Welcoming the Team — Meet Penny…

Our Horizon would like to extend a warm welcome to Penny who joined the team as Chief of Communications a few weeks ago. Rob asked her a few poignant questions to get to know her a bit better… Look forward to frequent blog posts from our team starting next week.

Tell me a bit about yourself?

My first word was “Go.”

Save the two years I lived in New Delhi, India, I’ve always lived within walking distance of a major body of water. To me, the ocean smells like freedom. Rock climbing, yoga, and friends keep me sane. I loathe writing about myself.

I’ve always loved connecting people, and some of my greatest joys have come from bringing people together who otherwise wouldn’t have met to do something completely awesome. When I’m not at work, I’m volunteering, geeking out on politics, watching my girlfriend’s band, or spending some QT with my ginormous cat. No really, he’s huge. 

Why are you concerned about climate change?

Water is one of my biggest passions, and it’s also offering up the first lived indications of climate change. Droughts, floods, and encroaching oceans are disrupting food systems and creating the earth’s first climate refugees. I’m also passionate about the rivers that flow out of the Himalayan water table, many of which are glacier-fed. Hundreds of millions of people depend on that water source. Our warming climate is causing those glaciers to disappear at a rapid rate, and it’s terrifying to consider that they’ll be gone by the time I retire.

It has only taken us a handful of generations to drastically change how we operate in the world. Unless we do something now, once the effects of climate change really take hold, we’ll have to move even faster to adapt. That’s pretty freaky.

What drew you to Our Horizon?

It’s a visual, accessible, to-the-point campaign. One of the hurdles to addressing climate change is how easily the concept becomes overwhelming. Equally overwhelming are all of the structures that have gone into helping us create this mess. A campaign like this presents us with one thing that we can do to help move us all forward, and it’s something that, once we’ve won, we can see and touch. In the face of an abstract concept like climate change, I think a tangible measure is really powerful.

It’s also a grassroots campaign. Because it’s focused at the municipal level, it presents people with a reason to speak up at the level of government that is closest to them. And success can drive a desire for more and bigger successes, which inspires further participation down the road.

How have the last few weeks been?

Lightning fast! People have asked me what I do, and my answer is always “a lot!” Highlights include Jane’s Walks, visits to city hall, and a short trip in the trunk of a Smart Car. I fit!

What are you looking forward to most about our campaign to put warning labels on gas pump nozzles?

I look forward to seeing the folks who first pass this at their city council. I think it’s going to be a real celebration. Even better will be seeing them when the first labels are installed. Granted, the labels only signify the beginning of the hard work ahead, but there are a lot of people who are ready to get down to it. They’re hungry for it. The labels are like the pistol shot at the beginning of the race.

 

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