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Phil Baldyga

Louisville, Kentucky
Webmaster
Louisville Group

"I've got one foot in technology and one foot in the woods," says computer programmer Phil Baldyga. A longtime Club member, Baldyga says the 2004 presidential election served as the catalyst for his activism. "It was a wake-up call," he says. "I resolved the next day to do something about things I care about. Activism isn't an abstract thing; it's putting things I feel in my mind and my soul into action, into living."

Baldyga attended his first Louisville Group meeting the week after that election, and two months later he agreed to put his skills to use as group webmaster. "So much is happening on the Web," he says, "lots of energy and possibilities there. I feel absolutely charged up."

A Louisville native, Baldyga loves his hometown's "immediate connection" with the Ohio River. "Living here, you feel how entwined the river is with the history, culture, and vitality of this place. When I'm away I feel its absence, and whenever I travel to cities that aren't on a big river I find myself thinking, 'Hey, where's the river?'"

Two areas where Baldyga is currently focusing his energies are advocating for stronger local regulation of locally generated air pollution, and educating people about a proposed extension of Interstate 66 through Kentucky (and several other states) that he describes as an unnecessary boondoggle. "It could cut 400 acres out of the Daniel Boone National Forest, one of the most beautiful places in the state," he says.

Among Baldyga's favored destinations for hiking is the Red River Gorge, located inside the national forest. "There are waterfalls, arches, sandstone cliffs, breathtaking views--it's my favorite place on earth."

Published: April 25, 2007