Buddy Huffaker Of Aldo Leopold Foundation: 5 Things We Must Do To Inspire The Next Generation About Sustainability And The Environment
An Interview With Martita Mestey
Learn with children: take a bird or plant identification book and learn right along with them. Be the expert, or let them be the expert. The important part is the process of demonstrating curiosity and the fun of learning about the world around us.
As a part of my series about what we must do to inspire the next generation about sustainability and the environment, I had the pleasure of interviewing Buddy Huffaker, executive director of the Aldo Leopold Foundation, located in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
Buddy has represented conservationist Aldo Leopold’s legacy and land ethic for over 25 years. In this time, he has personally engaged the Leopold family, stewarded over 4,000 acres in and around the Leopold Shack and Farm National Historic Landmark, brokered the translation of Aldo Leopold’s seminal work A Sand County Almanac into new languages, and participated in three White House Conferences on conservation and environmental education. Buddy has helped make environmental ethics relevant, accessible, and more engaging.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” more. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
While we would camp as a family growing up, I wasn’t particularly interested in the environment. I was much more interested in sports and video games. During high school, I stumbled into a job at a soil testing laboratory, which opened my eyes to agriculture and soil science, sparking my interest in a whole world I had never considered.
Was there an “aha moment” or a specific trigger that made you decide you wanted to become a scientist or environmental leader? Can you share that story with us?
A couple of twists led me to study landscape architecture in college, where I took a class titled “Wildlife in America” and was first introduced to A Sand County Almanac by a professor who absolutely loved the book. Honestly, I wasn’t that impressed with the book on my first read. Nevertheless, the class further expanded my world by opening my mind and my heart to ecology and conservation. I started exploring other voices for the environment: Wendell Berry, Jens Jensen, Rachel Carson, Ian McHarg, Wes Jackson, and Baird Callicott, to name a few. Then, during an internship at an architectural firm in Atlanta, Georgia — where I was stuck doing computer-aided drafting all day — we had a client who had negatively impacted a wetland. It was just as the No Net Loss of Wetlands legislation was passed, so the developer had to replace the damaged wetland with a functioning one, which nobody really knew how to do at the time. I thought this might be an emerging field where I could connect my landscape architecture background with my growing interest in ecology and conservation.
Is there a lesson you can take out of your own story that can exemplify what can inspire a young person to become an environmental leader?
The opportunities to find your passion within an environmental career are limitless, with a need for leadership in every community around the world. Every one of the 8 billion people on the planet depends on a healthy environment for food, clothing, shelter, and mental and physical well-being as we are now learning. Yes, the problems are daunting and sometimes so large it can feel as if our individual efforts don’t matter, but they do. You don’t have to “own” the whole problem, but you can make your “corner of the earth” better.
Can you tell our readers about the initiatives you or your company are taking to address climate change or sustainability? Can you give an example for each?
The Leopold Foundation has numerous initiatives that address climate change, but I’ll focus on these:
Leopold-Pines Conservation Area — We are working to restore and maintain 4,000 acres of land to a healthy grass-based ecosystem that helps sequester carbon, filter surface and groundwater flowing into the Wisconsin River, and provide critical habitat for imperiled grassland birds and pollinators.
Aldo Leopold Legacy Center — This facility, built out of the trees the Leopold family planted in the 1930s and 40s, is intended to be a demonstration of what a Land Ethic looks like in the 21st century. Green building techniques and technologies are presented and interpreted to thousands of visitors each year. We recently expanded our solar photovoltaic (PV) system in order for our entire facility to achieve net zero — through solar power, we produce all of the energy we need and, therefore, have eliminated carbon emissions in our electrical power usage.
Future Leaders Program — Much of our work is advanced each year by our Leopold Fellows, who are young adults seeking to launch careers in conservation. This twelve-month program integrates professional development experiences through actively managing land and interpreting the historic Leopold Shack and Farm for visitors. The program also follows a curriculum that focuses on skills for conservation leadership, including communications, natural history, non-profit management, modern conservation, and more. The program models how Aldo Leopold taught his graduate students — and children — who went on to become conservation leaders, too! If you are interested, please visit www.aldoleopold.org to learn how to apply!
Catalyzing a Land Ethic Movement — Complimenting all of these more practical efforts, we also open people’s hearts and minds to why we must care for all people and all places. This happens through our online programs and communications in which we profile current conservation voices, writers, and experts to help us re-interpret society’s ever-evolving and important relationship to the natural world. All of this content can be accessed through our monthly e-newsletter; sign up at www.aldoleopold.org
Can you share three lifestyle tweaks the general public can do to be more sustainable or help address the climate change challenge?
- Spend more time outdoors — whether in a big city or a big wilderness, time outside is life-affirming. More and more studies are documenting the physical and mental health benefits, and it is a critical step to becoming more aware of, and ultimately connected to, the plants and animals around us.
- Read more — of course, you can start with A Sand County Almanac! But there is so much to know about our world and our current situation. Read broadly from sources you know and trust and those new to you. Understanding diverse perspectives has never been more important to growing an ethic of care for all.
- Care More — sounds simple, right? But caring — about a butterfly, a plant, or your new neighbors — is a choice. Wallace Stegner once said that a land ethic is not a task but rather an action. This is powerful because we must constantly work to align our actions with our values. All important skills in life, like caring, require practice.
The youth-led climate strikes of September 2019 showed an impressive degree of activism and initiative by young people on behalf of climate change. This was great, and there is still plenty that needs to be done. In your opinion, what are 5 things parents should do to inspire the next generation to become engaged in sustainability and the environmental movement?
1 . Get kids outside: it doesn’t matter where you go or what you do with them; just being in nature will develop their comfort, curiosity, and, ultimately, their affection for the natural world. Pocket parks in the city, county parks, or National Parks are ALL capable of creating connections between people and the natural world. Chance encounters with bugs or bison offer teachable moments and are the basis for growing affection. Go to as many new places as you can, but go back to a few places over and over to see how they change with the seasons and over time.
2 . Outdoor “fun” offers challenges — be the model who embraces them. Mosquitoes, rain, cold, mud…while maybe these experiences weren’t fun at the time, they usually offer memories that get sweeter over time. Build your own ability to handle a wider range of conditions and share your “swagger” with the next generation.
3 . Learn with children: take a bird or plant identification book and learn right along with them. Be the expert, or let them be the expert. The important part is the process of demonstrating curiosity and the fun of learning about the world around us.
4 . Take action and call it out: talk openly about your buying choices and why. There is a dizzying array of choices, and almost none of them are perfect, yet all of them can be tied to your values and the basis of an interesting conversation about ethics. The important thing is to take action, no matter how small, and part of it is showing intentionality and sharing your own values of investing in our collective future.
5 . Engage and serve: I’m so fortunate that my vocation allows me to invest much of my time and energy into a land ethic movement. But we need bankers, lawyers, artists, and athletes who care about the environment. Find any/all the ways you can use your vocation to push for environmental good, and when you reach those limits, run for school board, town board, city council, or serve on a not-for-profit board. We need more and better leadership in all corners of our society. Get involved!
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?
The Aldo Leopold Foundation is a not-for-profit, so our business model is different from a for-profit business. But for any business that expects to be in business for decades or generations, sustainable practices absolutely intersect with financial stability. The best example for the foundation is the construction of the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center, a LEED Platinum Certified facility. As a result of its energy-saving design and efficient mechanical systems, it uses 80% less energy than a typical building of its size. And these savings go on year after year. This results in $15,000+ savings in operational costs each year, which are some of the hardest dollars to raise for not-for-profits. And our donors and supportive community made this happen!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I’ve been fortunate to have so much support from family, friends, mentors, and colleagues over the years. But none as important or inspirational as Nina Leopold Bradley. I arrived at Nina’s dining room table ready to start my conservation career as Nina, the daughter of Aldo and Estella Leopold, was readying for her second retirement. For the first twenty years of retirement, Nina and her husband Charlie led ecological research and restoration work that helped launch the Aldo Leopold Foundation. Then, in 1984, Nina and her siblings — all amazing conservationists and scientists — recognized that their father’s legacy was growing and more relevant than ever. They founded the Aldo Leopold Foundation and entrusted it with their family farm and now famous ‘Shack,’ which is the icon of his land ethic. and assigned the rights to their father’s published and unpublished writings to the foundation. I think it is important to point out that they gave “the farm” away — to all of us — to the world so that it could indeed be the wellspring of the conservation movement for future generations.
Nina was the warmest, most thoughtful, gracious individual I’ve ever met. She had this wealth of knowledge and experience but always made you feel like you had something important to share with or to do for the world. She is also the first person I have ever witnessed in such a multitude of roles: board member (i.e., boss), friend, scientist, spouse, mother, grandmother, sister, sage, mentor, …, and the list could go on. She had this amazing ability to embrace each of these roles but also not be defined by anyone but rather by the totality of her life and being.
Her patience, friendship, tutoring, mentorship, trust, and confidence gave me the opportunity, interest, and early ability to step into the role of executive director at the Leopold Foundation way before I had the experience or knowledge.
You are a person of great influence and doing some great things for the world! If you could inspire a movement that would bring the greatest amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
At the Leopold Foundation, we are trying to catalyze a global movement that sustains the health of our world, which our own existence depends on. Leopold captured it this way in the foreword of A Sand County Almanac, “When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” A Land Ethic starts with simple observations that lead to deep affection for the world around us, effectively transcending any singular environmental issue but necessary to address any and all environmental challenges. We cite a repeatable process Aldo Leopold used throughout his life to develop his own land ethic — observe, participate, and reflect.
In other words, we need a Land Ethic Movement for a society that collectively values and sustains the natural world and ourselves.
Do you have a favorite life lesson quote? Can you tell us how that was relevant to you in your own life?
I’m going to share two, first again: Leopold’s quote, “When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect”, because I believe if we truly acknowledge that we are part of the land community, not apart from it, that it would fundamentally reshape Western Society’s worldview.
But I also love Maya Angelou’s line, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I love these words because they remind us to practice extending love and respect to each other.
These two quotes affirm the critical importance of love and respect in growing healthy individuals and communities.
What is the best way for people to continue to follow your work online?
Visit www.aldoleopold.org and sign up for the Leopold Foundation’s e-newsletter, where we profile the land ethic through contemporary voices and efforts to grow an ethic of care for all people and places. We have virtual programs and an amazing lineup of speakers for Leopold Week, which occurs annually in the first week of March, where our guests will enrich and advance their land ethic. If you are a teacher or community organizer, we have many resources, written and video, to help you share Leopold’s legacy, writings, and the land ethic with your audiences.
I’d also recommend visiting the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center and the Leopold Shack and Farm National Historic Landmark, where you can learn about and see in practice the land ethic movement’s past, present, and future.
Finally, as a not-for-profit, all of our work is possible thanks to the generosity of our supportive community — so your donation supports the historic site, our land stewardship work, and the Fellowship Program, and connects you to all of our announcements and registrations for upcoming programming, but most importantly, your donation energizes the effort to elevate the need for an ethic of care. Please consider supporting a growing land ethic by making a donation at www.aldoleopold.org/donate
This was so inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Buddy Huffaker Of Aldo Leopold Foundation: 5 Things We Must Do To Inspire The Next Generation About… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.