by Daniela Conte ’12

Blanche Krubner MA ’71 grew up in The Bronx, on Charlotte Street. If that street name stands out to some readers, it could be because the street itself has, at various times in recent history, been used to represent both urban decay and the promise of urban renewal. Three of the last six Presidents (Carter, Reagan, and Clinton) have visited the street to either examine the state of its deterioration, use it as a backdrop for their campaign speeches promising change, or celebrate its renewal. Yet Blanche, who grew up on Charlotte Street nearly 80 years ago, remembers the thoroughfare simply as “a perfectly nice place.” At one end of the street was beautiful, tree-lined Crotona Park, a place Blanche remembers spending time playing as a youngster. Perhaps it was these early experiences finding joy in nature that led her to devote much of her life to furthering environmental causes.

Blanche’s route to becoming an environmental activist is a circuitous one. She graduated with honors from Hunter College in 1949. Four years later, while working for a textbook company, she was married. Soon after, she and her husband Ralph decided they wanted to see the United States—all of them. The two rented a trailer and spent the next four years crossing the country by automobile. During that time, Blanche gave birth to the couple’s two sons. Looking back, she says she remembers those years as “the best time of her life.”

It was also around this time that Blanche made her first foray into environmental activism. During her travels across the nation, Blanche had passed through California’s famed Redwood forests. So impressed was she by what she saw, that she and Ralph joined the Save the Redwoods League—despite living on a limited budget at the time.

When Blanche’s sons were ready to enter school, the family moved back to New Jersey, settling in Jackson Township. After giving birth to two more sons, Blanche, who says she always felt an immense passion for education, went to work as a teacher in Jackson. She taught social studies, geography, and economics for 28 years, during which time she continued her own education, receiving her master’s degree from TCNJ and completing course work for a doctorate in urban geography, with a minor in environmental studies, at Rutgers.

Blanche’s commitment to the environment also took on a more prominent role in her life during those years as well. She joined the Jackson Environmental Commission in 1973, serving on it until 1991. During her tenure with the commission, she created a recycling program, participated in a state land-use plan, and administered a water-quality study.

In 1987, Blanche joined the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commission, where she taught courses about land-use laws. She was also appointed an Ocean County trustee. She worked as an outreach technical specialist for the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 1994 to 2006. Working for the EPA was a delight, Blanche said. As the outreach specialist, she was not only able to publish EPA literature, but also to answer questions about the environment and visit schools to speak about environmental issues.

As a 26-year member of the Ocean County League of Women Voters (and its current president), Blanche has helped the group’s efforts to support energy- and water-resources conservation. She has also been a member of the Pine Lands Alliance for almost 20 years, and has devoted her time and efforts to the Ocean County Environmental Agency as well.

Blanche, a self-described “fiery Northeast Liberal Feminist,” is not afraid to fight for what she believes in, and makes it a point to give her all for each organization of which she is a member. As she herself states: “The environment can be close to a religious belief, so you have to be careful to not go overboard. You are here to be a steward to the planet, not an exploiter. You always have to do the studying—you need to take the courses, particularly the ones on ecology and on water. You have to do the book learning, too. And then you have to use everything you’ve got—your beliefs, your knowledge, and your persuasive skills—to shape public policy.”

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