Regional Sierra Club Names Professor 'Environmentalist of the Year'

Professor Karl Grossman in the classroom

Karl Grossman, a professor of journalism in the American Studies/Media & Communications Department at SUNY Old Westbury, has been named “Environmentalist of the Year” by the Long Island Sierra Club. The award, which recognizes a person who strives to make Long Island a better and greener place to live, will be presented at the chapter’s 36th annual awards luncheon on March 24, 2018 at the Suffolk County Environmental Center in Islip. Grossman has specialized in investigative reporting for more than 50 years especially on issues related to the environment and nuclear energy.

“Combining investigative reporting and environmental journalism has long been my focus, so it is a great honor to receive this award," said Grossman. "From challenging the scheme to build a four-lane highway the length of Fire Island and instead urging a Fire Island National Seashore, to crusading for safe, green energy rather than building nuclear power plants on Long Island, I hope to continue making an impact through journalism."

Grossman has written extensively on the environment in various media formats including periodicals, books, online, and for television and radio. At Old Westbury, he teaches courses on both investigative reporting and environmental journalism, and mentors future reporters as the internship advisor in the department.

For his ongoing contributions to Long Island, and the journalism industry, Grossman has been honored with several awards including the John Peter Zenger Award from the New York Bar Association, the Generoso Pope Foundation Award for Investigative Journalism, and as an inaugural member of the Long Island Journalism Hall of Fame. 

The Sierra Club Long Island Group is a chartered sub-entity of the Atlantic Chapter of the national Sierra Club organization. The Group is composed of approximately 6,000 Sierra Club members who live in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

American Studies
Media & Communication
Faculty Achievement