Most Penn students stroll down Locust Walk admiring the trees without thinking about what the view might look like for the next generation. But for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the future of the environment is always on his mind.
Delta Psi fraternity -- also known as St. Anthony Hall -- hosted Kennedy for its biannual St. Anthony Hall Speaker's Series.
Known as a pioneer in environmental law, Kennedy currently serves as vice president and chief prosecuting attorney for Riverkeeper -- an organization dedicated to protecting river systems -- and is also senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
In 1997, he penned The Riverkeepers: Two Activists Fight to Reclaim Our Environment as a Basic Human Right with John Cronin, a book which shed light on corporations polluting the Hudson River.
As an environmentalist, Kennedy believes that the main problem behind the polluted lakes, rivers, forests and mountains is the White House.
"We have a president who doesn't believe in evolution," he said. "How are we going to convince him of global warming?"
According to Kennedy, President Bush's administration has been revoking laws protecting the environment in order to expand the economy.
Throughout his speech, Kennedy stressed the importance of saving the environment for future generations.
"We are living today in what I would consider a science fiction nightmare," he said. "I have to watch my children gasp for breath. We are bringing children into a world where the air is too toxic to breathe."
Having worked on the protection of the Hudson River, Kennedy noted the increased levels of mercury in fish and its effects on humans.
"I got my mercury levels measured a couple of weeks ago," he said. "I have 11 MCH [mean corpuscular hemoglobin], and I asked the doctor, 'What does this mean?' and he said, 'What it means is that if you were a woman and you had a child, that child would have a cognitive impairment.'"
Despite the political obstacles, Kennedy has met great success through the establishment of river patrols on many waterways across the country.
In addition to these efforts, Kennedy is a law professor at Pace University in New York City. Under his supervision, 10 students are permitted to act as lawyers and file suits against polluters every year.
"This summer, four of my students won the biggest penalty against a corporate polluter. They got $5.6 million from New York City," he said.
About 30 Penn students and faculty members attended the event, with the majority being members of the fraternity.
Kennedy's message received a positive response.
"It exposed a lot of problems in society today," College freshman Sam Peelle said. "I thought it was interesting."
Others were more interested in the political side of the issue.
"I was amazed at the politics of it," College junior James Dunning said. "There is no response from the conservative part of America despite the irrefutable evidence of pollution."
And for some students, the problems facing the environment hit close to home.
"I grew up in the Pacific Northwest," College sophomore Colby Emerson said. "Coming to the East Coast was really different. Seattle is really big on recycling, and things like that are a part of life. Whereas if you want to recycle stuff out here, it takes a lot more effort."
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