Drew students and professors notice signs of hope as well.
May 2016 – In a recent trip to Newark, N.J., about 50 students and professors from Drew University saw environmental threats first hand—be it at a closed high school stadium tainted by PCBs or an existing sewage treatment plant that produces noxious fumes. It was a sobering trip.
The group saw signs of progress as well, though, including hard won public park that’s on the Newark side of the Passaic River, which itself is polluted with dioxin. So, while they recoiled at the damage done, they also felt hopeful about what could be.
The April 15 trip was designed to educate participants about environmental problems just 15 miles from campus that they can help eradicate. Here’s a glimpse at some of the seven stops on the tour, which was organized by TERRA, Ironbound Community Corp. and GreenFaith, including members from Summit.
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- Ironbound Community Corp. leaders Emily Turonis and Maria Lopez-Nunez explain how the Passaic Valley Sewage Treatment Facility behind them impacts the surrounding area.
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- Among the problems: noxious odors and overflow during severe rain storms
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- Assistant Professor Summer Harrison teaches a course on environmental justice.
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- Theological School students Jennifer Suh, Scharlise Dorsey and Peg Crilly at a tour stop
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- Contamination from PCBs and heavy metals forced the closure of this high school statdium.
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- Kameron Raynor of the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies and Jaeho Uhm of the Theological School read about the public push for the park around them.
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- Theological School students (front to back) Rachael Phelps, Jamie Boyce and Peg Crilly along the Passaic River
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- GreenFaith’s Lawrence Jennings urges the group to act on what they learned during the tour.
