Steve Redler Candidate Statement
I have been involved in environmental issues for 40 years, starting with my activism with the SUNY Albany environment group, Protect Your Environment. I have worked over the years to save the Pine Bush area in Albany and Guilderland from residential and commercial development. I have been a Sierra Club member for 38 years and having lobbyied in the State Legislature for the Bottle deposit bill, the styrofoam ban in Albany County and New York State, various Climate legislation, and numerous other pro-environment legislation. My current focus is helping get pro-environment candidates elected to public office and advocating for enacting better laws and regulations to make a more sustainable world. This would make a systemic change to protect the Planet.
Susan Lawrence Candidate Statement:
I am running to serve on the Hudson Mohawk Executive Committee for 2013-24. My many years of leadership in the HMG and the Atlantic Chapter will be a valuable resource for the HMG.
I have served on the HMG ExCom and as the HMG Chair and Conservation Chair and have served on the Atlantic Chapter ExCom, as the Chapter Chair, Conservation Chair, and co-Legislative Chair.
To me the overwhelming environmental threat that we face and must combat at the local, state, national and international level is climate change. We must act now as we are at the tipping point of no return. The HMG needs to set priorities for goals and actions based on this premise. Protecting our air, water supply, farmland, wilderness, and wetlands from pollution and loss is critical. Linking with allies and greatly strengthening grass roots resources and efforts are keys to achieving results. Shouting clear, informed clarion calls (backed up by hard research) to governmental leaders, business heads, and the public is essential.
The HMG leadership needs to open wide its arms and engage with our members, the community, and new and old allies to face and cope with the terrible threats and actual impacts of climate change.
Pete Sheehan Candidate Statement:
I would like to express my interest in running again for another two-year term on the Hudson Mohawk Group Executive Committee. It has been a very meaningful experience for me to be a part of the ExComm for all these years. I have worked with some very dedicated environmentalist colleagues who are committed as I am to address climate change and the wide list of environmental issues that face us today including species extinction, habitat destruction, plastics pollution and PFAS contamination, to name a few. I intend to continue to work on these problems on a local basis and while doing so, attempt to foster and nurture younger members and members-to-be (in their 20’s and 30’s) so that the Sierra Club continues to be the vibrant organization that it is.
Roger Gray Candidate Statement
As a long-standing member of the Sierra Club Hudson-Mohawk Group Executive Committee, I’ve had the honor to work with an impressive array of environmental activists over the years.
The Group was the leader in the Atlantic Chapter’s campaign to persuade GE and the EPA to clean toxic PCBs from the Hudson River. Early in the 90’s many group members were active in lobbying our congressional delegation on reauthorization of federal Endangered Species Act.
I have also been active in land protection issues in the Adirondack and Helped implement the Chapter successful “Save Whitney Park “ campaign. More recently, I was honored to be appointed to the National Sierra Club Nominating Committee for Board of Director candidates.
On a State and local level, I think our most important environmental priority now is to work with other Sierra Club Groups and other environmental organizations on the implementation of the State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act – to reduce New York State’s CO2 emissions, as part of the global effort to curb climate change. Of particular interest to me is the State’s plan to conserve 30% of New York lands by 2030 (the 30x30 plan), as a way to promote CO2 sequestration in New York’s forest and open space area. I would appreciate your vote to continue to assist the Group and the Chapter in these and other critical environmental issues.
Steve Davis Candidate Statement
It has been my pleasure to assist on the Executive Committee of the Sierra Club for the last few years. My position has been in flux given the pandemic but now that things to a point have stabilized, I would like to use my time with the Sierra Club to engage members to be active participants.
As we are in an environmental crisis we try to live by doing the right thing. We have moved away from the suburban lawn in favor of natural plantings. We have moved to having our electric delivered from a solar farm and have an electric heat pump in favor of gas heat as primary. Actively my family we tries to help the native trees by cutting down the invasive bittersweet. That is find the joy in helping he environment. My goal is to seek out and support ways to help. My first idea is to arrange for a number of Bittersweet cuttings, what I will call the Bittersweet club and armed with clippers, help to rid this tree killing invasive. If you have Ideas that you want to have the sierra Club do/support, please let me know…