Inspiring examples of environmentalism

Recent years’ headlines about the environment can make a sensitive reader feel like the world is coming to an end — literally. Between the weakening ozone layer above to shrinking whale habitats below, there is scarcely an animal, mineral or vegetable that seems safe from the pernicious effects of climate change.

Still, activists who tirelessly labor in the northwest Bronx provide shining examples of fighting for the environment. Jodi Colón, known as the “compost queen” to her acquaintances and fans, and Frances Beinecke, who recently stepped down as president of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), have spent years devoted to the cause.

Ms. Colón says she became an environmentalist by chance. After a career in sales, she sought a path with more meaning, and ended up volunteering at the New York Botanical Garden. Before she knew it, she was their staff’s composting educator, spreading the virtues of recycling scraps and other items the natural way throughout the borough.

Ms. Beinecke devoted herself early on to a life of environmental activism. After interning at NRDC in its early days, she rose through the ranks to become president nine years ago. Along the way, her accomplishments including working on air pollution in China, making recommendations after the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico and more.

Whether you are interested in the hands-on side of conservation like Ms. Colón, or in environmental policy like Ms. Beinecke, you don’t have to devote your life to the cause to do your part.

Thankfully, Riverdale and the rest of the northwest Bronx have a thriving environmental movement that seems to be growing every month.