The Loma Prietan - November/December 2009

Megan Fluke believes in the three E's: Environment, Economy, and Equality.

Recently elected Chapter Executive Committee (ExCom) member Megan Fluke has had experiences and achieved successes well beyond what you'd expect of someone in her early twenties. That is probably because she doesn't just participate in activities. While participating, she seems to have an incredible knack for precipitating positive change with her dedication and leadership skills.

Her passion for sustainability and prudent land use began at fifteen when she was a "poster child" for a campaign to halt an ill-conceived development near her home. The families on her cul-de-sac organized a citywide campaign, and were successful in passing an ordinance encouraging smart growth. Megan points to this as the pivotal experience that started her life's journey toward meeting challenges with optimism and strategic good sense. For instance:

• After observing that recycling bins at their high school were not being used, Megan and her best friend initiated a successful recycling program using student volunteers. Six years later, the program is still going.

• As an Environmental Studies major at San Jose State University (SJSU), Megan did an internship with the Silicon Valley Land Conservancy. She organized hikes and docent trips and was involved in the successful effort to curtail development in Coyote Valley — an important and farreaching victory in our community.

• While serving as the Director of the Environmental Resource Center at SJSU, she discovered her knack for managing large groups working toward a worthwhile goal. Creating 60 hours per week of meaningful tasks and coordinating 22 student volunteers to perform them would be daunting to many, but not Megan. She loved it and it led her to her recent "day job" at GenerationEngage, where she brought her experience to bear as Community Director. GenerationEngage empowers young adults to become leaders in their community and active participants in our democracy. The organization promotes long-term engagement through volunteerism.

What about Megan's tenure as a volunteer for the Chapter? So far, she serves on the ExCom and is Membership Committee co-chair. With her talents at promoting volunteer engagement, she recently helped stage an open house to spotlight and inform potential leaders and volunteers, providing an entry point for Chapter members to get more involved.

A trend dear to Megan's heart is sustainability. She stresses that for any project to be sustainable and worthwhile, "it needs to incorporate the 'three E's': creating a healthy Environment, a thriving Economy, and furthering social Equality." We can be sure that when Megan Fluke takes something on, it will be worthwhile, and we are indeed fortunate to have her as a member and serving on the Chapter ExCom.

Cheryl Hylton is a Sierra Club life member and a pro bono fundraising consultant for the Chapter.