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David & Olga Chesakov

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Volunteers
Allegheny Group

An avid hiker and kayaker in his native Russia, David Chesakov first learned about the Sierra Club while researching environmental issues and social initiatives during the perestroika era. “I saw so much environmental damage in Russia,” says Chesakov, an engineer. “Northern forests were being cut, waters were being polluted, 18-wheelers were tearing up the landscape bringing supplies to oil rigs. It was painful to watch."

He and Olga met on a backpacking trip in the Caucasus Mountains. “We were at 12,000 feet,” Olga recalls, “looking at gorgeous views of snow-covered ranges—and rusty tin cans, leftovers of previous expeditions. On the way back David and I picked up full backpacks of metal. Not everybody in our group could understand what we were doing.”

In 1992, the couple moved to Pittsburgh, where they had relatives. Upon buying a new home, the first person to knock on their door was a young Sierra Club volunteer, wanting to talk about clean water issues. “This was very meaningful to us,” David says. “To have a live person come to our door to talk about something important like clean water gave us the spark to join the Sierra Club.”

Last year he and Olga became two of those live persons knocking on doors when they participated in several Sierra Club community walks, talking with neighbors about the importance of keeping the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act strong. “There’s an obvious difference in the way people are responding compared to last year,” David says. “They’re saying, ‘Yes, we’re interested in what you’re doing’—maybe because it’s an election year. Being involved with the Sierra Club helps us feel that we’ve really become Americans.”

Published: November 5, 2007