Climate change is an unprecedented challenge to humankind. CO2 in the atmosphere is changing our planet, no matter what or who may be the cause. It is that simple. And there is no fixing it later, due to the long life of CO2 in the atmosphere and oceans. The world’s least prepared and most vulnerable are those that will be impacted the greatest. These are the same people Rotary has devoted its services to over the last century. Many years ago, an individual Rotary club saw a need and took action to begin the eradication of polio. The same grassroots effort is necessary to tackle climate change. We must act now to prevent it from getting even hotter, disrupting our weather and raising sea levels. Rotary can take a leadership role. If not Rotarians, then who? If not here, then where? If not right now, then when?

John is a business advisor and personal coach with eVo Associates in Mill Valley, California. Over four decades, he has worked with hundreds of companies and their management team, as well as thousands of team leaders and individual contributors. The focus of his work has been on enhancing team and individual performance, which equates to workplace equity and corporate sustainability.

John is a past president of the Rotary Club of San Francisco and is an active Climate Reality Project leader. His interest in the environment has been lifelong, following in the family footsteps of his great - great uncle, George Bird Grinnell, founder of the Audubon Society and father of Glacier National Park. From a young age, John was an advocate for conservation, recycling and composting.

As a result of his life-long interest in giving back, John’s special focus on the climate crisis has led to an active role in promoting education and action within the worldwide Rotary community. He is working with fellow Rotarians to build a network – the Rotary Climate Action Team (RCAT) Network – of clubs focused on taking action and sharing project results.  John speaks to the timely need for all of us to step up to address this existential crisis for our families, our communities and those who, by circumstance, are less fortunate.