Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres: We only have one planet Earth. We need to conserve it, to assure that the generations to come will have the same luxury that’s afforded to us.

Jose “Joey” Torres is mayor of Paterson, the third largest city in the densely populated state of New Jersey. Mayor Torres believes that it’s necessary to strike a balance between development and growth, and conservation and preservation. He spoke with EarthSky’s Jorge Salazar about how political and civic action can help achieve this goal.

To learn more about saving New Jersey’s open spaces and historic places, visit Garden State Preservation Trust.