Elusive Recycling in Copenhagen
February 8, 2010
I wondered the whole time I was in Copenhagen, where were all the recycling bins?
Evan Kopelson
Evan was an entertainment lawyer for three years before writing a hit song and retiring from law practice 15 years ago. After that, he spent the majority of his career in the entertainment business as a development executive. Evan left his career behind five years ago and became a yoga teacher, leading classes and workshops on yoga for pain and anxiety. In a twist of fate, Evan says it was yoga that helped him decide to re-enter the corporate world as a sustainable business consultant. Most recently, he consulted for CBS Corporation, leading a major research project on sustainability.
Evan now lives in Venice, CA, in an intentional community focused on yoga, meditation and sustainable living. His blog, Green Media News, offers news and commentary "for people who care" about climate change, sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Evan is a freelance writer and passionately believes there is not enough coverage of these issues in mainstream news. He says if he could spend his days writing about energy, water, waste, recycling, composting and sourcing sustainable and reclaimed materials, his life would be "pretty perfect."
Evan recently covered the COP15 climate conference in Copenhagen for Green Media News and his Current channel. While COP15 was deemed a failure for not producing a meaningful, binding agreement among nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Evan feels the conference was still important because it bonded citizen journalists, NGOs and climate activists in a common cause, providing a clear picture - with the whole world watching - of where climate issues rank today in the priorities of world governments. It is this nascent community, Evan says, that will ultimately drive change.
Evan says the most important quote he ever heard was from Gandhi: "Be the change you want to see in the world." He says each of us making daily lifestyle choices based in awareness can change the world, even as our government leaders fail to take action.