"Strength & Sustainability"

Sustaining the tradition of environmental leadership by the Bay Chapter

This column features updates about Strength & Sustainability, our Chapter's major-donor program, as well as insights and perspectives from members who have made recent impact gifts to this program. The goal of Strength & Sustainability is to expand the Chapter's capacity to organize strong and effective environmental campaigns across the entire Bay Area.

This issue's Strength & Sustainability column features a perspective from Cindy Cobb, a strong voice in our local San Francisco Bay Chapter for protecting open space.

I grew up on the west coast of Florida during the 1970s, when the beaches were pristine, and the water in the Gulf of Mexico was clean and clear. Our family was in love with the water and all water sports - swimming, water-skiing, boating, fishing. It was a beautiful place to grow up.

As I grew older, I witnessed the commercialization and demise of the coastline. Florida had no plan for protecting it. Anyone with money could build. Aside from a few protected areas, there is no open space on the west coast of Florida now. You can practically walk the coast without stepping outside a shopping mall. The natural beauty of the Florida coastline has become a memory for those of us fortunate enough to have experienced it. Only in photographs can others see how beautiful and accessible the Florida coastline was once.

So I've seen what happens when people spread over a landscape with no concern for protecting open space. To protect what remains of our open space, we must restrict development while supporting high density development in urban areas. Thoughtful urban planning and development allows large numbers of people to live comfortably and efficiently in a small space such as San Francisco.

I love living in a city, but the density of an urban environment must be balanced by ensuring that everyone has access to open, green places such as the coastline, ocean, parks, and mountains. We all need these magnificent natural places to think and rejuvenate ourselves. As humans, we need more than concrete. We need contact with natural wild places.

Lack of open space is related to many other environmental concerns. As a child of nine or 10, I saw a television show about endangered species and extinction. It affected me greatly. For the first time, I realized that it is possible to loose an entire species of plant or animal and never get it back. And habitat destruction resulting from unchecked development of open space is one of the primary causes of species endangerment and extinction.

I admire people like Ted Turner who use their wealth and resources to take action in the protection of open space. One of the largest private land owners in the country, he buys contiguous tracts of land in the West to stave off development and restore it to its natural state. Once he acquires the land, he and his crew work to eradicate non-native plants and re-introduce native species People like Turner inspire me to do what I can within the limits of my capacity and resources.

One reason I moved to the Bay Area was to get a job with the Sierra Club. The job never materialized, but I became an active member of the Club and have been for a long time. I am a strong supporter of the local San Francisco Bay Chapter because this is my home. In the fall of 2005, I was delighted when Michael Bornstein, the senior Chapter director, came to my house to meet with me in person. Both he and Bill Walsh, the Chapter's development director, are great. They really listen to my concerns and I love talking to them.

One of the most effective means of protecting open space is through government. Our local Bay Chapter is extraordinarily knowledgeable and effective when it comes to developing and winning critical open-space campaigns . This is why I increased my giving. I trust the Sierra Club to work to get environmentally minded leaders elected to political posts and to support policies that protect open space and promote sound environmental practices in our communities.

I recently started working for a company with a generous matching-gifts program. I am taking full advantage of that opportunity to support the Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter. Some people don't even realize that their companies have matching-gifts programs. My company will match employee donations up to $7,000. I strongly encourage other members to look into the matching-gifts programs at their workplaces and to direct donations to the Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter.

As individuals, few of us have the wealth and resources of Ted Turner, but in partnership with each other, our workplaces, and the Sierra Club, we can make a huge impact. We can boost our local Chapter's capacity to protect open space, promote alternative-energy solutions, and support our local political representatives in pushing for policies that are best for the environment.

To make a contribution, or to find out more about how to support the local Sierra Club Bay Chapter, please contact development director or call (510) 848-0800, ext. 309