The New Year brings new leadership to the Suwannee–St. Johns Group Executive Committee. I’m David Hastings, the new chair of ExCom: a retired oceanographer and climate scientist, avid outdoors enthusiast, and longtime Sierra Club volunteer. I joined the Sierra Club straight out of college in San Francisco, drawn in by the energy, courage, and effectiveness of its grassroots organizers.

Today, that grassroots power matters more than ever. We are living through converging crises—climate disruption, species loss, racial and economic injustice, and attacks on democratic governance. These are not isolated problems. They are deeply connected, and they demand a collective response.

Some leaders want us to feel overwhelmed and disengaged.  But we know better. I know personally that action is the antidote to despair, and that organized people can win. Through the Sierra Club, we have real opportunities to protect our lands and waters, advance clean energy, and fight for a just and livable future for all.

The stakes are high, and the moment is now. If you’ve been waiting to step up, this is your invitation. Get involved, bring a friend, and help turn concern into impact.
 

To hope is to accept despair as an emotion but not as an analysis. To recognize what is unlikely is possible, just as what is likely is not inevitable. – Rebecca Solnit