FYI, a memorable letter from a Sierra staffer. see below...
Happy holidays. (Our local radio station just went all-Christmas for
the next month -- KUho!ho! 103.9 radio)
Donna
Begin forwarded message:
> From: Stephen Mills <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: November 29, 2010 9:30:02 AM CST
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Thank you for an amazing adventure
> Reply-To: Stephen Mills <[log in to unmask]>
>
> Dear friends,
>
> It has been an absolute honor to be the Sierra Club’s ambassador
> for the last 22 years. I never thought that a temporary position as
> an assistant to the Club’s assistant Political Director so many
> years ago would turn in to such a global adventure. For a kid from
> a small town in Alabama I have had a dream career. I leave the
> Sierra Club tomorrow, and while I don’t know where I’ll land next
> professionally, I can only hope for another opportunity where I can
> believe so passionately about my job.
>
> When I look back it seems like I’ve spent most of that time
> tethered to my computer, writing grant proposals, preparing budgets
> and press releases. But that’s not what I’ll remember most. From
> the stellar volunteer leaders that the Sierra Club continues to
> attract, to the princes, prime ministers, paupers and presidents
> with whom I’ve I had a chance to collaborate, it’s definitely the
> people I’ve met along the way that has made this journey so
> exciting.
>
> I began my career by taking notes and making copies at Sierra Club
> at International Committee meetings. It was there that I first
> noticed that this organization was attracting some significant
> volunteer brainpower and enthusiasm. I loved fielding questions
> from environmentalists visiting from other countries about how a
> group like the Sierra Club utilizes the tools of democracy to affect
> policy (and political) change.
>
> Then, on my very first trip to Africa, a yet to be globally
> recognized Wangari Maathai took me to see rhinos in Kenya. Her
> struggle and persecution for standing up for women who plant trees
> opened my eyes to another world that wasn’t as just as I had once
> believed. Ken and Owens Wiwa showed me their bountiful but
> brutalized Niger Delta. Three times I served witness at trials in
> St. Petersburg for a former Soviet nuclear submarine captain,
> Alexander Nikitin, imprisoned (and ultimately found innocent of)
> trumped-up charges of espionage for exposing illegal nuclear waste
> dumping. I went with Ethel Kennedy to a prison in Guerrero, Mexico
> to present the Club’s Chico Mendes Award to farmers who had simply
> spoken out against forest destruction.
>
> We helped a Coloradan blow the whistle on a U.S.-Canadian mining
> company in the Philippines for hiring terrorists to protect their
> investments. Marylyn Snell wrote such an extraordinary article in
> Sierra magazine about the cover up that Dateline NBC picked up the
> piece and ultimately received an Emmy nomination for the story. (http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200405/terrorism/page1.asp
> )
>
> I had an allergic reaction to a spider bite while attending an IUCN
> meeting in Bangkok and was rushed into an infectious disease ward
> when my face swelled up like a watermelon (that was exciting). I
> slept on a rooftop in the Jordanian desert, sailed around the
> Galapagos and danced in Mumbai. I got the same rush from watching
> lemurs hop in Madagascar as I did when helping farmers to organize
> to stop polluters in rural Ireland. The inspiring poor women in
> training to become solar engineers at Bunker Roy’s Barefoot College
> in Rajasthan brought tears to my eyes.
>
> And for a time I had the great opportunity of managing a team of
> brilliant international campaigners at the Sierra Club. Each of whom
> has demonstrated repeatedly that they are much smarter than I am --
> which is exactly why I hired them.
>
> When I grew weary of pushing policy change in Washington, DC, the
> Sierra Club’s leaders let me try something entirely new and daring
> in our multi-pronged approach to stopping global warming. For the
> last several years I’ve worked to develop strategic, on-the-ground
> partnerships in emerging economies like India where the great need
> to improve quality of life for the poorest of the poor has run head-
> on into the urgent need for our species to address the greatest
> threat to our long-term survival on this planet: climate change.
>
> Some exciting successes, some painful failures, but for 22 years the
> Sierra Club let me seek out creative solutions to some of the
> biggest conservation challenges our planet faces.
>
> I knew that I was pushing some very big boulders up some very big
> hills in the Sierra Club when I chose some of these more esoteric
> issues on which to lead campaigns, but I believed that as much as my
> job was to recognize domestic polling data on inconsistent public
> support for U.S. global engagement, that there was also an
> expectation from Sierra Club members that we should provide some
> leadership on issues far beyond the borders of the U.S. in order to
> address global environmental threats.
>
> To the degree to which we have been successful in the U.S. promoting
> environmental rules and regulation that we have also inadvertently
> pushed that burden abroad, into someone else’s backyard. I believed
> then and now that American environmentalists in particular have
> responsibility to help our friends overseas who are now fighting our
> polluters.
>
> For 22 amazing years I have had a chance to passionately and proudly
> share the achievements of the Sierra Club’s grassroots advocates
> and staff with the rest of the world – and to bring some of the
> rest of the world back home to the Sierra Club. I have had an
> absolute blast doing so.
>
> Thank you so much.
>
> Steve Mills
> +1.202.262.8644
> [log in to unmask]
>
> P.S. I’ve put a few photos online from some of my most memorable
> trips here.
>
> http://picasaweb.google.com/slmillsjr/MySierraClubAdventure?authkey=Gv1sRgCJfHh_asp-D2PA&feat=email#
>
> …and below, one of my favorite letters.
>
> Enjoy.
>
>
>
> In 2004, the Vice Mayor of the Slovakian city of Kosice was jailed
> -- and remained there for nearly seven months. For what crime you
> ask? He
> was jailed for speaking out against developers who wanted to raze
> Kosice
> forests. There was never any evidence linking him to any crime --
> unless
> you consider defending the environment and long term economic
> interests of
> the citizens you represent a crime.
>
> I wrote to the Slovak ambassador to call his attention to this
> travesty and
> to voice our concern. I believe that we were part of a large chorus
> calling for Cuno's release but clearly someone was listening.
>
> Since none of us see enough good environmental news these days I
> thought
> you would enjoy reading his letter. This is how Wangari Maathai got
> her
> start. SM
>
>
>
>
> ----- Forwarded by Stephen Mills/Sierraclub on 01/13/2005 04:59 PM
> -----
>
> "Eugen Cuno"
> <eugencuno@centru
>
> m.sk> To
> <[log in to unmask]>
> 01/13/2005
> 04:54 cc
> PM <[log in to unmask]>
>
> Subject
> thank you
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Košice Vice-Mayor Eugen Čuňo, Janigová street n.3, 040 11
> Košice,
> Slovakia
>
>
>
>
> 13. January 2005
>
>
> Dear Mr. Director Stephen Mills,
>
>
> I would like to express my big thanks, that also with Your effort, I
> was on
> Wednesday 3.11.2004 dismissed from the jail and finally I would
> might to
> welcome New year with my family and best friends.
>
> I have never believed,that in to my effort to built up for justice
> and of
> new democracy in the Slovakia, would might my opinion and of course my
> activity get at meeting with loby into the serious problems.
> My family and my next friends, who know me tirelessly, solved this
> injustice.My next friends Mr. Michal Kravčík and Mrs. Danica
> Klincková
> established civil initiative to solve this problem.Many people have
> been
> understanding to us and understanding, that we went in for
> solutions of
> many projects, on benefit to city Košice, for participation about 400
> citizens.At many directions we obviously overtake time and we
> threatened
> interest of influential groups.Often we have been working without
> official
> support, at own expenses.For example : rescue forests of Košice,
> before the
> sale, for the sake of last debt, preparation of projects to Košice
> for
> ecological dwelling and for the first preparation social-agricultural
> development of city Košice.
>
> Dear Mr. Director Mills, also with your support and also your
> influential,
> oldest, greatest environmental organisation in United States, I am
> back at
> my working place and I can continue in my work by benefit, to Košice
> with
> my friends and workmates.
> In case of when you will visit the Europe I shall be very pleased
> and also
> my friends, to welcome you into the place of developing Košice.
>
> I am esteeming immenesly your help and support. In a New Year I
> wish you
> and to your friends very good health, also plenty of power from
> creative
> activity.
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
>
> Eugen Čuňo
> Vice-Mayor of City Košice
> Slovakia
>
>
>
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