"We reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green fire dying in her eyes. I realized then, and have known ever since, that there was something new to me in those eyes—something known only to her and to the mountain. I was young then, and full of trigger-itch; I thought that because fewer wolves meant more deer, that no wolves would mean hunters' paradise. But after seeing the green fire die, I sensed that neither the wolf nor the mountain agreed with such a view."- Leopold
Year after year I have been asked, what sparked my green fire at the Student Sierra Coalition (SSC) Summer Program (SPROG), and what made me commit so fiercely to environmentalism? I have not really known until today what has done that for me. I have not been able to identify the thing that makes me want to spend hours in meetings, clean up trash, and work myself to the bone to make the impacts that humans have on the world a little less. I am sitting in the San Francisco International Airport just finishing up with Director's Retreat for SPROG, and I just finished reading an email that my co-director of Students for Sustainability wrote to me, and it suddenly clicked. I have been doing environmental work for years and never knew the reason really why I gravitated towards it. I was searching for the moment where nature and I connected or where I felt that I needed to do everything in my power to save the polar bears, and although they are very cute and I love wilderness and nature a lot (whatever that is defined as), I never had that clarifying moment.
I remember when I was in 6th grade and I got this crazy idea of cleaning up the vacant lot down the road. I went to the 4th of July fair with a sign that I hand painted and flyers to invite people to come out and help me. I ended doing it alone for several hours, and I did not get much accomplished, but I remember doing that, and that work ethic and dedication has never disappeared, but what was it about the environment that triggered that? I was blessed with the fact that I never needed that clarifying moment that told me that the environment was important and something I needed to protect. When I was a child I was never taken to Disneyland (still have not been) or to big cities with big things to see. I was taken on hikes, taken on camping trips, and "forced" to go on backpacking trips, river trips and to forestry camp when my parents needed a break from my sister and I. I was put in a situation where the world around me was what I lived and breathed and studied. There was never a separation between nature and my human environment. I just expected that to be given... for everyone.
I then started traveling, seeing and learning about the rest of the world, and I quickly realized that this was not the case. Originally I was just invested in political work, and I was fascinated with politics, policy and how I could be a senator and change the world for the better. I joined every youth commission I could and started volunteering for candidates. Environmentalism did not seem that necessary to work towards when we had the economy, health care, and war to worry about. Plus in my backyard there seemed to be no problems that needed to be addressed. There was no deforestation, I had clean air, and everything was just peachy. I did start joining forestry club and envirothon as well because I knew a lot about forestry and environmental topics because my Mother subjected me to them at an early age. I went through high school working as hard as I could towards the goal of getting into the best colleges, not really realizing why I was doing my work.
I then went to SPROG my junior year of high school. My Mom had heard of it from a professor that directed forestry camp. It was another thing for my resume and something I thought would benefit me somehow. I did not realize then how much it was dramatically alter my life. That week I was challenged more than I have ever been in my life. I had to deal with people in a new way, challenge the way that I thought about the world around me everyday, and in general be more cognizant of the world outside of my bubble. Going to that program gave me the skills and the confidence to do anything. It did not only do that, but it also took me out of my comfort zone, and I finally began to see the world from other perspectives. In the SSC they do work with anti-oppression (AO), and it is some of the most challenging and important training and conversation starting work that is done at SPROG. I not only learned about how to run a campaign, but also why it was important, and how humans fit into all of it. This was the first time I had heard of environmental justice or realized that just north of Flagstaff, where I grew up, is one of the dirtiest coal fired power plants in the nation and that the people who mine the coal and work at the plant do not have the political power to fight for what they want because they depend on that. Not only that, but they also get sick from the coal, and they cannot afford the healthcare they need to be helped with a problem they got from their job in the first place. It seemed backwards to me. SPROG struck the match to light my green fire.
I went home with my world flipped upside down, and a lot of thoughts rushing around my mind. I decided to tackle something small to see if I was capable of doing anything like environmental campaigning and organizing. I became president of the PEACE club (Preserving Environments and Conserving Energy). I ran a plastic bag campaign, and in that I was able to improve signage for plastic bag recycling, increase bin numbers around the city, work with local schools to give presentations on the subject, and as a result the Arizona Food and Marketing Alliance started placing bins all over the state. It was somewhat successful, and I started realizing that I could do this. I started interacting with more and more people, started going to national conferences to tell people about everything I was doing, and started putting every part of into my soul into environmental work because I realized someone needed to. Also, I could work to give people the experience I had.
Ultimately I have always had something that sparked me to care about the environment. Not having a place to play in the forest or hike around on the weekends seems unimaginable to me, even though I know that the reality is many people do not get to experience that. What keeps me going though, and what keeps me fueled and alive to work on projects and to never give up, are people. I work with people in many different capacities. I think about how my actions and the actions of others will impact people's jobs, health and well being at a very surface level. In addition to thinking about people in this respect I also get to work with amazing people, and that is what sparked me and gave me the desire to do everything I do. I want to give everyone the capacity to make the change that they wish to see in the world, and not only give them that but the confidence to go through with it. Realistically, I could work on environmental work forever and ever, and never enjoy it, but because I get to go to my job (or what pretends to function as a job) and interact with some of the most remarkable people in the nation or on my campus makes it all worth it. I get to problem solve with them, laugh with them, cry with them, and struggle to work to make this world a better place.
