Environmental Leaders Making Herstory

originally published in The Huffington Post

“Do me one favor, get your children and grandchildren outside to play.” President Obama’s nominee to lead the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Gina McCarthy, appealed to a room full of environmental leaders this morning at the second annual White House Women and the Environment Summit. According to McCarthy, we’ve got two great environmental challenges on our hands, climate change and the growing divide between kids and nature.

March is Women’s History Month, and I am reminded of the incredible women throughout history who stood up to solve the greatest environmental challenges of their day. Rachel Carson, my personal hero, awakened a generation to the dangers of pesticides with her book Silent Spring, which led to the banning of DDT and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency. I am also remembering Dian Fossey who gave her life studying and protecting gorillas in Rwanda and Wangari Maathai who endured police brutality for her causes and inspired the Green Belt Movement which has planted over 51 million trees in Kenya and across Africa since the 1970s.

And let’s not forget the leaders of our time – just a few weeks ago, Daryl Hannah went to jail with Sierra Club and other leaders for protesting the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. This morning Gina McCarthy encouraged us to think about each of the women that we know making a difference for the environment. I started thinking about some of the heroes I get to work with – Allison Chin of the Sierra Club, Cheryl Charles of the Children & Nature Network, Rue Mapp of Outdoor Afro, Christine Fanning of the Outdoor Foundation – to name just a few female Presidents and CEOs that are making a difference for the health of our planet by connecting kids and communities with the natural world.

Over the next few weeks and months, two more women are likely to assume leadership positions that will help shape how and with what sense of urgency we address the greatest environmental challenges of our time. This morning Interior Secretary nominee Sally Jewell cleared a committee vote in the Senate (19-3) along her way to confirmation. Jewell, CEO of REI, has been a steadfast champion for connecting children with nature. Under her leadership, REI helped to found the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK) a growing coalition of over 50 national organizations working to bridge the divide between kids and nature. Jewell understands that ensuring each and every child can enjoy a simple walk in nature is the first step towards a lifelong appreciation for the great outdoors and a larger and more inclusive conservation movement in America.

President Obama also nominated Gina McCarthy, the host of this morning’s Women and the Environment Summit and a leader on both climate and connecting kids with the outdoors, to be our next EPA Administrator. During her tenure as Commissioner of Connecticut’s Department of Environmental Protection, McCarthy established the “No Child Left Inside” campaign to encourage families throughout the state to visit their parks and forests. McCarthy knows that bridging the divide between kids and nature improves the wellbeing of our children and the long-term health of our environment.

While we should celebrate and lift up the women making a difference for our communities and our planet every day, Women’s History Month gives us a nudge to do it now. As a fellow woman in the fight to ensure that our children and our children’s children have a clean and green environment (with lots of safe space to play and connect with nature), I am honored to have been surrounded by female environmental leaders at the White House today, even if we do only get together like this for a few hours each year. 

Calling All Role Models -- Including Elmo

originally published in the Huffington Post

When given the choice between broccoli and chocolate, only 22 percent of kids will choose broccoli. But if you put an Elmo sticker on the broccoli, that number jumps to 50 percent. Last week during the Partnership for a Healthier Americasummit, First Lady Michelle Obama reminded me of the power of role models (and marketing) to solve the national childhood obesity crisis.

Since I was a kid, the rate of childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents. In that same time period, the amount of free time kids spend outdoors has been sliced in half.

I used to be a role model for kids. Before moving to Washington, D.C., I was an environmental educator. I spent my days in the field, inspiring kids to learn in and about nature. At the time I didn't realize that I might be helping to prevent or reverse childhood obesity by modeling an active lifestyle in the outdoors.

Today, 80 percent of Americans live in urban areas, 15 million children cannot safely walk to a park or a playground, and kids spend 7.5 hours each day on electronic media. These barriers to spending time outdoors must be brought down, but until all kids have safe parks and green spaces down the street, we'll need role models and mentors to help ensure that kids can access the outdoors safely and regularly.

At the Sierra Club, the power to inspire kids to explore and enjoy the great outdoors is fueled entirely by the good will of a vast network of volunteer role models we call outings leaders. Sierra Club's role models don't have red fur or say "oh boy, that tickles" when you squeeze them; they're just ordinary people like you and me doing extraordinary things every day in their communities.

Sierra Club's volunteer outings leaders get over 10,000 youth outdoors each year, but we know that we can't reverse the growing divide between kids and nature all by ourselves. That is why we are proud to be a co-founder of the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK) which brings together over 50 national businesses and non-profit organizations to advance opportunities for children, youth and families to connect with the outdoors. The members of OAK are brought together by the belief that the well-being of current and future generations, the health of our planet and communities and the economy of the future depend on humans having a personal, direct and life-long relationship with nature and the outdoors. We also believe that childhood is the best time for instilling and fully benefiting from a connection to nature.

During the Partnership for a Healthier America summit, I was honored to join some of the co-founders of OAK on a panel discussion called Get Out!(side). Led by the YMCA of the USA, we shared strategies to connect kids with nature and empower a generation of youth leaders in the outdoors. OAK believes that advancing environmental education, community health and wellness, and environmental stewardship initiatives are critical to bridging the growing divide between young people and the outdoors.

Outdoor kids are active kids and advancing opportunities for young people to spend time in the natural world is one way to help end childhood obesity; Let's Move Outside! And, Elmo, if you'd like to show kids and families just how fun it is to get outdoors, we'd gladly take you on a hike.

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Finding Adventure with the Sierra Club

Last summer, when I told fellow outdoor enthusiasts that I had been recently hired by Sierra Club Mission Outdoors, they often looked at me with a puzzled expression and voiced reservations about the Sierra Club's commitment to outdoor recreation. Slightly confused, I responded by asking how an outdoor program that leads over 200,000 people every year in activities ranging from rafting Sierra Nevada run off to backcountry skiing in the Adirondacks could be anti-recreation.

No matter how vehemently I tried to convince them that the Sierra Club is deeply committed to outdoor recreation, or how often I mentioned that in fact the Club was founded on the idea of exploration, many people were not buying what I was selling. With this in mind, I decided to see for myself what the Sierra Club's outdoor recreation options looked like on the ground, at the source, the local outings themselves.

First of all, to say there are options is an understatement. Mission Outdoors is present in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The outings range from photography courses to service trips, urban park exploration, and peak bagging. For those interested in becoming outdoor leaders themselves, Mission Outdoors conducts trainings, wilderness first aid, and in some cases, activity-specific skills development courses.

 

Whitewater kayakers navigate slalom gates

Of all the excellent outdoor options I have explored so far with Mission Outdoors, there have been two highlights. Last October, I was jonesing for some whitewater but was still new to the Bay Area and didn't have any paddling buddies. My colleague and river rat extraordinaire suggested I look into some options within the Club, and I was not disappointed. I found the Sierra Club's Loma Prieta Paddlers Section and immediately got myself on to some classic California whitewater.

 

The group offers programs that run the gamut from pool sessions to class IV river runs and even slalom races. Now that spring is almost here, I am getting the itch to get on the water, and I know just where I'll start. 

Another group really pushing the boundaries is the San Francisco Bay Ski Touring Section. I have been traveling around the West, skiing at various resorts for a long time now, but there is something about the backcountry that has always grabbed my attention. The focus, the commitment, and the skills needed to succeed are that much more important because the consequences are so high. With climate change in the news more and more, and the obvious negative impacts of resorts on the environment, I decided that now was the perfect time to get trained. With that in mind, I reached out to the SF Bay Ski Touring group and they put me on to an American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education course offered locally in Tahoe. Once I was trained up, they sent me a list of tours happening this spring. I have my eye on Mt. Shasta in late May.

Now that I have been with the Club for a while, I am happy to say that my friends were wrong, and the photos from my trips are all the evidence I needed to change their minds. They see the Sierra Club as I see it: A place that explores America's rivers, mountains, and forests in a way that is thrilling and develops skills while simultaneously building community and encouraging conservation.  My outdoor experiences with the Club have been limited to the Bay Area, but I know that, wherever I end up, there will be a Sierra Club Chapter or Group close by and that if I am in need of some outdoor fun, they can provide it.

Inner City Outings: Where Are We Going Next?

Of all the lessons Inner City Outings teaches to kids, one that stands out is that there are always special natural places nearby to explore. In Atlanta, outings leaders have a lot to choose from: Fort Yargo State Park, Blood Mountain, Kennesaw Mountain… the list goes on.

"This weekend we’re going caving in Raccoon Mountain Caverns in Chattanooga," ICO leader Susie Scarr says. "We ask the kids whether they’ve been camping, and most of them have not. Usually these trips are a first time for them. We went to hike at Kennesaw Mountain, and half of them had never even been on a hike or a trail. It opens their eyes to what's available to them and what they are able to enjoy."

ICO's Atlanta group is one of 50 groups across the country that connects city kids with nature. ICO leads 800 outings a year and serves about 14,000 kids, providing memorable, educational outdoor experiences they would not otherwise have. 

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Susie is a retired school teacher who got involved with ICO two years ago, thanks to a friend. She was already part of the Women’s Outdoor Network, so, as she puts it, "ICO seemed like a natural fit. Just to see how these kids blossom and interact with each other and with the adults, it makes it so rewarding."

Susie says that budget cuts in Georgia -- as in so many other places -- have forced park administrators to turn to volunteers to help maintain parks. This push to encourage volunteering resonates with kids.

"The kids absolutely want to pitch in," she says. "They’'re in a world of iPods and phones, and they’re not even aware that they can do these things. Parents are too busy to take them out. ICO just does a world of good for everyone involved. The kids love it, they talk about it, and they can't wait to find out where we're going next."

Want to get involved? Find out more info at Inner City Outings. www.sierraclub.org/ico

Celebration of the Military Child Outdoors

 As a kid, I grew up surrounded by nature. I had access to miles of coastline and State beaches, hiked with my parents in the local redwood reserve, and swam with friends in the Russian River. This time outside to play and exercise was important. It kept me healthy and active, it changed the way I viewed our world, inspired curiosity, and allowed me to connect with my friends and family.

As I get older, I continue to see that not everyone has the same opportunities. Children today are growing up in a different world than I did just a few years before. Electronics are everywhere, many families lack access to parks, school standards are ever increasing, and kids seem to be spending less time in the great outdoors.

This includes the kids in our Nation’s military families. Patriotic, selfless, adaptable, compassionate, courageous, graceful, worldly, strong: These are but a few words used to describe military children. April was established as the Month of the Military Child by the Department of Defense to honor the enduring qualities, strength, and sacrifices of our Nation’s youngest heroes. The month of the military child recognizes that military kids serve too and face many challenges, including frequent moves, changing schools, making new friends, and deployed parents.

At the Sierra Club, we believe time in the outdoors can reduce the stress and anxiety of everyday life, can inspire physical and mental wellbeing, and can bring families back together following a deployment.  I was fortunate enough to witness the joy time in the outdoors can bring to active duty families during our military family camping trip to the Organ Mountains last October and wholeheartedly agree with this philosophy.

This April, the Sierra Club will celebrate the Month of the Military Child by joining forces with Blue Star Families, Children & Nature Network, National Military Family Association, Outdoors Alliance for Kids, the U.S. Forest Service and other organizations to host a series of Celebration of the Military Child Outdoors (COMCO) events across the nation. We already have events in the works in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. Our kickoff event will be Saturday, April 6^th at Prince William Forest Park just outside Washington, DC near Marine Corps Base Quantico from noon until 4p.m.

Join us as we celebrate our Nation’s youngest heroes! Interested groups and agencies wishing to become involved are invited to join the COMCO initiative by hosting an event, getting involved with one of the scheduled events, or supporting the promotion of military kids throughout April. Please contact me, Jared Robinson, at jared.robinson@sierraclub.org or 202-548-6590 to get involved.

 

Sierra Club Hosts Diversity in the Outdoors Hangout

By: Sierra Club Mission Outdoors Program Director Stacy Bare

On February 27th the Sierra Club led a frank conversation about diversity in the outdoors. Our natural heritage is just that, OUR natural heritage, but as a country, the outdoors are seen as a typically white -- and often times male -- domain. Hosted by Sierra Club President Allison Chin, the conversation we had last week was a step forward in the continual journey to ensure tha all people, regardless of race, religion, heritage, or background, will feel comfortable in the outdoors.

Allison was joined by Rue Mapp, founder and CEO of Outdoor Afro; Audrey Peterman, author of Our True Nature: Finding A Zest for Life in the National Park System (2012) and Legacy on the Land: A Black Couple Discovers Our National Inheritance and Tells Why Every American Should Care (2009); Rusty White, a competitive and traveling surfer who was profiled in the film White Wash, a documentary about the history of black surfing in America; Juan Martinez, the Director of Leadership Development and Natural Leaders Network for the Children and Nature Network; and Javier Sierra, a bilingual media strategist for the Sierra Club.

For me, there were a few key takeaways that the various organizations and brands trying to get people outside, or purchase their goods to use outside, should pay attention to if we are serious about increasing not just diversity, but visible diversity, in the outdoors:

• Change the set of assumptions used in addressing the challenge. Instead of saying that population x (Black, Hispanic, Asian, etc.) doesn't get outside, find where people are getting outside and build on the work already being done.
• Different cultures engage with the outdoors in different ways. A traditional Latino family may bring multiple generations out for a party vs. two hikers seeking adventure on a rock face.
• Eliminate the hierarchy of outdoor activities and experiences. Activity in a back yard, city park, or sidewalk is equal to and more accessible than national parks.
• Ensure that people can visualize themselves in the outdoors. That means changing the visual representation of the outdoors: There are not enough black, Latino, or Asian faces in catalogs, news stories, magazines, etc. about outdoor experiences.
• Inspire and engage youth!

Juan Martinez, however, may have summed it up best for the group when he stated that, "I'm not in it to save the trees, save the glaciers… I am in to save my people!" Getting outside can have a transformative effect on people from a physical, social, and mental health perspective. And by focusing on people first, the people will come to take care of the trees and glaciers as required.

Most exciting to me about the conversation was that it's finally a topic that is beginning to make some headway in the national discourse. At the Sierra Club, through our work in Mission Outdoors and Club-wide, we are continuing  to build relationships and trust with communities to continue the discussion started in the Hangout and move forward addressing the specific points laid out during the conversation.

Thank you so much to all of the participants and to those who listened in and commented during the conversation. We look forward to the next hangout and drilling down to focus on some of the specific steps uncovered in this conversation.

You can listen to the whole conversation here: 

 

Inspiration Through Inner City Outings

That's ICO leader Chris Grenier, in the upper left, having fun.

Years ago, while doing trail maintenance in the White Mountains, Chris Grenier listened to one of the leaders describe hiking the Appalachian Trail.

"He had story after story," Chris recalls.

Chris had limited hiking and camping experience up to that point. But, inspired by what he had heard, Chris hiked the Appalacian Trail two years later.

"And now, thanks to Inner City Outings, I have story after story when kids ask me about the various places I've been. It's a great topic around the campfire."

Chris is a leader with ICO's Chicago group, which helps kids who would otherwise not get the chance to experience the outdoors connect with nature. Inner City Outings is made up of 50 groups across the country, leading more than 800 outings each year and serving more than 14,000 kids.

"I had been a Sierra Club member for a long time, but I wasn't really active up to that point," Chris says. "When it came to Inner City Outings, one of the big draws for me was getting outside and working with kids." He has now been an ICO leader for three years.

Most kids who first experience Inner City Outings barely have any outdoor experience, let alone activities like camping. In many cases, ICO kids go to places they haven't heard of before.

"There's a lot of education involved, and it's great to watch the kids absorb all of it. It's rare that they ever get to see those environments," says Chris.

For Chris, ICO is an outlet that enables him to pass along the same inspiration that motivated him to hike the Appalachian Trail years ago.

"I definitely feel like I'm giving back to the community. I get to watch them enjoy. There's not really a downside to working with ICO."

Want to get involved? Learn more about Inner City Outings.

Employing Youth to Protect our Natural Heritage: Win-Win Solutions in Tough Economic Times

Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich have a plan to whittle away the youth unemployment rate and protect our public lands. With the recent reintroduction of the Public Lands Service Corps Act of 2013, the Senators aim to provide young people with job training and educational opportunities, while addressing the backlog of conservation and restoration projects piling up on our public lands.

The expansion of conservation corps activities would help solve at least two national challenges. First, the legislation would begin to address the youth unemployment rate which hovers at 13.1%, nearly double the national unemployment rate. "Passing this legislation would help combat the unacceptably high unemployment young people face by providing them with job training, education and skills they can utilize long into their careers,” said Senator Tom Udall. The Outdoor Industry Association just released their annual report which found that outdoor recreation supports 6.1 million jobs and generates $646 billion in consumer spending in America. The corps experience would give today’s youth a cost-effective leg up in pursuing careers in conservation and recreation.

Second, the bill would help inspire a new generation of conservation leaders. I challenge you to find one conservation leader today that can tell you that their interest in the environment did not begin with the time they spent in the outdoors during their youth. Today’s young people are spending less time outdoors then their parents did one generation ago. Instead of exploring the natural world, young people are using their free time surfing a virtual world – today’s youth spend 7.5 hours each day plugged into electronic media. At a time when the divide between people and the natural world seems to grow every day, the corps experience can connect more and more youth to the great outdoors.

"As a former AmeriCorps volunteer myself, I spent the better part of a year doing construction, education, and fieldwork for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and I know first-hand that these programs are essential to improve the lives of those around us,” said Senator Martin Heinrich. Public lands stewardship training will also better equip corps participants to tackle the challenges our lands and communities face due to climate disruption. The legislation would encourage participation among young people (aged 15 to 25) from communities with high unemployment rates and create new incentives to encourage young Native Americans and veterans to participate.

Congressman Raúl Grijalva, press conference supporting the Public Lands Service Corps Act of 2009

The legislation would accomplish all of this by raising the priority of conservation corps activities within the Departments of Agriculture and Interior, and establish new authority for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the Department of Commerce to participate in the program. The bill would also expand the scope of eligible activities to include historical, scientific and cultural research, visitor services and interpretation. Representative Raúl Grijalva introduced similar legislation in the House of Representatives during the 112th Congress.

The Public Lands Service Corps Act is a win-win for the economy and the planet. It would support valuable conservation and restoration projects as well as improve visitor services in our parks, improving the health and resiliency of our public lands while ensuring greater opportunities for more people to explore and enjoy the lands that we love.

This blog post can also be viewed in the Huffington Post.

A Letter from Our Guide

Rather than try to sum up how awesome of a week we had last week with our friends at Veterans Expeditions and Conrad Anker, I figured I'd share with you all our guide's letter to our big team! Many thanks to The North Face, Petzl, Marmot, Black Diamond, and The Sierra Club Foundation for making it all happen!--Stacy Bare

Hello to all,

To  bring veterans to my home turf was an honor and I want to thank all of you for making it happen!  The flag you gave me remains folded perfectly in its triangle form.  I wanted to hang it up but wondered if I could ever get it back to that nice fold?

The veterans 2013 Hyalite trip is currently one of my best guided/instructional trips to date (it even surpassed VetEx / Sierra Club September 11th, 2011 Grand Teton).  The thing that stands apart from these trips is the enthusiasm, determination, appreciation, honesty, respect, and interest of the group at large.   It was wonderful to see the development of each individual climber through out the duration of our 5 days.  The evolution of skills and confidence was blatant from day one with the general lack of confidence to day 4 where individuals were embarking on multi-pitch outings, climbing steep ice pillars, mixed routes, learning to correctly place ice screws, etc.  In short, identifying personal goals and challenges and then over coming those very cruxes.    

Through out the week the level of joy derived from reaching ones personal goals as well as from the group camaraderie that developed off of the ice made for a very unique group dynamic.  It seemed apparent to me that every one thoroughly enjoyed their time in Hyalite, which in turn made the entire trip incredibly rewarding for me.  

Working with veterans makes me realize the direction I want to take with my guiding/instruction and perhaps with my own personal guiding business.  The added educational component makes my job so much more than guiding;  it is passing on knowledge and passing on a love for the outdoors, exposing the challenges found in the mountains to a group of eager individuals.  Individuals who like many of us, find/discover an unprecedented connection with the simple challenges and simple (albeit immense) awards that can be drawn from a few minutes, hours, days or maybe a lifetime amidst the vertical world.  

Thank you all once again for bringing such a positive energy in the Hyalite Canyon for the week.

I definitely see this past week as a complete success as each of you left with the skills and confidence to make climbing a major part of your lives whether it be on ice or on rock.  Even if many group members never choose to climb again I hope that this trip has opened eyes to what is possible.  For after all if a hairless five fingered mammal can some how ascend water locked in its solid state you would think anything could be possible.

Here is to reaching for the "impossible" and making it possible!

Sam

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Conquering Fear Safely

A resort skier moves to the Backcountry for a new adventure

 

I am afraid of avalanches. They are unpredictable and getting caught in one seems terrifying. One cubic yard of snow weighs a ton. Not a ton like a lot, but a ton like 2,000 pounds. As a skier and snowboarder who spends most of his time within the relatively safe confines of resorts, avalanches are not something I confront when I am in the mountains. But I am bored. Resorts are great when the snow is fresh and the crowds are small, but with annual snowfall levels dropping, and being that I live in the Bay Area with seven million other people, those two instances almost never come together for me anymore.

Solution: The Backcountry

As the sports of skiing and snowboarding have grown, resorts in Colorado, Utah, and all over the West have expanded to meet the demand. As crowds grow, more and more people have made the move to the backcountry where the terrain is not patrolled and the snow conditions can be unpredictable. Under these circumstances, what happens when it is up to you to stay safe when the consequence of not being safe is death? How can you satisfy your desire for gravity fed joy and adventure without compromising your life, or the lives of your friends? 

My suggestion: Get Trained. Then get trained some more. Last weekend I took an American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education
(AIARE) Level One training course. Like myself, most of the other students were resort skiers and riders who wanted more. They wanted freedom, they wanted solitude, and they wanted adventure, but they also wanted to learn how to achieve these things safely. Now that I have a base level of knowledge, I plan on developing my skills with my local Sierra Club chapter Backcountry ski group. Trips range from beginner to advanced and expert, making it the perfect place to hone my skills while staying safe and meeting other backcountry skiers.

After three days of training and one course complete, I am still afraid of avalanches. The mountains demand our respect, and I intend to grant them mine, but that does not mean they are closed to adventure. As we push ourselves, we must show restraint. Doing so will guarantee a long life of thrills.