By Aviana Amaya
Endeavoring to expand the reach of essential environmental messaging and motivating people to act for conservation has long been the Sierra Club’s mission, so it is with much excitement that we students are coming together to take part in this mission. The Santa Lucia Chapter’s brand-new Student Committee is cultivating a community of students at Cal Poly to cooperate in this calling on campus.
The students, brought together by their shared passion for environmental advocacy, come from many different majors, ages, and backgrounds, but share one goal: spread the word and mobilize our community. As much as possible, we want to share our purpose and shine a light on the issues that matter, and we are developing the perfect vessel to do so. Our leadership team is working from the ground up to create something we can be proud of and a mechanism to facilitate real action and awareness.
It’s no secret how hungry our generation is for change. Most of our peers can relate to feeling helpless, lost or useless in the political and physical climate that we have grown up in. More than that, we are at an age when we are looking for answers about what the world has in store for us and what we can contribute. The Student Committee is not just an answer, but a tool and an opportunity. We are engaging in a team effort, which calls for people to apply their strengths and interests into what we need to foster success.
At the meetings, it is a joy to watch each member engage with their interests, expand their boundaries and discover new opportunities. Passions are what drive students to learn, to work, and to envision potential futures, and the Sierra Club is a wonderful vehicle for exploring passions. Members get opportunities to work with policymakers locally and gain political experience or deepen their knowledge of how clean energy works in Central California through work on the Climate and Clean Energy Committee.
Students get opportunities to pursue career interests, like policy work, lobbying, grassroots organizing, and connecting with professionals who are knowledgeable about environmental issues in the area. Students like Amanda Zorick, a first-year student with a passion for change, can build foundational skills that support their aspirations. “I joined the Student Committee because I wanted to learn more and get involved in local environmental advocacy work. This resource makes it so accessible for students to get involved and to explore our passions,” said Zorick.
Others with an eagerness to learn about issues facing our area can engage with the chapter’s committees on topics within Climate and Clean Energy, Conservation, and Politics. For us, getting involved in these committees means engaging in committee meetings, attending and speaking at public hearings, circulating petitions, and learning about action items for conservation. Expanding our knowledge on local issues and how the club acts to remedy them is central to what draws people in, and what keeps us active in what matters.
Our committee is very new and as leaders, we are excited to be at the helm of shaping what the future of the Student Committee looks like. One of the most important drivers is that we are all excited to work together. Many of us have backgrounds in environmental education, and we know that the best work for the Earth does not come from just one person. Action from a group or collective is stronger and feels better. We are an amazing avenue for students to combine their efforts on what matters and see concerns relevant to them be given attention, thought, and action. Becoming a part of a collective and community is a valuable experience for us as people, but also as students, because the Sierra Club has legitimacy and an identity that goes back to the 19th century.
Students can feel the collectivism and the knowledge we are contributing to something bigger, older, and greater than ourselves, like Callum Graham, a third-year student who says, “For me, being in the Sierra Club is all about being part of something bigger than myself. Knowing that I’m involved in a serious political organization lends me a sense of legitimacy that I’ve never felt before, and I look forward to being actively involved in pursuing the Club’s goals.” We can all feel the collective passion in the club, and it keeps us motivated, invigorated, and engaged with each other and the issues we are facing. Together, we support each other to pursue what matters - real change.
The Student Committee is new, energized, and raring to get started on all their plans for this quarter and beyond. We are excited to bring guest speakers, spread awareness to Cal Poly students on what actions they can take, and advocate for what’s right on campus. Our recent tabling event at Cal Poly’s EarthFest proved that there is an audience for the club, and an interest from the student body. Students want to be engaged with what is going on around them and feel empowered. Our committee is a gateway into advocacy, and an important vessel for the voices of our members.
If in this early stage of development we can bring in even a few more students to manifest their passions and ambitions, then we are succeeding. We have entered the time of our lives where we need to take the bull by its horns and create the world we want to see, and the Sierra Club is helping each of us get there. At the end of the day, we all want to be proud of what we have done and what we are contributing to. Imbuing that pride in ourselves and each other is a joy, and something we are very eager to share with others as time goes on.
Engaging with what matters on this level is a privilege, and we are lucky enough to have the time and resources to dedicate ourselves to a cause that is bigger than our school, our community, and even our country. There is a gigantic globe full of people that are disconnected or don’t care about what is happening here on Earth, so we, as a club, are here to collaborate on changing that tide, one student at a time.
If you or someone you know is a SLO County college student and would be interested in joining our group, send them our way: sierraclub.org/santa-lucia/student-committee.