Matthys Levy, who has been lecturing on climate change and is trying to focus attention on the lack of potable water, is one of 21 interviewees featured on a popular green-community website in anticipation of Earth Day.

New York, NY - As part of a lead-up to Earth Day on April 22nd, Matthys Levy, chairman emeritus of Weidlinger, was interviewed on April 5, 2009, by Earth Promise, an online community that provides an easy way for people to make, track, and keep promises about actions to benefit Earth. Interviews with 21 influential people in the green community, one each day starting April 1, are being posted at http://www.earthpromise.com/blog. Levy is the only engineer among the interviewees, who are from the worlds of politics, radio, business, entertainment, education, travel, and the web. They include Bruce Gellerman, host of “Living on Earth” on Public Radio International; Olivia Zaleski, host and editor of CNN’s, The Business of Green; Robert Stone, director of Earth Days (to be released on April 22, 2009); and Alexandra Cousteau, social environmental advocate and granddaughter of Jacques Cousteau.

Levy explains that his “ah ha Green moment” occurred during the research phase for his recent book, Why the Wind Blows (“Never mind green, we are heading toward brown…the trend toward desertification and the northward movement of higher temperatures so that Vermont will be the new Carolinas.”). Levy describes “The Decline of Spaceship Earth,” a climate-change illustrated lecture he has given many times, as being somewhat similar to Gore’s in content, but more focused on a rate of population growth that can no longer be sustained. The title derives from Buckminster Fuller’s concept of Earth as a spaceship traveling through the universe.

Levy thinks that earlier predictions have proven too conservative and that the consequences of inaction are actually worse than they were thought to be only a year or two ago. He also thinks that enforcement of existing laws and adequate staffing of US agencies are more important than enacting new laws. He points out that there is no immediate reward for green initiatives and fears that an increase of devastating hurricanes, floods, and drought may be the only wake-up call people will respond to. Asked about his personal “Earth Promise,” he said that he will try to use his persuasive powers as a reporter to expand people’s awareness of the next crisis, which he believes will be the lack of potable water.