Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Helen Shih. I am very grateful to be put on the spot by the organizers of the Houston Sierra Club. I felt there are many Sierra Club members who can be highlighted because of their diligent work done behind the scene. But for now, I am very humbled to be introduced to all of you.
I have been working in holistic medicine for the past decade. Prior to that, I was a medical physicist in the MD Anderson Cancer Center dealing with cancer therapy.  At the beginning of my switch of career, I had to invent a concept called “Health Climate” to educate people about their personal health and how it is related to the immediate environment they stay and create. One day I had an “Aha Moment” - I realized what I meant by the “Health Climate” is really about the entire ecosphere of the planet. Our planetary health is our personal health, our personal health is our planetary health. The two are one. Since then, I have been advocating for both and their connectedness. In other words, unless we keep the planet healthy and clean, we will be all victims of what we are giving to the mother Earth.

Describe the first time you felt a strong affinity for nature.
When I grew up in Beijing, the mega city of China, it was not like how it is now. We still had green patches of rice fields by the foothills of the Western Mountains. As young children, we played in the clear water channels flowing through miles of the royal gardens. We chased after the dragonflies, jumped with the frogs, and ate juicy peaches under the trees. If you have ever visited the Great Wall there, you probably had a glimpse of the natural beauty by that area. Nature is who I am, who we are. It is the peace and love of the nature that make us grow. Without it, we will all die, and the civilization will die.

Describe a time you participated at a Sierra Club event. What did you do and what motivated you to participate?
I had no idea about the Sierra Club until I visited Yosemite in 2000 with my husband and mother-in-law. The high Sierra is what inspired John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt to found our national park system. It is so inspiring to everyone who has visited there. The Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center was built by the Sierra Club volunteers at the turn of the century. They still give tours of the area, conservation programs, and talks of the earlier-day stories. That’s when I first encountered the club. The “mother center” in a sense, made me remember something inside. There was a strong resonance and deep connection with our founding fathers and mothers. I guess since then, I have been “plugged” back into the club and its mission: to protect and preserve our precious nature.
 
What kind of activity or activities would you like to see the Houston Sierra Club to do more of and why?
I felt very strongly that we need to rekindle the seed of the flame that our founding fathers and mothers have started, and make it continue to grow and spread. The spirit of the club is our national treasure. The heritage of the club is our foundation - we have to continue to strengthen it, bring it out to the public, and pass it on to the future generations. I understand the scale of the challenges we face today in terms of both environmental threats and lack of resources people have. But I’d like to see that the Houston area creates a theme of focused activities, connect to other environmental organizations in the area, keep up with the new technologies, and continue to attract young people to be part of who we are.  

What environmental message do you have for young people?
My work in the field of holistic medicine has helped me connect with the soul and heart of the young children today. I feel why and what they are going through -  the frustration and depression they are experiencing. It is a dark world we are living in. There is no doubt about it. But the matter is, either we can choose to be succumbed to it and become this darkness, or we can choose to stand against it and brighten it up. It is a matter of choosing life or death. So pick up the gears and start to fight. I hate to use this word of “fight”, because it implies violence. What I really want to say is to become part of the change, and do it deliberately, patiently, and lovingly, like how our founding fathers and mothers have done before us. Every generation has to face and overcome their own challenges. Now it is our turn.