Talking to Erick Shambarger, the director of environmental sustainability for the city of Milwaukee, was a fantastic experience. It really opened my eyes to how important environmental awareness really is and how much of an impact each individual citizen can truly make. One specific thing that Erick said really stood out to me. He explained that if every single citizen was at least a little more eco-conscious than they currently are, the impact on the city would be incredible.
Mr. Shambarger is putting a lot of programs into action that he hopes will help drive the eco-friendly attitude into the mainstream. One of the programs that I found fascinating is an effort to improve the overall visual appeal of a stretch of North Ave that is in a bad neighborhood. He wants to clean up some of the unattractive stretches of empty space and try to improve it with things such as gardens, green space, and street art. The amount of effort he puts into his work is very inspiring and made me want to make more of a difference.
I know that I have never really done my part as far as the environment is concerned. Whether it's ignoring the recycle bin, or forgetting about the apples I bought two weeks ago and having to throw them out, it's very apparent that even the smallest of changes could make a huge difference. Erick was a fantastic interview subject. He was not camera shy. In fact, he seemed absolutely ecstatic about sharing his story with me. His passion for the environment and city of Milwaukee was obvious, and it made me want to start being a little more conscious about wasteful habits.