Advocating for the Environment

Todd Reedy ’24 is calf deep in Bushkill Creek in Northeastern Pennsylvania holding a crayfish up to the sunlight to inspect the little crustacean as it tries to reach his fingers with its claws. He places it gently back in the stream and watches it dart behind a rock.

“People have to experience nature to fully appreciate how interconnected the world is,” says the Moravian University senior, a Moosic, Pennsylvania, native who’s studying environmental science with a concentration on policy and advocacy. He spent the summer before his senior year as an intern at Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center at the Pennsylvania state park leading field trips and programs for elementary and high school students and even science teachers.

Reedy has been interested in the environment since taking an ecology elective in high school, but he entered Moravian University as a German major. In his first semester, he took a class in cultural anthropology that touched on environmental justice and rights. “Something clicked; I found it really interesting,” he says. “I talked with Dr. [Diane] Husic [Environmental Studies and Sciences program director] and switched to environmental science.”

A class in environmental policy solidified Reedy’s interest in pursuing advocacy. It was taught by Tracy Bach, an environmental lawyer and visiting professor recruited by Husic. Bach, a law professor for more than 20 years, specializes in international environmental law and human rights, environmental health law, and climate change.

 “It was the coolest, coolest class,” says Reedy. “She took us through environmental catastrophes like Love Canal and how the Clean Water Act came to be. It made me realize how important it is for people to understand the science behind environmental policy.”

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If Reedy’s outdoor happy place is standing in a creek, indoors it’s standing on a stage. He loves singing and has been performing since taking voice lessons as a child. In the eighth grade, he played nerdy florist Seymour Krelborn, the improbable hero in Little Shop of Horrors, and has sung in choirs throughout his high school career. At Moravian, he’s part of Opera Ensemble, formed by artist-in-residence Suzanne Kompass. The ensemble performs musical theater and cabaret.  

Reedy says his Moravian University experience has helped him “get out of my shell and come into my own.” Reedy is the United Student Government’s senator for sustainability, and he participates on the university’s sustainability committee, roles he hopes will help prepare him for a potential career in sustainability and environmental advocacy. He spent hours wading through Monocacy Creek near campus for a course in ecology, taught by assistant professor of biology Daniel Proud, that explored various species’ roles within an ecosystem. The class opened the doors to the internship at Jacobsburg Environmental Center and “helped me develop the skills I needed to work in the field,” Reedy says.

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It’s an early summer morning at Jacobsburg State Park. Reedy is back in Bushkill Creek, showing a group of second graders how to turn over rocks to find hellgrammites, the larval stage of dobsonflies. He points out whirligig beetles swimming in circles on the surface, but the kids are more interested in chasing tadpoles. The second graders are from a Title 1 school; they never waded in a stream before, never chased tadpoles. Just then, Reedy turns their attention overhead to a bald eagle gliding over the Bushkill hunting for brook trout.

“Seeing the kids’ eyes light up was amazing,” Reedy says. “It gave me faith and a lot of hope that future generations will understand how nature interacts with every aspect of our lives. And that everything needs to coexist.” —Jeff Csatari