Learning from Local Leaders
— Satchel Pondolfino
Over the nearly 8 years of organizing programs and campaigns with Inletkeeper, I’ve learned that sometimes our role is as simple as holding the door open. A consistent joy of the work is connecting with and learning from the people who walk in the room, figuratively and literally. Our job is to create a container for power building and a pathway for action. Every program I have been part of, be it a watershed-wide campaign like the Stand for Salmon ballot initiative or a localized effort like helping to elect pro-renewable champions to the Homer Electric Association Board, has been a success because local people have leaned in and led.
The Homer Drawdown program, a grassroots community implementing local climate solutions, totally relies on local leadership, expertise, and member support. Each solution cycle, a new collective of passionate individuals has walked through the door and steered the room towards informed action that’s timely and makes an impact. From peatland people, to walking and biking enthusiasts, to home energy nerds (affectionately), there is a place for everyone in this climate activist community. I’ve loved leapfrogging from one collective to the next, finding shared values, expanding our web, and making new friends along the way.
As Inletkeeper transitions into its 30th year, Homer Drawdown is beginning to wrap up our third local climate project, Climate Smart Homer Homes, but not without a bang! We are organizing and hosting the Homer Energy Fair, a one-stop shop to connect Homer area residents with energy-efficiency resources. The Homer Energy Fair will be held on Saturday, January 25th, at the Kachemak Bay Campus from 10am – 4pm.
As we prepare to put on this cumulation event, I continue to reflect on all the relationships I have built and lessons I have learned from the Drawdown community, and I am filled with appreciation. During Inletkeeper’s 30th year, my role will shift from Lower Inlet Organizer to Clean Water Lead. I will shift my focus from local programs to broader campaigns across the watershed to defend our land, water, and communities from the multitude of emerging mining threats. I am committed to learning from local leaders and wisdom keepers in this new arena. If the fight against sacrificing healthy habitat for corporate greed is an area you would like to get involved in, look for the open doors; I’ll be holding them.
The next chapter of Homer Drawdown will be shaped by the people who lean in to lead. I may not be coordinating the work, but I will keep wearing my climate activist hat. Inletkeeper remains committed to supporting solutions that make our towns and cities more resilient AND fighting against projects like Donlin Mine, West Su Access Road, and Johnson Tract Mine that would threaten the living communities of Tikahtnu | Cook Inlet, salmon, bear, belugas, and humans alike. Whatever brings you to Inletkeeper’s work, donating today will help us open the doors wider and build more successful movements toward a thriving and resilient watershed.
