Letter to the editor submitted by Marina Rosin Levine, Greenwich
But mom…
In the spring of 2017, to lend a voice to children whom will be more drastically affected by climate change and to protest Donald Trump’s intention to pull out of the Paris Climate Accord, I organized a children’s environmental march in Greenwich with (Senator) Alex Bergstein. It was a beautiful event. Hundreds of concerned citizens attended with their kids, some traveling from as far as Old Saybrook. That spring, environmental marches, big and small, were held nationally. All of them protesting Trump’s impending pull out from the Paris Climate Accord and the roll back of environmental regulations.
State Representative Fred Camillo attended as a speaker. He even came with his dog. At that time, Trump did not yet pull out from the Paris Climate Accord, however threatened to do so constantly, and celebrated that idea during his campaign run. As organizers, we did not hold a magnifying glass to who Fred voted for – we probably should have. A few weeks after the event, Trump withdrew our participation from the Paris Agreement. I later learned that Fred voted against renewable energy in bills HB 6636 and SB493.
I have no doubt that Fred Camillo believes in protecting the environment. He told us at the debate that he is going to make committees. What really REALLY bothers is the following:
One – Does Fred believe that the environment has borders? Is there some invisible line in the Atlantic that stops water from overwhelming our sea walls?
Two – Camillo gave a speech to kids. Kids see through things like this. It teaches them that words are meaningless. Earlier in the year my son questioned me, “but mom… why did he speak at the march? He voted for Trump..” out of the mouth of babes…
Now that we know the environmental atrocities that Trump promotes-why does Fred stay silent on these actions and does not disclose if he will support Trump in 2020? Out of all the issues that local GOP claim to be outside of “local issues.”
I refuse to allow a pass on this one. National Environmental Policy, at its very core – is Greenwich. It may not be from Greenwich, but it is for Greenwich. It is for the erosion or preservation of our coastline. It is for the increase or decrease of the emissions our cars release and so on. It is for the laxness or stringency of the chemicals that leach into our waterways from out of state.
What does “environmental committee” translate to? Environmental professionals require a financial commitment. Implementing proactive environmental solutions is also an upfront investment and Camillo has made it very clear that he is not spending an extra dime on things that are not on fire. As Camillo stated during the debate as related to the topic of school upgrades. “Teachers teach kids, not buildings”
I appreciate Fred’s participation in our march. However, with that comes responsibility to follow through. At the minimum – he should have denounced the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and made it very clear to his constituents that continued support for Trump means continued assault on Greenwich’s environmental security. Environmentalism & Trump are nonstarters. So I will
leave y’all to answer this question for yourselves? Would a person who is serious about protecting the planet and addressing climate change, vote for Trump?…Twice??
I support Jill Oberlander and Sandy Litvack as I know they understand there is only one truth in environmental science.
The views expressed in this editorial are personal and are not intended to represent or speak on behalf of the RTM or any of its committees.
The deadline to submit a letter to the editor regarding candidates in the Nov 5 municipal election was Tuesday Oct 29 at 5pm. We will continue to publish the backlog of letters submitted before the deadline.