Sierra Club President Ramón Cruz on Environmental Justice and Grassroots Organizing

American University / March 30, 2023

Sierra Club president Ramón Cruz, SIS/BA '98, has over 20 years of experience intersecting the fields of sustainability, environmental policy, urban planning, energy, and climate change. He was elected president of the Sierra Club, the nation’s oldest and largest environmental organization, in May 2020. Cruz will give this year's Nancy Weiser Ignatius Lecture on the Environment on April 4 at SIS. He’ll also speak with SIS professor Simon Nicholson; an audience Q&A will follow their discussion.

Cruz’s address marks the sixth Nancy Weiser Ignatius Lecture on the Environment, which honors the work of SIS alumna and activist Nancy Weiser Ignatius, SIS/MA '69. The lectures feature senior policymakers and leaders in the nonprofit and private sectors who are working to improve the environment. Previous Ignatius lecturers have included environmentalist Bill McKibben and former Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz.

Ahead of the April 4 event, we caught up with Cruz, who gave us a preview of his remarks and offered some thoughts on the environmental movement writ large.

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