Staff Spotlight: Stephen Knight

Stephen Knight, Political Director

Name:  Stephen Knight

Hometown: San Francisco

Profession/Job Description: Political Director

How long have you worked for Save The Bay?  Five years

What has been your favorite Save The Bay event or experience?
I enjoy representing Save The Bay in the community – so many people know about us, and feel a part of our organization and our history.

What is the best thing about working with Save The Bay?
Getting to know the geography of the Bay Area so much better, from the many wonderful open space wetland areas in Oakland and the Peninsula to the view from the top of San Jose’s towering City Hall. Even as a native, there are so many aspects to the Bay and the Bay Area that I am learning about through Save The Bay.

What other activities or hobbies do you enjoy?
I like to play games with my kids.

Who is your environmental hero?
Honestly, Save The Bay’s founders. We stand on the shoulders of giants – regular citizens who wouldn’t stand for the casually outrageous destruction of San Francisco Bay that was the order of the day into the 1960s. They changed the history of their cities, of the Bay Area – really of the nation – by founding a grassroots environmental organization and mobilizing mass numbers of people who cared about the Bay but didn’t have an outlet to express their concern. And they did it all long before the first Earth Day, before there was any Clean Water Act or Environmental Protection Agency – organizing without a net! It’s quite a legacy to live up to in this new, different era of sophisticated corporate lobbying and widespread public cynicism.

What is one thing you do each day to protect the environment?
Modeling good behavior for my kids, because if the next generation doesn’t get it we’re all in a lot of trouble: things like owning one car and trying not to use it a lot, being aware and thoughtful about our diet, as well as about general consumption and packaging – some of the many of routine daily activities that add up to massive environmental impact when multiplied by millions or even billions.

What is your favorite thing about the San Francisco Bay Area?
The fog.