• Name: Reynaldo Figueroa
• Location: Ciales, Puerto Rico
• Contribution: Youth-activist trainer, Outings leader, Seize the Grid campaigner

How did you first hear about the Sierra Club? I'm majoring in environmental science at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico. In 2012, I started a student organization with my biology professor. We organize conferences for the university community on different professions related to conservation and the environment. One student gave a presentation called "My Experience as a Sprogger." From that, I got interested in Sprog and the Sierra Club, and I applied for the 2013 summer training in Puerto Rico. 

What's a Sprog exactly? It's a student training run by the Sierra Club Student Coalition that gives you the tools to develop a campaign—you can choose which campaign and community to get involved in. When I participated, I organized a compost-and-recycling program at my former high school. As a result, the school stopped using pesticides in the garden. 

In 2014, I returned to Sprog as a trainer. There were about 25 participants. That was an awesome experience because I love to educate people and to help them develop leadership skills. I felt really connected to the whole group.

What have you done since then? Three other students and I organized a Seize the Grid campaign to get the university to commit to switching to renewable energy by 2030. Puerto Rico is very dependent on petroleum. We got more than a thousand signatures from students and professors, and last semester the administration approved our proposal. 

What do you do when you aren't organizing? I am certified as an Outings leader. One of my favorite hikes to lead is De la Torre al Charco, in the forest of Toro Negro, near my hometown. There is a rock tower that you can climb, where you see all the beauty of the landscape. There are a lot of birds; there's a lot of biodiversity. I have a sentimental connection to it because it's the place where I grew up. The hike is easy or moderate, so it's a good way for people to start hiking. It's really exciting to show Puerto Ricans what's in our country and to help them explore and enjoy all of the beauty.

This article appeared in the September/October 2017 edition with the headline "Student, Hiker, Sprogger."