Leah Clyburn鈥檚 goal is to bridge the gap between communities that otherwise attempt to tackle issues on their own. There is power in bringing people together across state and county lines, the environmentalist and community organizer told St. Louis on the Air.
鈥淟ike many things, the environment and pollution has no borders,鈥� said Clyburn, a senior training partner for the Sierra Club鈥檚 Missouri chapter. 鈥淭he water flows as it's gonna go and carries [pollution] right along with it, as well as the air that we breathe 鈥� it moves from west to east.鈥�
Clyburn is nominated for a earthday365 Keystone Community Activist award this year. She earned the nod, in part, for her work creating bridges between communities, as she did last summer with a rally for cleaner air .
鈥淲e did it to acknowledge that the air pollution 鈥� that comes from our coal stacks, that are here in Missouri 鈥� is affecting the lives of folks that are in East St. Louis all the way to Chicago,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen community comes together, we can make real change.鈥�
Jess Watson, the executive director of earthday365, said Clyburn鈥檚 ability to bring community members, environmentalists and scientists together to affect change is what earned her the nomination.
鈥淟eah has served as this amazing translator between community groups,鈥� Watson said.
During Tuesday鈥檚 discussion, Watson gave a preview of , which is back after a two-year hiatus. She also highlighted some of the other sustainability awards nominees being recognized.
鈥淭here are so many people in St. Louis that are doing amazing work, and they're flying under the radar,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o we wanted to bring more attention to those folks and to their projects.鈥� ()
Earthday365 will announce the winners of this year鈥檚 sustainability awards at the St. Louis Earth Day Festival at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Related Event
What: with featured speaker Congresswoman Cori Bush
When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 23-24
Where: The Muny Grounds in Forest Park (1 Theatre Drive, St. Louis, MO 63112)
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by and produced by , , and . Jane Mather-Glass is our production assistant. The audio engineer is .
