SB PEOPLE | GIVING BACK
ECO WARRIOR strives to brighten the future for generations to come with Global Green USA
Diane Meyer Simon
Growing up in a small Amish community in Indiana, Diane Meyer Simon “learned to love the stunning beauty of the environment,” and “fell in love with the Earth, it’s life, and it’s living systems,” she says. She has since dedicated her life to shifting global values to secure the safety of the environment for future generations. The political turmoil of 1968 also permanently shaped her commitment to humane politics and launched Simon into the realm of public service. After completing her undergraduate degree at Butler University in Indiana, she operated in almost every aspect of the U.S. Senate’s work as a staffer, administrator, and strategist, and organized countless fund-raisers for state and national democratic candidates. Widely recognized for her efforts in Indiana—she was named Indianapolis Woman of the Year in 1985—Simon moved to Montecito in 1989. Shortly after, as president of environmental advocacy group Global Green USA, Simon would draw from her political experience to help spearhead GGUSA and further the vision of its parent organization, Green Cross International. Simon founded GGUSA in 1993 following a meeting with Green Cross International president and former Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. Gorbachev modeled GCI after the International Committee of the Red Cross with the intent of unifying international environmental concerns and providing relief to areas facing ecological trouble. Months after founding the organization, Gorbachev personally elected Simon as head of the U.S. affiliate, also making her an honorary board member of GCI. Since then, Simon has committed herself to molding a message of international environmental responsibility for an American audience. GGUSA has become a national leader in advocating smart solutions to global warming and educates millions of people about climate-friendly solutions through programs like its Red Carpet/Green Cars Oscars campaign, which promotes conscientious modes of transportation by shuttling celebrities to award shows in hybrid vehicles. For nearly 20 years, the organization has helped shape the sustainability movement through green building practices for affordable housing, schools, and communities that will ultimately save money, improve health, and create jobs. It also works in a variety of other areas, from policy activism—supporting legislation that will improve energy efficiency and disarmament—to awarding grants that support green community projects. Through her efforts at GGUSA and GCI, Simon is working to fulfill her dream of “a United Nations for the planet, in which all countries band together to establish laws and rules for our planet to keep it clean and healthy,” she says. There are currently 46 Green Cross affiliate countries. While it is difficult for Simon to single out any of the many causes dear to her, a recent triumph can be seen in the eco-rebuilding of sustainable apartments, condominiums, and a community center in an area of the lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans that was demolished in Hurricane Katrina. Recently, due to health concerns, Simon has had to greatly reduce her commitments to focus her energy on her passion for environmental and animal protection. Ultimately, she believes, “we must learn to lighten the human load, especially the U.S. load, on the earth’s resources.” –CHARLOTTE BRYANT
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