BY M. JUNAID ALAM
“Little by little, people are beginning to understand the importance of preserving the environment,” David said in a phone interview. “A year ago, people didn't even know what a carbon footprint was. Now, they talk about conserving energy.”David, who signed up with the Clearwater group 20 years ago and has participated in the festival for the past 16 years, will serve this year as the food services coordinator.The Croton Point Park event, to be held on June 21-22 this year, sees thousands of visitors of all ages on the shores of the Hudson and will feature a wide variety of food, dancing and live band performances.As part of its environmentally conscious vision, Clearwater has assigned David to making sure food vendors are acting responsibly.”This year we want to make sure there is recycling and composting, no styrofoam, and no trans fats,” she said. The park will be pristine after the festivities end, she said, because volunteers such as herself will comb it meticulously.More than the logistics, David is inspired by the spirit that drives the festival and the accomplishment it celebrates.”The Hudson River used to be an utter mess,” she said of the pollution that prevailed there in the 1960s, when Seeger launched a sailboat-based research and education effort to spur change.A former South Bronx and Fresh Meadows public school teacher, David said that while she was at PS 73 in Queens, she took schoolchildren on the Hudson River sloop every year, with her principal's support.She said she was always impressed by the sloop. “I liked the outdoors, and when I first went on the boat and saw people who work so much for so little, it inspired me,” she said.These days, she works at the American Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and takes pride in its programs that highlight the importance of environmental cleanup. But she still has a soft spot for the Hudson River efforts in particular.”It's the sense of camaraderie and accomplishment,” David said, of why she enjoys her work with Clearwater after all these years. “And, of course, it's people becoming more environmentally aware.”Reach reporter M. Junaid Alam by e-mail at malam@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300 Ext 174.
