Why we do what we do - the Father's Day edition

What are your hopes for your children's future? What sorts of expectations do your kids have for you? Who inspired you to take the path you chose to follow?  A few members of the Climate Solutions family have taken the time to share their thoughts with you this Father's Day. 

Lisa Adatto, Climate Solutions Board of Directors
Over 40 years ago, when I was a teenager, my father told me about climate change. At that time he called it "the greenhouse effect". I remember that we were standing in our dining room, and the sunlight was coming through the windows creating a dappling effect because of the trees outside. My father (who was a scientist at the University of Oregon) said that the findings would change our world and dominate our discussion. I was startled. My father was hugely confident, funny, and positive.  He was a comforting presence who knew the answers. "Come on, Dad" I said, "I can't believe it!" He assured me that he was serious. As a teenager, I was sure that the people in charge would take care of such an important problem. I have thought of that moment with my dad often. He has been gone now for 28 years. 

Dad, I miss you and wish I could talk to you about the important work that is being done at Climate Solutions.  

Love, Lisa

Jabe Blumenthal, Co-Chair, Climate Solutions Board of Directors

My kids are in that magical age range where they are old enough to do really fun and adventurous things yet young enough that they still enjoy doing those things with their parents.  Even cooler, they can go up to an adult idling their SUV at school pick-up and say “Excuse me, I have to live on the planet you leave me, I’m wondering if you could turn off your engine?”  without getting shot.  The adult can’t really do much but sheepishly comply (while I watch from a safe distance).  If only I could get them in front of the US House or Exxon Board room.

Clark Gilman, Harvesting Clean Energy Program Manager

We were three generations, huddled around an emergency room bed at Overlake Hospital last Saturday, each searching for something to say. My step-father had a stroke, my son was leaving to sail in the Atlantic, and I was left to reflect on our legacy and possibilities.

Jerry is 87. He was born in 1925. My son Nate is 27, he was born in 1985. Much will change during the 150 years or so of our three-generation span. No one in 1925 could have imagined the world we live in today, let alone the world of 2075. What they could have done, and more importantly, what we have an opportunity to do today is to consider the impacts of our choices.

I’m proud that my son is studying plastic pollution in our oceans, hopefully his generation will find ways to pick up what we created and left scattered across the planet. And, as we imagine and strive towards a future without fossil fuels, I will endeavor to work in terms of centuries rather than years or decades.

KC Golden, Policy Director 
From Dad, seriously, WTF is up with “Game Over”? at GRIP

Dad, OK, yeah, I get it. Jim Hansen is warning about “game over” for the right reason – to kick your sagging kiesters into gear. Word.

But listen, Pop, you don’t have a cane to lean on when you start croaking “game over.” It’s no game, and it is never over. Whatever you do now to improve the situation is crap I don’t have to shovel later. So quit crying in your beer and DO STUFF.

Ross Macfarlane, Sr. Advisor, Business Partnerships 
For me, the link between Father’s Day and climate solutions is very personal. Five years ago, I received a call that my dad was in a Portland hospital after suffering a sudden aneurysm. In an immediate priority “reboot” I cancelled several work trips and dropped out from the whirlwind of my law practice to spend the next ten days mostly by his bedside.

Dad was a pragmatic idealist with an artistic streak. A doctor and life-long rationalist, he was firmly committed to public health and  progress and radically impatient with what he saw as “fuzzy headed” denial of scientific truths. He and my mom taught me to care for the wonderful beauty of this region. He lived life on his own terms, and his sudden passing was exactly how he wanted to go.

For me, those ten days were a critical crossroads. Although he never regained consciousness, it provided me with a unique chance for an internal conversation about what I most admired about my dad, and what I could do to honor his memory and be true to my own responsibilities as a father. The week after his service, I called my law firm and told them that I needed to make a change and work directly on the issues that I cared about most. Two months later, I found my way to Climate Solutions. He never knew about this choice, and he would have made gentle jokes about my “tilting at windmills”, but I am sure he would have been proud.

Thanks, Dad.


Conner Sharpe, Director of Administration and Finance
My father is a pretty cool guy, and I often find myself quite proud to be his son.  He was a career military air traffic controller for most of his life and through our conversations on policy and politics, you can hear the influence of the military in his opinions and thought processes. He would classify himself as an Independent, which is fully accurate—well a more conservative Independent, really. He has never been a climate denier, but climate change seems more a scientific fascination to him, than a primary issue. 

That said, he gets completely jazzed by the innovation and creativity that comes out of the clean economy sector. Evolving technologies such as the ever improving solar tech, the research on biofuels and the evolution of the car are things we can discuss for hours. Particularly cars. We are car people. Yes, I said we. The Sharpe family loves themselves some cars. We love driving, we love road trips, we love new innovations in cars and we love the design involved. 

For me, my father and my family is an important reminder that there are many ways to have discussions on global warming and the resultant climate change. We don’t need to be fundamentalist in our approach to change, we need to meet people where they are. My father has taught me to listen carefully to what interests an individual and start there. The world of ending global warming and developing the clean energy technologies and economy provide us thousands of ways to talk about a cleaner, cooler future.