page 1 • San Diego Chapter • July/August 2003 • Hi Sierran

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Activities, MeetingsMeet the Sierra Club’s New President!Classified AdsChapter NotesLetters to the EditorPrograms for July & August!Inner City OutingsNorth County GroupOutings ListingsCanyon’s Campaign Update!View from the ChairBorrego Boondoggle answers.2003 Bus Trips are Filling up!Filner on Media Monopolization

State News & Notes 

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HI SIERRANSIERRA CLUB SAN  DIEGO CHAPTER , SERVING IMPERIAL AND SAN  DIEGO COUNTIES

WORKING TO PRESERVE THE SPECIAL NATURE OF SAN DIEGO FOR OVER HALF A CENTURY

Vol. 63, No. 4 http://sandiego.sierraclub.org  July/August 2003

Explore, enjoy and protect the planet.

In May, the Sierra Club’s Board ofDirectors elected long-time Bay Areaenvironmental and political activist LarryFahn as the Club’s 50th  president. Fahn,49, is an attorney best known for his workon toxics enforcement and organizingshareholders to make corporations moreenvironmentally accountable.  “We face the most environmen-tally hostile federal government in ournation’s 227-year history,” says Fahn.“The country is being run by two oilmen,and the Cabinet and sub-Cabinet are salt-

ed with representatives of corporate interestsand attorneys and lobbyists for mining, tim- ber, auto and oil companies. These interestshelped propel Bush to the presidency, andnow they’re seeking a return on their invest-ment.”  Fahn serves as Executive Directorof the As You Sow Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to environ-mental advocacy and consumer activism.Previously, he spent nearly two decadespracticing law in San Francisco, represent-ing individuals, small businesses, environ-mental and community groups. He spent 15years as a legislative delegate to the State Barof California’s Conference of Delegates.  Fahn recently spoke with PlanetSenior Editor Tom Valtin about his goals andvision for the Club, and reflected on his earlyenvironmental activism:

TV: How do you propose the Sierra Club con- front the Bush administration’s assaults on theenvironment?

LF: That’s the big challenge. We need todevelop the most effective voter educationplan we’ve ever had. We have to use all thetools at our disposal to get the word outabout the myriad ways this administration isrolling back environmental progress. Thesetools include the effective use of publica-tions, such as The Planet and chapter andgroup newsletters, and our Web site. Andwe need to do more grassroots organizing.

TV: Americans have lately been focused onnational security and events abroad. How do we get the environment back on people’s radar?

LF: I think as the situation in the MiddleEast continues to be a quagmire, peoplewill begin to grow weary of it and look forother issues that are closer to home. Peoplewant clean air, less traffic and more transitoptions, the security of knowing the waterin their tap is safe to drink. These will come back as high-priority issues if we can helpeffectively frame the debate.

TV: You’ve said that one of your goals is to retakeCongress with a pro-environmental majority?

Does such a majority exist?

LF: A pro-environmental majority does notcurrently exist. But if we shift a relativehandful of seats from right-wing anti-envi-ronmental zealots to pro-environmentalpeople—three or four seats in the Senate,maybe a couple dozen in the House—it’sdoable. To do this, we need to pinpoint dis-tricts around the country where our issuesresonate, and where we have a chance ofdefeating candidates who are adversaries.

TV: Tell me about the Sierra Club MutualFund, which you were instrumental in creat-ing.

LF: The Sierra Club Mutual Fund waslaunched in January 2003 after three yearsof planning. It represents a way for Clubmembers and others who care about envi-ronmental protection to use their financialresources in positive ways to invest—andhopefully prosper—with companies thathave been meticulously screened. We havethe toughest environmental and socialscreens in the business. (Editor’s note: see <www.sierraclubfunds.com> for details.)

We partnered with a relativelynew investment management companycalled Forward Funds to develop theSierra Club family of funds. I’ve been onthe Sierra Club Mutual Fund task force,appointed by the Club’s board of direc-tors, to help guide the process, developthe screens, and choose the managementpartners.

MEET THE 50TH 

PRESIDENT!COMPILED BY THE PLANET’S TOM  VALTIN 

 

SEE P. 11 FOR OUR MONTHLY PROGRAMS ,

INCLUDING A LECTURE ON CUBA!

KarlGrobl

(cont. on page 6)