by Roy C. Hengerson, Ozark Chapter ExCom
On September 8 through 11, 2005 the largest gathering ever of Sierra Club leaders, members, and supporters filled the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. Club staff and volunteers had been planning this event for well over a year and judging by the comments from Summit attendees, they were successful in holding an event that appealed to the wide variety of participants. At least 1,500 people attended the Summit.
For me, the highlights of the Summit were the three plenary speakers that addressed the throng. On Friday morning Vice President Al Gore focused his remarks on global warming and the failures of the governmental response to the unfolding disaster of hurricane Katrina. In fact, with the Summit coming so soon after the hurricane smashed into New Orleans and the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, just about all Summit presenters, whether in the plenary sessions or the breakout sessions, had some comments on Katrina and its aftermath. Al Gore compared the federal government’s response to Katrina with the response to September 11, 2001 and noted how little they had improved emergency response to major disasters. It was ironic that Vice President Gore could speak at the Summit; he had earlier declined an invitation to speak, citing a conflict: he was to address a convention of insurance executives about global warming in New Orleans. Needless to say, that event was cancelled, and Gore spoke to the Sierra Club at the Summit.
On Saturday afternoon, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addressed the Summit. He is President of Waterkeepers Alliance and was recognized as one of Time Magazine’s “Heroes for the Planet.” He also discussed global warming and invited people to participate in the virtual Global Warming Initiative March. He noted the terrible record on environmental issues by the Bush administration. He said that polluters really do not want a true “free market system,” but want subsidies and other tax breaks. For this reason, corporations should be kept out of the political process. He said that we need a vigilant media and more activists to get involved.
The Sunday luncheon speaker was Arianna Huffington, the nationally syndicated columnist and commentator. Using her well known satire and ironic humor, she stirred the crowd with her comments. She said there is a leadership vacuum in this country and we can help fill it. She noted the close connections between the three major crises in America: energy, security, and the divide between rich and poor. She urged people to “Look for the leader in the mirror,” and concluded with “We are the leaders, the politicians are the followers.” All three main speakers fired up all who heard them.
In addition to the plenary sessions, there were time slots throughout the day for concurrent sessions on a widely divergent series of topics under the following general topic areas: master speakers, environmental expression through art, living well, natural heritage, outdoor adventure, visionary solutions, working smart, and engaging youth. Since there was such a plentiful variety of sessions, people were only able to hear a few of the sessions. While there was some variation in presentation quality, most enjoyed the sessions they attended.
In the Exposition Hall of the Summit, nearly 200 venders and other entities displayed their products, their services, and their mission and activities. There was a wonderful variety of booths. In wandering through the exhibits, one was likely to meet other Sierrans they knew and engage in stimulating conversations. There were also many opportunities throughout the Summit to meet new people and learn of their environmental and other interests. And being activist Sierrans, many of us availed ourselves of the opportunities to transact Club business and plan future programs, meetings, and activities.
About half of the Summit attendees were “delegates” from Sierra Club groups, chapters, and national committees. These delegates were required to attend about 10 hours of deliberative time at the Summit, during which the future direction and priorities of the Club were discussed, debated, and voted upon. This was intended to build on the deliberative work of groups, chapters, and other Club entities done prior to the Summit. The discussions focused on three main areas: conservation approaches, grassroots capacities that influence decisions, and grassroots capacities that influence decision-makers. All this input now goes to the Club’s Conservation Governance Committee (CGC) and then the Board of Directors for their further discussion and refinement and will eventually lead to the Club adopting overall priorities and programs for the next five years. The deliberative sessions were somewhat tedious, however just getting over 700 people together in a large room and having them come up with a useful product was quite a feat. Delegates who did not like one or another aspect of the process were given opportunities to express their views; this helped facilitate moving through the deliberative agenda. Stay tuned for the results of this ambitious effort in participatory democracy in the Sierra Club.
The reviews of the Summit are still being done, as are the tallying of the costs. There is no doubt the Summit was a significant event and had many positive aspects and outcomes. Whether we can afford another such event soon remains to be seen.