Environmental Justice for All

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A devout Catholic, Kennedy says protecting the environment has to ultimately be a spiritual and moral issue, too. “I believe humans are hard-wired to compete, consume and ultimately destroy the planet,” he says. “That biological urge can only be transcended with a spiritual fire. People have to recognize that our obligation to the rest of the planet demands sacrifice, demands sublimating our biological drives, which otherwise guide most of our decisions.”

Kennedy names St. Francis of Assisi as the most influential hero of his youth. “St. Francis saw nature as the vector by which God communicates with human beings most clearly,” he says. “I began to see at a very early age that if we destroy nature, we destroy our connection to God.”

Putting Ethics Into Practice

Although Kennedy promotes political activism as the best way for concerned citizens to make a difference, he agrees that personal actions can complement and reinforce that effort. “It’s important for all of us to practice an environmental ethic in our everyday lives, and I try to do it as best I can,” he says.

But he does not feel inclined to promote or discuss those choices, saying to do so would distract from the real issues. “Industry wants us reading books that list 50 things you can do to help the environment because that distracts you from the things you ought to be doing, which are joining an environmental group, voting for politicians who support the environment and fighting against the lobbyists on Capitol Hill.”

Kennedy applauds consumers who buy, for example, hybrids and other fuel-efficient automobiles (he drives a Chrysler Voyager minivan — among the most fuel-efficient vehicles with room for his family), but argues that the environmental benefits of such a decision pale in comparison to the efforts of those who stand up to the auto industry’s lobbyists and encourage Congress to pass standards that would require every car in the United States to get at least 40 miles per gallon. “If your choice is to buy a hybrid or go work for a politician who is going to increase industry-wide fuel economy standards, you better work for the politician,” Kennedy says.

It may seem surprising that Kennedy has not chosen to become a public official himself — he clearly has the necessary credentials and potential endorsements. “He would make an absolutely first-rate political leader because he is totally honest, and incorruptible on these issues,” the NRDC’s Adams says. “The country would be better off if we had a few people like Bobby Kennedy [in office].”

But for the moment, Kennedy says he’s immensely content spending time with his family and working as an attorney, teacher and activist from his cluttered office. “My family and my political upbringing have definitely played an important role in what I do,” he says. “But I do what I do because I love it. I don’t think I’m making a sacrifice to do this; I feel privileged every single day from the moment I wake up.”

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