Sometimes the 'do-gooders' do not do so much good, according to Dr. Kelvin Kemm, a guest speaker at the Collegians For a Constructive Tomorrow meeting Tuesday.
Kemm is a long-time member of the environmental organization CFACT that disagrees with traditional \green agendas."" He argued many people who are stringently environmental often have ulterior motives or are unable to look at an issue from all sides.
""It's like the expression 'think globally, act locally,'"" he said. ""[Many people] are doing the opposite.""
Kemm spoke harshly against many traditional global organizations. Greenpeace in particular, he said, was ruled by people more schooled in fighting than in saving the environment.
""These people never come up with a solution,"" he said. ""They come up with criticism. And [Greenpeace] is no longer a group of undergrads-it's a group of powerful people taking home [huge] salaries.""
Kemm said his home country of South Africa is frequently victimized by mandates from larger nations or organizations like these that were not aware of how their laws negatively affect the region.
For example, Kemm said, the United States vehemently opposes using the pesticide DDT and refuses food products from countries that spray with DDT, arguing the pesticide is a possible carcinogen and may be correlated to the thinning of eggshells in the nests of many birds.
However, without the use of this pesticide, there is no way to check the mosquitoes that breed so quickly in Africa's fertile conditions. The resulting overabundance of mosquitoes is spreading malaria at an alarming rate, according to Kemm.
Other controversial issues covered in the lecture included the trade of ivory, the protection of animals, nuclear reactors and the AIDS pandemic. Although some students initially came to challenge Kemm's non-traditional ideas, many walked away satisfied with his answers.
UW-Madison alum Chris Kratochwill said he was glad he attended the lecture.
""I agreed with a lot of what he said,"" he said. ""But I thought he needed a lot more backbone to the thoughts he presented. His claims did not substantiate his arguments.""
Another UW-Madison graduate, Sandy Welander, said he disagreed with a lot of what Kemm said, calling it right-wing propaganda.
College Republicans Chair Frank Harris said he had anticipated this type of reaction among the audience.
""Many of the people that came in today came with a mindset, and their motivation was to challenge [Kemm] because he is conservative,"" he said. ""Although they did raise good questions, Kemm ... answered them well.\
