On May 18, 2024, Shruti Bhatnagar was elected as the Sierra Club’s new Vice President for Conservation, becoming the first Indian American and the first South Asian American to hold that position in the organization’s 132-year history. The Sierra Club’s National Board of Directors is democratically elected by the organization’s membership and serves our millions of members and supporters.
“I am honored and grateful for this opportunity to serve the Sierra Club community as Vice President for Conservation. I am also excited about the possibilities of what can be accomplished working in collaboration with everyone,” said Shruti. “And to be elected as the first Indian American in this position – and coincidentally in May, which is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month – is personally meaningful and represents commitment to our core values of justice and inclusion. While our entire movement faces considerable challenges, I am energized to help Sierra Club seize opportunities to ensure our movement is an inclusive and welcoming place for the millions and millions of people in this country who care deeply about the environment, clean air and water, and our global climate.”
Shruti is a lifelong environmentalist with more than 30 years of experience serving in leadership positions at private, non-profit, community, philanthropic, and political organizations and as a management professional. She has been a community advocate in Maryland for two decades, working on and leading advocacy campaigns, building coalitions and expanding diversity and inclusion initiatives. As a volunteer teacher and part-time educator in Montgomery County Public Schools and coach for a STEM Robotics team, she has been a mentor to youth and emerging leaders. For years, Shruti has lent her breadth of experience and diverse perspective to the Sierra Club, serving in a variety of volunteer leadership roles in Sierra Club’s Maryland Chapter including as Conservation Committee Chair as well as at the national level, as Co-Lead for National Sierra Club’s Federal Organizing Program and on the National Board of Directors.
We recently sat down with Shruti to learn more about her background and vision as she embarks on her term as Vice President for Conservation. Please enjoy this Q&A with Shruti.
1. How did you first come to care about environmental issues?
As a child growing up in India, I witnessed first-hand the devastating effects of environmental degradation. My family lived in Delhi, which experiences some of the worst air pollution in the world. My mother suffered from bronchitis and asthma, which caused her great discomfort and pain, affected her quality of life, and her ability to take care of our family. As a modest income family, health care was not always accessible and affordable. We, like so many families in our community, experienced the harsh reality of environmental injustice on a daily basis – how the people who do the least to cause pollution are often the ones who suffer from it the most. My parents and culture taught me from an early age about the value of stepping up and giving back to my community, and so confronting injustice and creating a better environment and world for our children and future generations is a lifelong calling for me.
2. Why did you decide to get involved with Sierra Club?
I joined the Sierra Club to fight climate change so that my two children and future generations have the fundamental right to clean air, clean water and are guaranteed a livable planet. I believe in the power of people and communities coming together to solve problems and create a brighter future for everyone – especially those communities who have historically been left out of the movement.
Here at Sierra Club, I started volunteering with my local Group and Chapter in Maryland and have worked alongside so many talented and committed volunteer leaders on issues that truly matter to the communities we represent. Here in my home state of Maryland, I have worked on various campaigns and issues, including a farm to table initiative, Maryland’s ban on fracking and styrofoam, as well as bold systemic policy changes for an equitable transition away from dirty fossil fuels to 100% clean renewable energy, forest conservation, and clean transportation. At a national level, I have brought the equity and environmental justice lens to the Conservation Policy Committee and have served as the Volunteer co-lead for the Federal Organizing Program centering our efforts on Jemez Principles of Grassroots Organizing, supporting training for our incredible chapter volunteer leaders.
3. What does it mean to you to be the first Indian American to be elected Vice President for Conservation?
It is an incredible honor to be elected and serve as Vice President for Conservation for Sierra Club. And being the first Indian American and South Asian American to serve in this leadership role has extra resonance for me, as we know that representation matters. Seeing different types of representation in leadership of an organization as impactful and historic as the Sierra Club is of great significance as we center our focus on growing a bigger, more just climate movement.
So many of us want to make a difference, but are not sure how or feel that our voices do not matter. I am conscious every day of doing my part to ensure that the Sierra Club is welcoming more people with different life experiences into the movement, and into volunteering or supporting the Sierra Club and our mission. One thing I know for sure is that it’s going to take all of us – millions of us – advocating for change in our own ways and with our unique voices and perspectives. And there is no time to waste.
4. What do you hope to accomplish as Vice President for Conservation?
A core value that I bring with me into this term as Vice President for Conservation is environmental justice. I want to help center our conservation work around knowing that impacted communities have a voice. We must not speak for impacted communities, but rather work closely with communities and uplift their own voices and advocacy. One way this shows up is through our Chapters; the Sierra Club must continue to support our Chapters as they develop and nurture relationships with impacted communities as allies and partners. I am excited to continue to support chapters, campaigns, programs and initiatives such as the Community Advocates Program, which is designed to support Chapters in engaging communities to ask for and help direct Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding - which includes funding for the most impacted frontline communities.
In this critical election year, I will also be prioritizing ensuring that the Sierra Club helps elect climate champions to ensure that the country can build on successes like the IRA.
5. Where do you find inspiration when times are challenging?
The vision of a better, brighter, more just future and a healthier planet for everyone keeps me going. While we face so many challenges, there are also so many opportunities to make a difference and improve life for our communities both near and far. Our interconnectedness means that making a positive difference in one place makes ripples that can be felt far away. My two children who live on the West Coast and are impacted by poor air quality from forest wildfires, and I know that my work both here in Maryland and at the federal level can have a positive impact on their futures. After all, we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. We owe it to them to leave a planet in a better state than we found it.
When times get tough, I often revisit one of my favorite quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Sometimes it is in the dark and challenging moments that we realize the full potential of our power and voices.
6. Tell us something that people might not know about you.
I love cooking and experimenting with cuisine. Food brings people together, and it is a way to celebrate both culture and life in general. Breaking bread with family and friends – including my friends here at Sierra Club – nourishes my soul.
You can follow Shruti on social media at @shrutibhatnagr.