Name: Stephen Stetson
Montgomery Group of the Sierra Club
What are your specific environmental interests?
In my professional life, I have developed a lot of interest in clean energy and the massive questions around how our economy can pivot away from burning fossil fuels in the electricity sector, as well as in transportation. In my personal life, I care a lot about sustainable agriculture, and creating a world where we quit paving everything and sprawling development into every corner and crevice. I’m especially interested in public health and breaking out of the traditional constraints of environmental conservation silos.
How are you helping Alabama explore, enjoy, and protect the environment?
I don't get outside nearly enough, but I’ve always been a fan of hiking, paddling and camping, and have served on the boards of directors of environmental organizations because I believe that we are stronger together and need to push for policy changes in addition to just making good individual choices. But for the last several years, I have been the only full-time Sierra Club employee in Alabama, and have really focused my work on protecting the environment from the really scary pollution that comes from power plants. What’s exciting is that this work also lines up with good economics for consumers, so it’s a thrilling time to be talking about the opportunities in Alabama for large amounts of clean energy and saving money for people.
These are scary times and it feels like the world is changing quickly. How are you and Sierra Club responding?
It has never been easy to do this work, but doing it amid a global pandemic and an uprising against police brutality is truly an added level of complexity that requires us to meet the urgency of the moment but also take care of ourselves. Sierra Club was already prioritizing diversity and equity in a way that pushed the boundaries of the familiar environmental justice framework, so these seismic events are forcing us to live up to our values and to make demands about how people are treated, how protest is received by people in power, and how to find ways to be helpful in shaping the world that emerges from all of this uncertainty. We are all actually members of multiple kinds of communities, and we have to find the right balance of giving time and money and what kinds of risk we are willing to accept in order to address these challenges head-on. We live in a world with a near-infinite stream of distractions, encouraging passivity, but this is the most important possible time for us all to be alive.
What is one of your favorite memories associated with the Sierra Club?
I have enjoyed all of the gatherings and retreats, and would encourage everyone to attend at least one of those if you can, but one favorite memory is from an outing I attended with the Georgia Chapter that involved a hike in a state park that was near a coal-fired power plant. It was the perfect combination of incredible Southern natural forest beauty with an educational component to learn about how such places are threatened by powerful polluters.
What is one action you would like to see more of from the Sierra Club Alabama Chapter?
I’d like to see the Alabama chapter grow in size. We simply need more members. As the tent gets bigger, there’ll be something under it for everyone, whether people are looking to be political, looking to learn -- or just looking for fun people to hike and paddle with. Ultimately, we should all be ambassadors for this organization, and the bonds of connection with fellow members really offers something amazing that cannot be replicated by sitting on the couch at home. As the organization grows, people will learn first-hand how great Sierra Club is, and that helps them stay with us long-term and it also enhances our political clout even further. Once the pandemic lifts, we have got to be ready to start bringing more people into our meetings and events.