Pulse Magazine
Spring 2017
Reuse. Reread. Recycle
The Future in
Our Hands
A Different
Philosophy
Photo Courtesy of the Environmental Protection Agency
Noxious Chemicals &
Contaminated Soil
Photo Courtesy of First Run Features
By Hannah Johnson
At the early age of 20, Leonardo DiCaprio became an enthusiast for climate change. Throughout his journey, he has spoken with multiple world leaders, scientists and activists to find out how bad our problem really is. DiCaprio, last October, released the documentary “Before the Flood” worldwide with award-winning director Fisher Stevens. DiCaprio traveled around the world over the course of three years to speak with people about the effects our world has seen due to climate change.
During the filming of the documentary, DiCaprio received the title of United Nations Messenger of Peace on Climate Change.
By Elyse Carmosino
On Friday, Feb. 17, former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt was sworn in as the 14th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency—a development that has since been met with opposition and protest from environmental advocates, various government figures and thousands of Americans nationwide. Perhaps most surprisingly, one of Pruitt’s most outspoken critics has been former Republican EPA leader Christine Todd Whitman. Unlike what many current members of her party seem to project, Whitman believes a tradeoff between protecting the economy and protecting the environment is not only unnecessary, but could even become counterproductive to the party’s aims.
By Andrew Garcia
While environmental protection can seem like a modern, liberal issue in today’s political climate, the conservative side of American politics was the first to tackle the issue head-on. Republican President Richard Nixon established the Environmental Protection Agency in an executive order addressed to Congress on July 9, 1970. Divided into ten separate regions spanning over all fifty states, each region of the EPA is responsible for upholding the environmental values and regulations of each separate state, on top of keeping local citizens safe from potentially disastrous environmental hazards.