Jesse Kharbanda’s presence took over a captivated crowd in the student organization space in the Union Building on Sept 6.
In partnership with Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, the Sustainably Leadership Program sponsored Kharbanda’s visit to DePauw. In conjunction with the talk, Alpha Kappa Alpha hosted their “Pink Freeze” that afternoon, a tabling event used to educate students about environmental issues, DePauw-specific sustainability initiatives, and the history of the sorority.
Kharbanda is the Executive Director of the Hoosier Environmental Council. He said that one of the main goals of the council is “to uplift communities harmed by pollution” and to “uplift habitats threatened by human activity.”
Kharbanda’s talk focused on the Endangered Species Act (ESA). ESA’s long and rich history began in 1973, when it was passed by the Nixon administration. According to Kharbanda, without the act, thousands of animals would have gone extinct. ESA has gone through several changes over the years, but its overall goal is protecting species that are in danger of going extinct.
Animals placed on the endangered species list are entitled to prohibitions regarding hunting and habitat destruction. The act puts restrictions on private property around the area, making sure that human activity does not harm the animals any further.
Kharbanda touched on the impact humans have had on the history of the earth, but focused mainly on the 1930s. After WWI, suburbs, highways, and oil rigs were being constructed en masse. “It led to the absolute devastation of habitats all across the country,” Kharbanda said.
Revisions to the act would prevent citizens from filing civil lawsuits, limiting the protest of certain regulations concerning threatened species. The revision aims to give states the power to protect species. However, in the past, states have not done an adequate job of protecting species due to lack of funding.
Students were intrigued by the talk, and many stayed afterwards for nearly half an hour to ask Kharbanda questions. Sophomore Quinn Keegan said, “I think it’s definitely, definitely a good thing to have speakers because that’s the best way to learn to sit down and listen to information from an expert.”
Various students saw the importance of having speakers like Kharbanda on campus. “As college students, we fall into the habit of the DePauw bubble and I find myself forgetting about the things going on in the world,” said sophomore Drew Harris. “It’s important for speakers like Kharbanda to bring things to an academic settings.”
Along with many other students in the Sustainability Leadership program, Keegan was inspired to action from Kharbanda’s talk. “He did a good job of explaining the past, the present, and the future, and what we can do to help the environment and especially the Endangered Species Act,” Keegan said.
Kharbanda concluded his talk with advice to “make being a citizen of way of life.” He urged everyone to take action to express their views on the Endangered Species Act, whether by calling representatives or writing letters to senators.
Kharbanda left the audience with a call to action. “We have to make your generation and the subsequent ones the heroes of this planet,” Kharbanda said.