"I recycle, therefore that's all I need to do. I drive a Hybrid; does that make me an environmentalist? No," Young said.,”For some people, the recycling campaign can be an easy way out of real environmental action, according to McGee Young, assistant professor of political science.

"I recycle, therefore that's all I need to do. I drive a Hybrid; does that make me an environmentalist? No," Young said.

Instead, Young advocated for actions that would impact politics and institutions in a Monday night speech, the second installment of the Les Aspin Center for Government speaker series.

The Les Aspin Center, the Aspin Alumni Council, Pi Sigma Alpha, Amnesty International and Students for a Environmentally Active Campus co-sponsored the discussion.

In his lecture, Young discussed the path that led him to researching the environment, and how environmental interest groups started and have shaped the environmental dialogue in the United States.

Afterward Young discussed with attendees what actions are effective, Wal-Mart Inc.'s place in the environmental movement and the role of interest groups on global warming.

The most extensive conversation involved the effectiveness of individual action.

"To me the solutions that we need to be thinking about are institutional solutions," Young said. "I don't think we're ever going to get where we need to be by solitary actions."

Young said it is the institutional changes that are going to have the profound effect.

Politically there is a lot people can do, such as putting pressure on elected officials, he said.

Institutional change at Marquette could mean declaring a commitment to being environmentally friendly, which would send a message to students and the Milwaukee area, Young said. He said one example might be making the new law and engineering buildings environmentally friendly.

"The problem is so vast that any individual contribution just won't make enough of an impact," Young said.

Justin Arend, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, said he was surprised that Young continued to dismiss the merit of individual efforts while claiming institutional change was the best solution.

"I would think the best idea would be a merger of the two," Arends said.

Mark Frassetto, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, said he agreed with Young that systemic change is more necessary.

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