MADISON – Today, State Representative Alex Joers (D-Middleton) delivered his first speech on the floor of the Assembly since being elected. He spoke on Assembly Joint Resolution 22, a resolution he authored with Senator Dianne Hesselbein honoring Earth Day. The resolution passed on a voice vote with bipartisan support. Representative Joers released the following excerpts from his speech:
“53 years ago, our United States Senator Gaylord Nelson had long been concerned about the deteriorating environment in our world. So, to energize a public consciousness about air and water pollution, he brought together a bipartisan, multi-generational effort in a call for a national teach-in to fully engage students from across our country. Many of you know what happened next, the movement caught national attention as 20 million Americans participated in what was to be called the first Earth Day.
“As Gaylord Nelson said those many years ago, “Our goal is an environment of decency, quality and mutual respect for all human beings and all other living creatures. Our goal is a decent environment in its broadest and deepest sense.”
“The 53rd anniversary of Earth Day comes this Saturday, and we have made significant progress in technology and awareness, but new challenges to our conservation efforts continue to push us. Today, lead pipes threaten our homes and PFAS chemicals poison our waterways. Biodiversity is diminishing and our global temperature inches to the point of no return. The reality is we have many of the solutions to address these mounting challenges. The question is not whether we are able to solve this problem, we know the answer is yes. The question is, are we willing?
“Many of you know I have a two-year-old at home. I want him to enjoy the same environment that I had when I grew up. To me, it’s about the planet that we leave to our children or our grandchildren. And in some ways, what we do here is even bigger than that. What we do here, depends on what kind of world we want to leave to the next generation. Will we leave a world to our kids that is inclusive, respectful, clean, and peaceful? Or will we let fear and division take hold, preventing us from leaving our kids with the best opportunities to live and grow in a safe environment with all of their rights intact. Wisconsin can be a leader in conservation again. And it’s up to the 99 of us to make that conscious choice to move forward, as Gaylord Nelson did those 53 years ago, to see a brighter future by acting now.”
