How Todd Steiner Of Turtle Island Restoration Network Is Helping to Promote Sustainability and Climate Justice
An Interview With Monica Sanders
Don’t be afraid to ask for help! People want to help, especially when your cause is righteous. Be humble and let folks know you seek theirs because you value their wisdom.
According to the University of Colorado, “Those who are most affected and have the fewest resources to adapt to climate change are also the least responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions — both globally and within the United States.” Promoting climate justice is an incredibly important environmental responsibility that is slowly becoming more and more recognized. In this interview series, we are talking to leaders helping promote sustainability and climate justice. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Todd Steiner.
Todd Steiner is the Executive Director and founder of Turtle Island Restoration Network (SeaTurtles.org), a marine conservation organization whose mission is to take swift and decisive action to protect and restore marine and aquatic species and their habitats and to inspire people in communities all over the world to join us as active and vocal advocates. Steiner has led campaigns to protect dolphins from drowning in tuna nets, closed the notorious Mexican sea turtle slaughterhouse and ended the legal harvesting in Mexico, stopped shrimp imports from countries that fail to protect sea turtles from drowning in shrimp nets, and worked to reduce the capture of whales, dolphins, sea turtles and other marine wildlife species in industrial longline, driftnet fishing gear in the US and around the world.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I grew up in Florida, exploring the rivers and wetlands and eventually becoming a field research biologist in Everglades National Park, studying endangered species and habitats. In my early teen years, throughout college, and continuing throughout my life, I have been an activist fighting for social justice in the civil rights, women’s, peace, and anti-nuclear movements.
Everyone has a cataclysmic moment or marker in their life which propels them to take certain actions, a “why”. What is your why?
At an early point in my career as a biologist studying endangered species, it became evident to me that scientific facts alone would not propel the action needed to save threatened wildlife and the ecosystem services their habitats provide for life to continue on this planet.
I was fortunate to figure out how to “marry” by biological training with my social justice activism through one of my mentors, David Brower, the founder of the modern environmental movement, at a time when there were very few “career” environmental activists. When I was in college, there were virtually no programs in Environmental Studies, and this was not a career path. Virtually all environmentalists were volunteers. Serving alongside David Brower and a few other “full-time” environmental activists was an honor and a privilege.
You are currently leading an organization that is making a difference for our planet. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change?
We are trying to create a livable planet for future generations. We see the plight of endangered species not as individual tragedies in need of attention but also as a vehicle for shifting the paradigm of how humans view our relationship with the natural world. All of our work involves educating, training, and inspiring our fellow citizens to take grassroots action on behalf of a livable planet. That often involves speaking truth to power and challenging the status quo that got us into the alarming situation the Earth now finds itself in.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
I have learned a few important lessons that have changed my thinking and propelled my work. One is known as the shifting baseline. This concept crystallized when I spent a day with a long-retired fish biologist along a coho salmon stream in California. He described how these magnificent fish had almost disappeared in his lifetime from thousands to a few hundred, as their habitat was polluted and destroyed by dams that cut off spawning grounds, by housing developments built in the adjoining wetlands the baby fish needed to as rearing and nursery grounds, and from pollution running off roads into the creek poisoned by pesticides sprayed on lawns. The next day, I walked the same creek with a young biologist who had recently received his master’s degree studying all the coho salmon streams in Central California. He described the same area as “pristine,” one of the best left in California.
Both were completely right as they described the very same place. The difference was their “baseline.” Yes, most coho streams in California no longer supported any wild salmon populations, and the one we were visiting was indeed the best left in California. To the young biologist, it was healthy. To his senior, it greatly impaired — only able to support 5% of the population 40 years earlier. In one generation, what was lost was the reality of what healthy and pristine means. It made me think about my days working in Everglades, where I would read the great naturalists’ accounts of the abundance of wildlife there — where the sky would darken for hours as vast populations of birds flew overhead. I thought it was mere hyperbole — unbelievable to me, as the Everglades had more wildlife than I had ever seen in one place anywhere else in my (young) life. Now I know those accounts were true, but I did not have a baseline even to believe them. These shifting baselines threaten current and future generations even to imagine what a healthy planet looks like — and what we need to fight to ensure we repair and restore.
Another is the famous quote by anthropologist Margaret Mead, who said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Yes, we can take on power and greed and win. I have been privileged to be in these battles that many told us were impossible… ending the largest commercial slaughter of wild sea turtles in Mexico and ending the setting of nets on dolphins to benefit a few powerful multi-national corporations.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
I previously mentioned David Brower, who also taught me that you can wage a successful campaign against the powerful and greedy without a big budget. He said to do the important and necessary work, and the resources will come. I have seen too many people who wanted to do the right thing be paralyzed by believing they cannot succeed without a big budget. Martin Luther King, Angela Davis, Abbey Hoffman, and the leaders of the American Indian Movement have all inspired me not to be afraid to put my body on the line to inspire and create the social change needed to change hearts and minds.
Let’s now move to the central part of our discussion. Let’s start with a basic definition of terms so that everyone is on the same page. What does climate justice mean to you? How do we operationalize it?
Climate justice begins with recognizing that low-income and BIPOC communities around the world are most immediately impacted by climate disruption caused by burning fossil fuels and are the least responsible for those impacts. Why? Historically, these communities have less power and have been marginalized by systemic racism, and these polluting industries are most likely to be built in these neighborhoods. Second, those with fewer resources are consuming fewer fossil fuels — they are not living in large houses, jetting off on far-away vacations. They are more likely to rely on public transportation instead of owning large gas-guzzling vehicles. Thus, those with lower carbon footprints are more likely to be the earliest front-line victims of the impact of climate disruption.
Science is telling us that we have 7–10 years to make critical decisions about climate change. What are three things you or your organization are doing to help?
Turtle Island is working to oppose the expansion of fossil fuel development, especially in coastal and offshore regions where our expertise lies. This work involves partnerships with frontline communities to ensure they have a voice in addressing the climate crisis.
Secondly, we are leading the charge against ridiculous unproven ‘techno-fixes’ such as the proposal to build sea walls and sea gates like the “Galveston Coastal Spine” in the Gulf of Mexico. These multi-billion-dollar projects do not address the root causes of climate disruption and give false hope that we solve this problem without eliminating our dependence on a fossil fuel economy.
Lastly, we are working to build resiliency to the current and future impacts of climate disruption that we are already facing. For example, in California, our 10,000 Redwoods Project is planting trees to sequester carbon, and our habitat restoration activities are restoring wetlands to mitigate the impact of more severe climate disruption storms. In our Gulf of Mexico office, we are implementing a new campaign to reduce and eliminate plastic food ware waste, studying microplastics’ impact on marine life and educating the public about the impacts on human health.
Are there three things the community, society, or politicians can do to help you in your mission?
As I mentioned earlier, Turtle Island Restoration Network’s mission is to take swift and decisive action to protect ecosystem services provided by healthy oceans and inspire people in communities worldwide to join us as active and vocal advocates. in industrial longline, driftnet fishing gear in the US and around the world.
So the first thing people can do is demand that our local and national elected officials support and propose legislation to phase out the use of fossil fuels quickly. Call your representatives, attend rallies and protests, and support progressive politicians committed to policies that will eliminate the use of fossil fuels.
Second, support grassroots organizations fighting on the frontlines of ending the fossil fuel economy. Volunteer and utilize your particular skills existential battle to create a living planet for future generations. Don’t underestimate your power — the movement needs teachers, artists, lawyers, IT professionals, scientists, mechanics, or people who want to help plant trees. Everyone can help!
Third, don’t give up! Action breeds hope and spurs our imagination to find solutions to making our world a better place for all living things!
How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?
We are a non-profit, so profitability is not in our lexicon. We live in environmental sustainability because it is our business. The more we walk our talk, the more support we get. A very small thing is our mailings, an important way we communicate with our supporters. We source the most environmentally 100% recycled paper from the most environmentally sound forests. Even the “plastic” envelope window is NOT plastic but a compostable product made of vegetable fiber. Our online store only offers useful products, for example, clothing and tote bags (to use for grocery shopping instead of paper and plastic bags) — all 100% organic cotton printed locally by an all-women company. And we encourage people NOT to buy unless they are products that they need.
This is the signature question we ask in most of our interviews. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started promoting sustainability and climate justice” and why?
1 . We can change the world, so get busy! Live your life in a meaningful way, and people will join you
2 . A spark can start a prairie fire, but you may never know in advance which one will, so start sparking! Greta Thunberg is an example of #1 and #2 when she started her solo school walkout to protest climate disruption.
3 . If you do the right thing, the resources and money to support your campaign will come. Don’t believe it is a limiting factor; don’t waste your time trying to figure out where to get it before you begin. The example is every campaign we have ever done. The BIG NGOS told us we could not stop the tuna companies from setting nets on dolphins, but we did because we knew we were right. We used our passion and creativity and were willing to put our bodies on the line.
4 . See obstacles as opportunities! There is always a way to get around, over or under them. When you do, you will find more supporters on the new path,
5 . Don’t be afraid to ask for help! People want to help, especially when your cause is righteous. Be humble and let folks know you seek theirs because you value their wisdom.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
There are two, both named Jane — that would be Jane Fonda and Jane Goodall — two activist heroes of mine who have inspired my work.
How can our readers continue to follow your work online?
Please sign up for the online newsletter at www.SeaTurtles.org
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
About the Interviewer: Monica Sanders JD, LL.M, is the founder of “The Undivide Project”, an organization dedicated to creating climate resilience in underserved communities using good tech and the power of the Internet. She holds faculty roles at the Georgetown University Law Center and the Tulane University Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy. Professor Sanders also serves on several UN agency working groups. As an attorney, Monica has held senior roles in all three branches of government, private industry, and nonprofits. In her previous life, she was a journalist for seven years and the recipient of several awards, including an Emmy. Now the New Orleans native spends her time in solidarity with and championing change for those on the frontlines of climate change and digital divestment. Learn more about how to join her at: www.theundivideproject.org.
How Todd Steiner Of Turtle Island Restoration Network Is Helping to Promote Sustainability and… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.