This interview was recorded for my series of articles, “Moms Who Make a Difference,” about women who have children and also work to better their communities.
I’ve spoken to Sierra Ryan a few times in her capacity as Water Resources Manager for Santa Cruz County, but this interview took us into new territory. What struck me is that Sierra has been able to find a way to talk about the very difficult problems she faces at her day job in balance with the very difficult forever job of raising a child into this uncertain world. She projects a clear-eyed view of our future while also speaking enthusiastically about raising a new human being who is going to inherit this world and all of our problems. I really felt heartened by this interview—so many of the smart, well-meaning people I know go straight to despair and gloom when they talk about climate change. But Sierra seems to be in total mom mode all the time!
Let me explain. Parents know that when you’re raising a child, you can’t spend all your time thinking about how they’ll become a worthless adult so there’s no point to raising them well. No matter how difficult our children may be at two or three, we remain optimistic and focused on a bright future. But often when we’re talking about our stewardship of this earth, we fall into that negativity trap. Sierra doesn’t. She works to make sure that we have enough water for homes, businesses, agriculture, and nature in Santa Cruz, and that’s no small job. But she does it with the optimism of a mom, talking about how her family’s many generations in Santa Cruz have weathered all sorts of change. Her daughter will face a place much different from the one that Sierra grew up in, but hopefully it will be just as vibrant. Sierra’s working hard to make sure that vision comes true.
Listen in.
For more information:
- Read the article in Growing Up in Santa Cruz—COMING SOON
- Listen to an in-depth interview about water issues in Santa Cruz