a big thing that I get to speak 100 times a year in schools and colleges and other places. It’s great to know there are people out there who care about things like this.”
It isn’t always easy for Radcliff, yet still he devotes his time to helping our environment and the underprivileged people in our world. Realizing that what happens in our world and to our environment is an important deal for everyone that lives on this earth.
“I wish everyone knew or believed that life is about more than the stuff we have. As long as we are so materialistic, which of course is what the advertisers want us to be, it will be very difficult to change our mistreatment of the earth. But if we begin to see nature as precious and valuable, and life as more than things, then maybe we would begin to treat our planet with the respect it deserves,” remarked Radcliff.
If you are interested in helping the environment and the planet towards a better future, you can find more information about the New Community Project and what they do here.
