National Teach-In Panelists
Danielle Craig
My name is Danielle. I am 28 and I live in Centralia, WA with my fiancé Jay and our children Bailey (5) and Henry (1). My education background is in natural resources management and fisheries and wildlife conservation. Professionally, over the last 11 years, I have worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Lewis County, and the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board in the fields of fish and wildlife biology, conservation genetics, and invasive species education and outreach. In October of 2008, I was hired as the Farm Manager and Teacher for Growing Places Farm & Energy Park in Centralia, WA. This program will help to mentor and employ at-risk youth who will work on a small scale farm to provide food for our community while developing life skills and learning about career pathways in 'green' industries. My family spends time together gardening, camping, hiking, fishing, doing photography, and just being outdoors. I volunteer my time to the Chehalis River Basin Land Trust, the Chehalis Basin Education Consortium, Natural Resource Youth Camp, and Friends of the Seminary Hill Natural Area.
Office of Sustainability:
In your experience, what is the largest barrier to advancing solutions to climate change?
Danielle:
Implementing solutions to climate change is challenging. Climate change mitigation efforts are compounded by differing opinions and varying value systems that act to prevent the development of real climate solutions. Some factors influencing this issue include the general acknowledgment that climate change is occurring, the unwillingness for individuals to make personal changes, a variety of scientific evidence available, a lack of information available to the public in laymen's terms, and non-standardized global efforts towards solutions. Lastly, we are working in a new territory with climate change and there is going to be a learning curve that we will have to overcome.
Office of Sustainability:
What are the greatest potential opportunities?
Danielle:
One of the greatest potential opportunities for climate change solutions is situated around education and quite possibly encouraging action at the individual and grassroots level. Having conferences, summits, and other meetings where education can occur will open the door for strengthening solution efforts. In these learning situations, mixed messages can be sorted out, planning occurs and ultimately action takes place. Other opportunities that could possibly help include better education to the public and youth, better funding for research, standardizing methods of scientific collection and reporting, and forming more effective partnerships among ourselves, states, nations, etc. that work towards finding solutions.
Beth Doglio
Beth serves as the Campaign Director for Climate Solutions whose mission is to accelerate practical and profitable solutions to global warming by galvanizing leadership, growing investment and bridging divides. She oversees legislative campaigns, ensures campaign strategy is integrated into planning of Climate Solution’s flagship programs, and sustains and builds a network of organizations and businesses to advocate for responsible climate policy, clean energy and transportation solutions. Prior to her work with Climate Solutions, Beth was Development Director for Audubon Washington and Executive Director of Washington Conservation Voters where she created Washington Environmental Alliance for Voter Education (WEAVE).
Karen Valenzuela
Karen has served on the Tumwater City Council since 2000, where her major focus and priorities have been climate change, the Tumwater Farmers Market, combating homelessness, and establishing Tumwater's sister city relationship with Mubende, Uganda. She served on Tumwater's Planning Commission for three years prior to becoming a Councilmember. She has worked in public health for twenty years, a profession she finds enormously helpful in her work as a City Councilmember. "Public health's overarching goal --healthy people in healthy communities-- is completely consonant with the policy priorities of the Tumwater City Council," she says. Karen serves on several interjurisdictional boards and committees, including the Thurston Regional Planning Council, the Intercity Transit Authority, the Thurston Climate Action Team, Thurston Home Consortium, the Human Services Review Council, and the Thurston County Solid Waste Advisory Committee. She has been active in leadership roles over the last 15 years in her state and national professional organizations, the Washington State Public Health Association and the American Public Health Association, and has served as an elected Precinct Committee Officer with the Thurston County Democrats for the past seven years.
Office of Sustainability:
In your experience, what is the largest barrier to advancing solutions to climate change?
Karen:
A major barrier to meaningful climate change work is our late start. Until just this month, our national administration presented one of the greatest barriers in the world to addressing climate change. The United States' outright obstructionism on the issue of addressing global warming means that precious time the planet could ill spare has been lost in staunching and even reversing the huge amounts of CO2 that we spew into our environment every day. And because of this lack of national leadership on this most pressing issue, Americans have been slow to realize our enormous contribution to the problem, and thus slow to make changes that will impact the problem. With a new national administration with a completely different point of view about climate change and which fully intends to provide much needed leadership and new policy on what we must do, a major barrier has been removed. Time, however, is not on our side; new research on the impacts of climate change have begun to show how irreversible much of the damage is. Which is not to say we shouldn't do SOMEthing! As a nation, we may still not quite understand the pressing need for immediate and bold action. Mobilizing political and social will remains an enormous challenge to a nation too comfortable with a way of life that depends completely on plentiful inexpensive energy that casts an enormous carbon footprint.
Office of Sustainability:
What are the greatest potential opportunities?
Karen:
Newly elected President Obama represents, in my view, one of our greatest potential opportunities. He fully understands the problem, including that time to address it is short. He's a pragmatist who also understands political realities, and will use his political capital intelligently, I think, to not just overcome the obstructionism of his predecessor administration, but to help develop the visionary leadership it will take at every level to mobilize the American people to join the planetary movement needed to confront the climate challenge. Time is short; bold concerted action sooner rather than later is a must. Early signs are encouraging, but much work lies ahead, not the least of which is agreeing on what work to do. But no President has EVER said the astonishing and hopeful thing Mr. Obama said just the other day: "For the sake of our security, our economy and our planet, we must have the courage and commitment to change. It will be the policy of my administration to reverse our dependence on foreign oil while building a new energy economy that will create millions of jobs."
Cathy Wolfe
Cathy is serving her third 4-year term as a Thurston County Commissioner. She is now in her eighth year as Commissioner of District One and currently serves as Chair of the Board. She represents the Board of Commissioners on the following boards, councils and commissions:
- Area Agency on Aging
- Community Drug Court Support Foundation
- Economic Development Council (EDC
- EMS Council (Medic One)
- LOTT
- Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council
- Thurston Regional Planning Council; Municipal Research Council
- Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC) – Board of Directors
In a volunteer capacity, Commissioner Wolfe also serves on Community Youth Services Board, Senior Games Board, and the United Way of Thurston County Board. Prior to her election to the Board of County Commissioners, she served 4 terms in the House of Representatives as Legislative District 22’s State Representative.
Cathy raised three daughters: Susan, Pam, and Carol and is now enjoying seven grandchildren and one great-granddaughter - Lily. She enjoys walking, traveling, and spending time with family.
Lon Wyrick
Lon was born and raised in Walla Walla, WA and will participate in, attend, or watch any sport. He loves outdoor adventures. For the past nine years, Lon has been the executive director of Thurston Regional Planning Council. He has a degree in urban and regional planning from Eastern Washington University. Prior to the Thurston Regional Planning Council, Lon served 18-years as executive director of Yakima Valley Conference of Governments.
Office of Sustainability:
In your experience, what is the largest barrier to advancing solutions to climate change?
Lon:
From an individual level, being able to move people away from the “Global Warming” title and talk more about overall “Climate Change” and its impact. Doubters continue to point to cold weather as a sign that it’s not real. From an agency perspective, getting climate change programs and/or initiatives set as budget priorities while other essential services are being cut.
Office of Sustainability:
What are the greatest potential opportunities?
Lon:
Looking at existing efforts and advancing those that are successful and are making a different. Using program successes to expand and initiate new climate change efforts.