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2008 Election Candidate Forum:
The Candidates
Clark Buchner's responses to the 16 questions of the candidate forum:
Candidate responses were limited to 150 words per question.
1: What leadership positions have you held in the Sierra Club and what have you accomplished in those positions?
A. Chickasaw Group, Memphis, TN: Program Chair for 3 years balancing technical programs with outdoor activity slide shows to help increase membership. Served as Vice Chair, State Chapter Delegate for 6 years then was Group Chair for 2 years. Currently acting as Environmental Justice Chair.
B. Tennessee Chapter: Vice Chair, Secretary then Chapter Chair for 2 years. CCL Delegate for 4 years. Global Warming & Energy Co-Chair. Currently Delegate at Large and Awards Chair. Attended One Club. Received the Mack Prichard Award. Was liaison to Tennessee Environmental Council.
C. Council of Club Leaders: Served on ExCom for 6 years, was Secretary, Fifth Officer and Vice Chair. Was liaison to Outdoor Activities Gov. Com for 4 years. Worked in the NPLA survey effort, and in Sierra Summit recruitment.
Sustainable Planet Strategy Team: I am liaison to the Agriculture Committee, and the current Chair for SPST.
2: What, if any, endorsements have you received from Club chapters or leaders?
Received Endorsements from past President Larry Fahn and board members Jim Dougherty, Jim Catlin and Bernie Zaleha.
Received Endorsements from the following chapters: Tennessee, Tehipite, Angeles, West Virginia, Florida and Iowa.
3: The Board of Directors has appointed the Organizational Change Steering Committee to come up with recommendations for making changes to the organizational structure of the Club. The OCSC has come up with a draft proposal called Project Renewal which will be acted on at the February Board meeting. Please present your thoughts on Project Renewal and, in particular, whether you, given the opportunity, would vote in favor of the OCSC's current recommendations.
I would not have voted for Project Renewal. Now that it has been approved, I would, as a board member, take serious measures to see that the club is not wrecked by this churlish venture in the implementation phase. Director Catlin gave a brilliant analysis of Project Renewal describing it as a "faith based" initiative. To a large degree, it must be somewhat that, as it is so vague in certain areas that one might need to be true believer to swallow it whole in it's current state. I tend to be a skeptic of Project Renewal, as I am a supporter of grassroots democracy no matter how messy, and I believe in keeping committees in place that are doing excellent work in this club. Although I am mistrustful of this new mode for the club, I do have some people skills that should enhance my ability as a director.
4: What special abilities would you bring to Sierra Club leadership?
I have experience in working with other environmental groups. I was a founder and officer of the Houston (TX) Consortium for the Future, The Friends of Shelby Farms (4500 acre park), and CommonSense, Inc. (brought convenience recycling to Memphis, TN). I served on the board of Meadowcreek (an environmental center in Fox, Arkansas), Tennessee Recycling Council, and the Tennessee Environmental Council. I bring those experiences with me as well as my skills as an architect which are useful in dealing with complex patterns in such a way as to help reorder such components to work more effectively in new structures as well as meeting the challenges of interfacing changes in existing fabrics that require alterations. I hold memberships in AIA and the Memphis Green Building Council.
5: What do you view as the most important responsibilities of a Sierra Club Director?
Being present to address the issues with a sound mind and the ability to exercise good judgement on behalf of the larger context of the club no matter how uncomfortable that may be would be the prime responsibilty as a director.
I would hope as a director, to be guided by the truth, have beauty revealed to me, and that it would result in the good.
6: Having prioritized energy and climate work with the Smart Energy Solutions conservation initiative, what do you see as the most important things that the Sierra Club must do to respond to the urgent threat of climate change and win victories on this issue in the coming years?
I believe that we have a lot of important messages to put before the public. A blast of icy winter such as this one, quickly turns people into skeptics and Gore bashers. It is important that we stay on message, be persistent in making the public aware that we have a huge problem to deal with and find bridges to help make people aware that we need their help in the task that we are undertaking. Asking for help can be a powerful statement to make to people, and we need to find ways to ask that work in empowering others aa well as empowering our organization.
7: Many people feel that the environment is not an important factor in deciding federal elections. Why do you think this is, and what strategies should the Club pursue for electing pro-environment candidates to office?
We have many tired people in public office, that have been on the dole from corporations so long they are totally jaded. We should target these people, expose their hideous voting records as archaic and neanderthal and get rid of them just like we got rid of Pombo in California. We need to cultivate candidates at the local levels first and develop loyalties with progressive people of both parties. We need to find ways to draw progressive Republicans to our side because like it or not we will need their help. The environment will become more and more of an issue, as the tide appears to be turning at long last. There is massive stupidity in this country and we need to thoughtfully combat it every way that we can. The partnering programs with Hunter/Anglers, Blue Green Alliances and incursions into faith based communities are steps in the right direction.
8: The environment is sometimes an important factor in deciding local and state elections. What strategies should the club pursue for electing pro-environment candidates to local and state offices?
My answer to this question is not altogether different from my answer to question seven above. It is much easier to connect with people at the city, county and state level elections. Working in campaigns and doing door to door work helps build loyalties rather quickly. In my state of Tennessee, I find that a $100.00 contribution to most any local candidate will get you instant recognition. If you are able to personally donate to one or two candidates that you target to support, you can more than get your foot in the door to visit with them about environmental politics. The strategies we should use are the same ones that we have used successfully and that are taught in our political training workshops. We just need to work harder and get more people engaged.
9: What do you feel is the image of environmentalists in general and of the Sierra Club in particular, and how would you change or reinforce that image?
I think the image of environmentalists has greatly improved since the early 90's. The Sierra brand is strong and becoming stronger. The Clorox issue, however, has not enhanced our public image, and to many inside the club it looks like a sell out. In future endorsements, we need to be much more careful in what we approve as products for a sustainable society. As an organization, we need to carefully evaluate where we are going in terms of a sustainable future, and be supportive of measures such as the sustainable agricultural movement. We are light years behind Mother Earth News, and yes, we might have to take somewhat of back seat in this arena until we improve our own learning curve on issues such as permaculture and food production so that we truly know what to support and why.
10: What do you see as the role of outings in the Club, both National outings (including international) and those organized by chapters and groups? What changes would you like to see in these programs?
I think the Outings Program that has evolved from the Outdoor Activities Governance Committee, is outstanding example of the best that the club has to offer. I think more web based training needs to be implemented and that is currently happening. We need to be more aware of our carbon footprint in implementing outdoor activity, particularly in trips involving air travel, and methods for dealing with it need to be made an integral part of the planning process. More link ups need to happen between the National outings operations and the activities of the International Committee. I think that Group level outings remain one of our strongest areas for club recruitment and it is vital to see that our Local Outings Support Committee is strengthened.
11: The Club is structured with a Board of Directors, governance committees, Council of Club Leaders, chapters, groups, and sections as the prominent entities. If you could change this structure or how it functions, how would you change it?
Project Renewal will change much within the club. I would not change the Council as an elected body, however enhancement of regional approaches to the CCL could be valuable. The Board could be slightly enlarged, but no more than 17 members, with some members voted in by the CCL. This would strengthen the CCL as an important body within the club. Establishment of a bi-annual election cycle for the Board could result in substantial savings. There will need to be middle management for conservation aspects of the club to staff and monitor activities of committees, and whether these are called strategy teams or otherwise, this will be a necessary level of involvement. The parallel aspects of staff and volunteers needs to be studied carefully to avoid duplication of effort and funding. This is one of the half-baked aspects of Project Renewal that needs to be address by the future board.
12: What, if any, are the key differences between 21st century grassroots organizing and 20th century grassroots organizing, and how might the Sierra Club change in response?
More on line based community elements will be utilized as a form of activism. Presently "Move On" is attempting to go off line and into the living rooms of members as a strategic move to recruit demonstration activists. The methods used by Caesar Chavez are tried and true 20th Century methodology, and those still work very well, however, they will morph into a 21st Century model. The artists generally lead the way in such efforts, and graphic design methodology with computer skills will be necessary for the generations ahead. Artists like William Gibson have a visionary ability to peer into the future and should be consulted for their value in recognition of trends.
13: What new technologies, and what new organizational processes should the Club adopt to improve the connection between National operations and grassroots leadership?
A feeling of trust would be good. And transparency would be a strong statement that would be helpful in building that trust. You can slather over most anything with techno-talk and still go bowling alone. Building real communities and being able to trust one another in our work will go much farther than whatever new technologies you wish to pull up.
14: What are some measures the Club should take to improve leadership development? What other grassroots capacity-building actions, if any, would you recommend?
The Leadership Development Program that emerged in some form out of the work that was started by Marshall Ganz and the NPLA survey that was done seems like a good start, although it did not prove to be a cure all with the Florida Chapter. Going back and revisiting the work that Ganz did might just be an excellent idea. The Summit seemed to work, and many changes have taken place in the club in only 2-1/2 years. The capacity building grants for chapter fundraising seemed like a good idea but we hastily tossed that one out, and perhaps that's another one we should revisit.
15: The Sierra Club has limited resources. Where is it most important for the Club to focus its volunteer and financial resources over the next four years?
The issue of how to approach rapid climate change is the most pressing issue facing mankind. It is vital that we focus on this in such a way that we do not lose our base of traditional wilderness preservation activist, as they are the very heart and soul of this organization. They can also inspire us, as they themselves are inspired, and the wilderness can lead us into our strength to deal with a planet home that yes, is in peril.
16: The club is undertaking work to bring more youth and diverse cultures into our membership and leadership. What specific strategies would you suggest?
First, I think the Diversity Council is doing a good job. I think we need to heed their leadership and follow their recommendations. Strategy for youth has always been a difficult one for the Sierra Club. Sierra and Beer seems to be working as a fun thing in Atlanta, but how well this integrates into the overall program of the club remains to be seen. ICO is a fine program for youth and yet I have not seen it interface well with regular Group and Chapter functions of the club - it seems to be on an isolation track. Tying in with the Student Climate Coalition looks like a good place to connect Sierra where it is not already connected. I suggest that we learn to be better listeners if we want to bring youth and diversity into membership and leadership.
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