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Regional Administer Donald S. Welsh is interviewed by EPA staff at Earth Day Celebration in Philadelphia's Suburban Station - Audio Script (04/22/08)
Time: 03:15
Size: 7,632k
Speaker - Don Welsh
WELSH: We are here today because we're celebrating Earth Day and we want to share information with the citizens in the area about things they can do to help protect the environment. One of our messages that we want people to know is that we think that environmental responsibilities is everyone's responsibilities rather than just the 17,000 or so of us who work at EPA, spending our time trying to protect the environment. We would want to enlist the efforts of all 300 million Americans, do as many things that individual citizens can do. Pretty much everybody knows about recycling. People are learning more about using compact fluorescent lights instead of traditional incandescent light bulbs and more and more people are getting to recognize the Energy Star labels on the energy-efficient products. We want to share the word with the citizens in the area about the steps that they can take in their own daily lives that help protect the environment. So we think this is a great opportunity for us to get the word out to the people who are passing through the Concourse.
QUESTION (by EPA staff): Do you find people these days receptive to tips and best practices?
WELSH: Yeah, in the time that I've been involved in environmental protection people have been increasingly aware of these issues. And I think this year is one of the years where more people than ever before have been paying attention to environmental issues-- the large broad issues they hear about in the news. But we also want to kind of translate that energy that they are feeling and the intellectual interest they have in the subject into things that they can personally do in their own lives. So we have lots of visitors from organizations around the city who work on environmental issues giving people tips about things they can with their trash, things they can do with better pest management or things they can do with reducing their commuting loads to help them identify ways that they can put that interest or that energy to work to protect the environment.
QUESTION (by EPA staff): Well, thank you. Just one last question. I guess you recall EPA’s exhibit at the Flower Show a few weeks ago. Now is there something about EPA's exhibits there that will be even more helpful this time of year?
WELSH: Yes, and we have an exhibit here today that will help you with that issue. If you're out planting a garden or cleaning up your garden from last year, it's important to know that if you use native plants you'll have less need for fertilizers and pesticides and some of the other chemicals required to grow exotic plants. And also you'll be able to get away with not watering, just let God take care of watering of your garden and those things can help reduce your impact on the environment. There's lot of things you can do with grass clippings and with leaves you rake up in the fall, compost them and use them in your garden. So while people are planting their garden this year, we want them to bear in mind that there are ways they can do that, that will help be more protective of the environment in other ways. So remember to use the native plants and remember to use a good watering regimen and use as little chemicals as you can get away with.
WELSH: We are here today because we're celebrating Earth Day and we want to share information with the citizens in the area about things they can do to help protect the environment. One of our messages that we want people to know is that we think that environmental responsibilities is everyone's responsibilities rather than just the 17,000 or so of us who work at EPA, spending our time trying to protect the environment. We would want to enlist the efforts of all 300 million Americans, do as many things that individual citizens can do. Pretty much everybody knows about recycling. People are learning more about using compact fluorescent lights instead of traditional incandescent light bulbs and more and more people are getting to recognize the Energy Star labels on the energy-efficient products. We want to share the word with the citizens in the area about the steps that they can take in their own daily lives that help protect the environment. So we think this is a great opportunity for us to get the word out to the people who are passing through the Concourse.
QUESTION (by EPA staff): Do you find people these days receptive to tips and best practices?
WELSH: Yeah, in the time that I've been involved in environmental protection people have been increasingly aware of these issues. And I think this year is one of the years where more people than ever before have been paying attention to environmental issues-- the large broad issues they hear about in the news. But we also want to kind of translate that energy that they are feeling and the intellectual interest they have in the subject into things that they can personally do in their own lives. So we have lots of visitors from organizations around the city who work on environmental issues giving people tips about things they can with their trash, things they can do with better pest management or things they can do with reducing their commuting loads to help them identify ways that they can put that interest or that energy to work to protect the environment.
QUESTION (by EPA staff): Well, thank you. Just one last question. I guess you recall EPA's exhibit at the Flower Show a few weeks ago. Now is there something about EPA's exhibits there that will be even more helpful this time of year?
WELSH: Yes, and we have an exhibit here today that will help you with that issue. If you're out planting a garden or cleaning up your garden from last year, it's important to know that if you use native plants you'll have less need for fertilizers and pesticides and some of the other chemicals required to grow exotic plants. And also you'll be able to get away with not watering, just let God take care of watering of your garden and those things can help reduce your impact on the environment. There's lot of things you can do with grass clippings and with leaves you rake up in the fall, compost them and use them in your garden. So while people are planting their garden this year, we want them to bear in mind that there are ways they can do that, that will help be more protective of the environment in other ways. So remember to use the native plants and remember to use a good watering regimen and use as little chemicals as you can get away with.
