By Jennifer Ong
The Sierra Club’s executive director Michael Brune will be the keynote speaker for the Bay Chapter’s 7th annual David Brower Dinner fundraiser, to be held Saturday, October 7th from 5 to 8 pm at San Francisco’s Delancey Street Town Hall. Mike will speak to guests about the challenges ahead and how we can all work together to make a difference at the local level.
For a preview of Mike’s vision for the role of the Sierra Club in the years to come, and for a peek into how his background shaped a stubbornly positive environmental and political outlook, enjoy this conversation between Mike and the Bay Chapter’s vice chair, Dr. Jennifer Ong. Then, purchase your tickets to hear Mike live at the David Brower Dinner.
Jennifer Ong: Let’s start from the very beginning: your childhood. I like to think we can look at leaders like you to give us a glimpse of what can inspire our future generations to continue the work that you, David Brower, and past and current Sierra Club leaders achieve on behalf of our environment.
As a child, growing up on the New Jersey shore, you signed a petition (after you directly experienced the effects of chemical waste on your physical health) which led to a policy that would ban hospital waste dumping. Aside from enjoying recreation outdoors with your family, did you find that your personal responsibility to protect the environment was intentionally and clearly communicated to you by your parents, your school, or other entities at a very young age?
Michael Brune: To be honest, as a kid on the Jersey Shore, I didn’t really think about the environment — I just loved going to the beach. As a family, we did go camping a lot, but that’s just what we did, and my wife and kids and I have continued that tradition.
What I do think I absorbed from my both of my parents, though, and from a very early age, was the importance of engaging with and serving the community. My mom was a public school teacher for 25 years — working particularly with emotionally and physically challenged children. My dad was the mayor of our small town for a few terms and on the town council. So there was a lot of talk around the dinner table about local issues and how to make a difference in the community. And all of us kids were influenced by that, and we’ve all ended up in careers where that’s been our focus. So when I did discover environmental issues and learn how ordinary people could come together and effect change for the better, I was primed.
Ong: You found your calling after working for Greenpeace then went on to apply your grassroots organizing and campaigning skills as a leader for the Rainforest Action Network (RAN). Under your leadership, a commitment was secured from Home Depot to phase out sales of wood harvested from endangered forests. It was during your work at RAN that you learned the mantra of being “hard on the issues but soft on the people involved.” With such a polarizing moment in our country’s history, how can we, as member activists of the Sierra Club, best apply this mantra while we are addressing overwhelming differences in our communities?
Brune: I do still believe in focusing on issues rather than attacking a person or their character, although the current administration definitely makes it tough sometimes. Particularly when the policies are hurtful or will have such grave consequences. But we can’t allow ourselves to be pulled down by the undertow of bitter partisanship we’re seeing today. Michelle Obama famously said “when they go low, we go high.” Another way to look at it might be, “when they go negative, we go positive.” We can’t define our success solely by how many times we are able to defeat President Trump or Scott Pruitt or Mitch McConnell, important as that is. Our mission as an organization is to protect the environment, fight climate change, and accelerate a transition toward clean energy. So if all we are doing is stopping Trump on this issue or that issue for the next however many years, it means we aren’t moving forward. And I believe we really can keep moving forward, especially on climate and energy.
Look, we have science and most of the public on our side. More people in this country than ever before believe that climate change is real and that humans are exacerbating it. In fact, a majority of Americans in every state, even the most deeply red ones, support climate action and believe that the U.S. should remain a party to international climate agreements. On top of that, we have market forces on our side. Clean renewable energy sources like solar and wind are now cheaper than coal, fracked gas, or nuclear power in a majority of states in this country — and in a majority of countries in the world. Sooner than almost anyone realizes, clean energy will be cheaper everywhere.
There is enormous political and economic will in this country to address climate change and to meet our international commitments. But to make it happen, we have to look beyond the politics of despair and focus on how we our economy can thrive, how people's lives will be better, and how we can apply the solutions we already have to this challenge — even if the current occupant of the White House has his head in the sand while the seas are rising.
Ong: This year the David Brower Dinner’s theme of “Resist!” reflects the unique urgency resulting from the current political challenges threatening the core values of Sierra Club. For some of our members, our current and impending environmental struggles seem almost insurmountable. How can our members best utilize the Sierra Club’s organizational structure and resources to prioritize their efforts and political engagement in environmental advocacy?
Brune: Well, first off, I’d say don’t forget the “explore and enjoy” part of our mission. I know people are pouring their heart and soul into the “protect” part right now, but we’ve got to take care of ourselves. So keep getting outdoors, keep on hiking, biking, or kayaking with other Sierra Club folks, and remember to have fun. Having fun as its own goal is a good thing sometimes. And anything positive that brings people and communities together right now is invaluable.
My other advice is to try and bring a sense of joy and excitement to the work. Particularly when it comes to climate change as an issue, it’s easy to give in to a feeling of dread or fatalism. Or maybe we feel that we have to act out of a sense of duty and obligation. That’s not the way to get the best out of ourselves.
This is an inspiring moment in human history. Communities are weaning themselves off of fossil fuels, reducing pollution, creating jobs, and thriving as a result. Hundreds of coal plants have been closed, gas plants are being replaced with clean energy, and internal combustion vehicles are getting superseded by electric ones, from cars to buses. The world is responding to this challenge, and it’s happening at an increasing pace. So we should be acting with excitement — because we are the ones who get to be an important part of this. This will be our legacy.