Who:
Dave Karpf
Board member
Where:
Philadelphia, PA
I'm spending the day in a largely non-environmental venture -- flying cross-country. I've just spent a week in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest with the Sierra Student Coalition (SSC). I was an SSC leader in high school and college, and I now serve as their liaison on the Club's board of directors.
These students never cease to amaze me. The moment that stands out most clearly was technically this morning (around 2 a.m.). Young people are supposed to be all about partying, and certainly Sierra Clubbers have been known to sit back and socialize at the end of a hard day. But these students never stop thinking about how to protect the earth. They were up late debating the merits of their new national conservation focus. How should it be run? How could high schoolers get involved? Would it help us protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?
The whole week was filled with some of the most sophisticated debate I have seen in this organization. At a time when the news is so often depressing for us on the national level, the SSC stands out as a source of hope, joy, and inspiration for those of us concerned about the fate of the planet. It's going to take a long time to make the changes that are necessary. The good news is, SSCers are ready, willing, and able to pick up the gauntlet.
