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Linda Ernst

Grand Rapids, Michigan
Community Activist
Mackinac Chapter

A former research scientist in the field of immunology, Linda Ernst says the trigger for her environmental activism was reading scientific journals outside her field. "I became more and more alarmed by reports of environmental degradation, and the mounting evidence that human activity was the cause," she says.

Retiring after 20 years as a scientist to raise her son, Ernst shifted her focus to working with children. In 2001 she started a canvas shopping-bag program and an environmental club at her son's school. Enrolling the club in Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots program to engage children in community service, "with beginner's luck" the brand-new club was able to attend a meeting in Grand Rapids where Goodall spoke. At the meeting they described the canvas-bag project to Goodall (who loved it) and presented her with an autographed bag. "It was a major thrill for the kids," Ernst says.

Last year, she created "Dr. Linda's Study Garden," an outdoor classroom at the school where kids plant and tend Michigan native plants. "It brings the natural world to students in ways textbook learning can't," she says. "We won a grant for 200 bulbs which were planted in October, so spring should be quite spectacular."

A long-distance runner who also tutors low-income students in reading, Ernst recharges her batteries at a family cottage on Lake Michigan. "The sand dunes, shoreline, storm systems, beach walks, birds in flight, sunsets over the Big Lake—they're all so inspirational to me."

Ernst says another recent source of inspiration was attending the 2005 Sierra Summit in San Francisco. "The Club has a long history that I wanted to be connected to. Being there totally reinforced my commitment to conservation."

Published: February 5, 2007