THEWIRE

By Derek Street

 

Ibrahim Abdul Martin, author of “Green Deen: What Islam Teaches about Protecting the Planet” spoke with Delaware Tech students in Georgetown, on Monday, February 10. The focus on the presentation was how students can elevate their understanding of the management of resources in our country and promote the general welfare of its citizens. International Education Director, Taryn Gassner, began the presentation thanking the audience and introducing Martin as a man who is passionate about environmental sustainability, while also elaborating on many of his honors and accomplishments.

 

Martin, who is currently an environmental policy consultant, has worked with many environmental organizations such as Green For All, Green City Force, and Interfaith Leaders for Environmental Justice. He was a former sustainability advisor for Mayor Michael Bloomburg in New York City and has also been published in media outlets including the Washington Post, CNN.com, and The Daily Beast. He has also been a guest on news networks such as FOX, ABC, The Brian Lehrer Show, and WNYC’s Takeaway. In 2013 he was honored by theGrio.com as one of 100 African Americans making history today. 

 

Martin spoke about his previous life in New York, and the final days of working as a sustainability advisor under Mayor Michael Bloomburg. He described the scene of New Year’s Eve 2013 when Mayor Bloomburg and his staff exited from their positions in government. Martin recalled his fascination with the gravitas Bloomburg and his staff carried in their final moments. The next day Martin prepared himself for the inauguration of the new mayor, Bill De Blasio. Martin arrived to the scene facing the blistering temperatures as he, his family, and other audience members await the transitioning staff. Finally the involved parties arrived and were met with praise. Martin said he remembered De Balsio and his new faculty, although just recently sworn in, still conveying a dignified presence in the face of the audience.  Martin said, to him, this illustrates a very important social principle in our country. 

 

“Our transfers of power are critical moments in understanding what we are about,” Martin said. 

 

This regime change brought a difference in policies, a difference in ideas, and a completely different network of people. Martin says it all contributes to the beauty of the American system. 

 

“In our government we honor the rule of law and contractual obligations,” Martin said. “One of the first indicators people look for in good countries is, will that nation honor a contract signed in that country? Are citizen’s intellectual properties protected? Not all governments strive to protect these assets.” Martin followed up his argument with a quote from the preamble of the constitution. “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, established justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense and promote the general welfare.”

 

Martin spoke of the government’s obligation to protect its citizens using its resources to promote this idea of the general welfare. For Martin the idea of general welfare does not just begin and end with the idea of the protection of intellectual properties, or keeping varied viewpoints involved. To Martin the general welfare encompasses an area he knows very well, the environment. He discussed that his view of the general welfare is more of a promise to anyone who pursues the American dream. In the United States not only are our ideas, status, and liberties protected but so is our way of living. By this Martin means the nation’s obligation to secure and promote proper waste, water and energy management.

 

“When you give people access to these basic things, then their hard work and their ambition will thrive,” Martin said. 

Some of the most incredible products of human ingenuity were constructed to manage these systems, Martin said. He elaborated on his argument by discussing water management’s evolution over time.  

 

In the 1840’s one of the number one causes of death in New York City was cholera, said Martin. To prevent this problem New York built a water system that stretched from upstate and distributed water throughout the city.  From within about five years after the system was fully implemented the number of deaths from cholera went from 3000 to 4. Martin said today there are almost a million people still suffering globally from cholera. And even today areas of the country are still suffering less than desirable conditions when dealing with water. He gave the example of West Virginia where there are areas of the state where the water has been highly contaminated due to extraction methods of certain resources like coal and oil. Martin feels that, as American citizens, these are the kind of liberties that should be secured when discussing the general welfare. This reliance on decaying resources is costing citizens in the long term and people should be looking to harness energy from new natural sources. 

 

 “Just because it made sense then does not mean it applies to now,” Martin said. 

 

In the 1800’s rivers of untapped oil reserves provided people with seemingly limitless opportunities to pull resources from. People took advantage of this and created machines around this resource. In that era it was believed to make sense but now many argue it is becoming a tired method that isn’t beneficial anymore. Martin feels that society will benefit the most when they learn to be versatile, and use small sources in variety of ways. In the spirit of black history month he provided the example of George Washington Carver and his versatility with the peanut, developing over 100 different functions with the product. Our legacy and our history are connected to those who operate with approaches similar to that, Martin said. 

 

“The periods of the most economic development and activity occur when you pull the most material out of something and use it for multiple uses,” Martin said.

 

He used this thought to transition to the topic of food and the arguments of the costly nature of a natural lifestyle. To counter, Martin provided an example of Malcom X and the lessons he obtained from reading his autobiography. Malcom lived in a rural area out west where his family maintained a garden. They grew their own food and lived off that garden for most of his childhood.

 

“We had nothing but we didn’t know we had nothing,” said Martin quoting from X’s book.

 

Martin began to bring his presentation to a close reiterating his idea of the American dream and rights laid out for the people of today by generations long past. He proposed a responsibility that all citizens have to fulfill as well, not just to the people but to the land as well. This proposal was that we make an agreement to the land right now for those of come after us. Martin said the main message he wished to convey in his book is that we are stewards to the planet. Many faiths discuss humans having dominion over the earth. For most of history, he believes man has interpreted this as a free pass to rape and pillage the earth for resources. Martin feels that this interpretation is a driving force behind the environmental issues we face today. 

 

“Earth is simply being loaned to the human race from those who came before us and it is our job to maintaining it for those who come after,” Martin said.  “We have a responsibility to the people in the future.”