In the Know with Olga Bolotina

In the Know with Olga Bolotina Episode 6: Wietske Medema

Get to know citizen science aficionado and Sierra Club leader Wietske Medema in this conversation with chapter chair Olga Bolotina. Wietske, a member of our Delta Group Executive Committee, has years of experience leveraging citizen science and popular technology to help advance environmental goals and engage communities with the environment. Her post-doctoral research at McGill University used these social learning tools to improve sustainable water management policies and practices in agricultural river basins and watersheds.   Originally aired May 15, 2020.   The weekly #InTheKnow [https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/intheknow?__eep__=6&__tn__=*NK-R] series introduces you to the people behind the Club's policies and messages. What drives them, what keeps them up at night, and what can we learn from and about them that will inspire us in our own life and work? Join Chapter Chair Olga Bolotina on Facebook Live each Friday at noon for a new 'In the Know' interview with Sierra Club volunteers, staff, and other environmental leaders.

In the Know with Olga Bolotina Episode 5: Igor Tregub

Get to know housing advocate and Sierra Club leader Igor Tregub in this conversation with chapter chair Olga Bolotina. Igor talks about how his childhood moves from Kiev to Israel to Germany to the United States provides the motivation underlying his work for housing justice. Hear him describe formative environmental experiences — picking mushrooms in the forest, enjoying food grown on his family's dacha, and counting bats by a river in Germany. Speaking in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, Igor notes: "What sounded radical a few weeks ago now just sounds like good common sense."   In his day job, Igor is an engineer with global experience on safety and nonproliferation matters. He is also an elected Commissioner on the Berkeley Rent Board; and immediate past Chair of the City of Berkeley's Zoning Adjustments Board and Housing Advisory Commission. He is the immediate past chair of the SF Bay chapter, current chair of the Sierra Club Northern Alameda County Group, and member of the Chapter and State Executive Committees.   Originally aired on May 8, 2020.   The weekly #InTheKnow [https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/intheknow?__eep__=6&__tn__=*NK-R] series will introduce you to the people behind the Clubs policies and messages. What drives them, what keeps them up at night, and what can we learn from and about them that will inspire us in our own life and work?   Join Chapter Chair Olga Bolotina on Facebook Live (www.facebook.com/SierraClubSFBayChapter [https://www.facebook.com/SierraClubSFBayChapter/?__tn__=kK-R]) each Friday at noon for a new 'In the Know' interview with Sierra Club volunteers, staff, and other environmental leaders.

In the Know with Olga Bolotina Episode 4: Melissa Yu

Get to know Bay Chapter clean energy organizer Melissa Yu in this interview with chapter chair Olga Bolotina. Melissa is a San Francisco native who is instrumental in the Sierra Club's work to promote local Community Choice Aggregation programs — an alternative energy model pioneered here in the Bay Area that allows for communities to join together to purchase cleaner electricity on behalf of their residents and businesses.   Originally aired May 1, 2020.   About 'In the Know' Interview Series:   The weekly #InTheKnow [https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/intheknow?__eep__=6&__tn__=*NK-R] series will introduce you to the people behind the Clubs policies and messages. What drives them, what keeps them up at night, and what can we learn from and about them that will inspire us in our own life and work? Join Chapter Chair Olga Bolotina on Facebook Live each Friday at noon for a new 'In the Know' interview with Sierra Club volunteers, staff, and other environmental leaders.

In the Know with Olga Bolotina Episode 3: Arthur Feinstein

Chapter chair Olga Bolotina continues her Sierra Club interview series with this conversation with wetlands expert and longtime Club activist Arthur Feinstein. In recent years, Arthur has channeled his wetlands expertise into the work of preparing for sea-level rise — a challenge in which wetlands restoration can be a key tactic. When interviewed by Sierra magazine in 2018, Arthur explained the role that the Sierra Club can have in helping us prepare for sea-level rise. The Club, he said, "can help make sure that society comes up with solutions that preserve our natural resources and address social equity rather than just, say, wealthy communities putting up seawalls." Arthur has been an environmentalist for over 40 years. He was executive director of the local Audubon chapter for about 15 years before becoming a volunteer with the Sierra Club's SF Bay Chapter, serving on our executive committee and as chapter chair. Now he is chair of the Sierra Club's California Conservation Committee. He also works with groups including the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture, which works on preserving wetlands. Originally aired April 24, 2020. About 'In the Know': The weekly 'In the Know' series will introduce you to the people behind the Clubs policies and messages. What drives them, what keeps them up at night, and what can we learn from and about them that will inspire us in our own life and work? Join Chapter Chair Olga Bolotina on Facebook Live each Friday at noon for a new 'In the Know' interview with Sierra Club volunteers, staff, and other environmental leaders.

In the Know with Olga Bolotina Episode 2: Chance Cutrano

Chapter chair Olga Bolotina continues a new interview series with this conversation with chapter vice chair Chance Cutrano. Chance is the Director of Programs at the Resource Renewal Institute (RRI), where he directs public lands and sustainable agriculture programs. In the fall of 2018, Chance was awarded the Sierra Club California's inaugural "Emerging Leader Award' for "outstanding contributions to conservation and politics by someone under the age of 30." He has helped design a volunteer matching service in the town of Fairfax to support and protect people in need during the coronavirus pandemic. About 'In the Know': In her new interview series 'In the Know,' Sierra Club SF Bay Chapter chair Olga Bolotina will introduce you to environmental leaders and the people behind the Club's policies and messages. What drives them, what keeps them up at night, and what can we learn from and about them that will inspire us in our own life and work?