Editor's note: Patrick Diehl, MEC's associate director, recently left the organization after helping turn what was a five-person organization with a $250,000 annual budget when he arrived in 1995 into a 14-person organization with a $1.4 million annual budget. We asked him to reflect on the experience and on the future of Michigan's environmental community.

How did you come to work at MEC?

I was lucky. I was working at Clean Water Action in 1996. At the time, MEC was partnering with state government and Printing Industries of Michigan on a pollution prevention project targeting lithographic printers. Carol Misseldine, MEC's director at the time, brought me over to MEC to help with that project and to handle administrative tasks so she could have time to work on sustainability issues. I was also supposed to provide support to Julie Stoneman, who was launching MEC's Land Stewardship Initiative. It was pretty cool to suddenly find myself working alongside some of the most knowledgeable and respected environmental policy experts in the state at a time when MEC was just becoming known as the environmental organization in Michigan.

Now that you've spent 10 years there, how does MEC differ from what you saw then?

I've always had a high opinion of MEC and that certainly hasn't changed. It's stronger than ever financially, thanks to Lana Pollack, Andy Draheim, Brianna Gerard, accountant Paul Yeager and some dedicated board members and contributors. It's respected in and outside of the environmental community, thanks to James Clift and the policy people. The caliber and dedication of everyone who works there are amazing. MEC's always been good at bringing people together to work collaboratively. Julie Stoneman did it first when she brought people together to start talking about land use reform at a time when few people even knew what those words meant, and the campaigns and collaborative efforts just keep growing. MEC might not emphasize helping an individual member group as much as in the "old days," but now it focuses on how it can help the community as a whole.

What overall observations do you have to make about the experience personally and professionally?

There are things I would have done differently or would have liked to see done differently, but there are things I never would have thought of or learned or seen were it not for others. I think I'm more patient and tolerant and sensitive to the different perceptions of others than I was 10 years ago, but also perhaps less willing to compromise on some things. I don't know if this is good or bad. I've met and worked with some truly amazing people, and at the end of the day I can look in the mirror and say I spent my time working on something much more important than just accumulating money or possessions. All in all, it's been a fantastic experience.

What can you say about the state and health of Michigan's environmental community?

In some ways I think the community is stronger and healthier and more sophisticated than ever, but there are some chasms that need to be bridged, some differing realities. I've always found it a little odd that a community comprised of such disparate elements and which works on such complex issues strives for absolute consensus and then fights with itself when complete agreement is not achieved. I've learned that personal compromise is always tough, but political compromise is a necessity when developing public policy. I wonder how much healthier and more effective we would be if there were less focus on taking credit and placing blame. What we really need are more young people, more people of color, more money and more effective messages.

Are you hopeful or pessimistic about Michigan's environmental future and why?

Both. I'm encouraged by the dedication of so many talented environmental advocates and professionals, and it's nice to see polling and focus groups that reveal the connection people feel to our Great Lakes, our forests, our farmland and open space, our lakes and rivers. I'm encouraged when I see the increased sophistication of environmentalists paying attention to message and audience, to legislative organizing, to working together with non-traditional allies and when I see young people like my 15-year-old daughter and her peers taking an interest in environmental issues.

It remains a challenge to tap into the average person's latent commitment to environmental protection and to remember that most people spend just five minutes per week thinking about the issues that we focus on for at least eight hours of every day of every week. The need for the environmental community to include more people who aren't like us-middle-aged white people-is as strong today as it was 10 years ago, and this is a little discouraging. And in terms of writing and enforcing state environmental and public health laws, the people with the most money to spend on political campaigns still have the loudest voices. But I think environmentalists are getting much better at making the best use of what we have and at figuring out new ways to achieve our goals.

Former colleagues remember Pat

"Pat joined MEC's staff in the early 1990s at a time when the organization was severely constrained in terms of cash flow and staff. Pat's work ethic, attention to detail and commitment to environmental protection, particularly in terms of highlighting the connection between a healthy environment and children's health, helped to attract the grant dollars we needed to build the organization. He was also really good at making us laugh! I hope he continues to bring his considerable skills, insight and ready wit to bear on behalf of protecting the endangered life support systems of this planet."

-Carol Misseldine, MEC Executive Director 1992-1996

"Pat put the polish on so much of MEC's work, and his writing skills were invaluable to the Land Stewardship program. Although often behind the scenes, he deserves just as much recognition for the successes of MEC as do the staff who have more public roles. He also has a great sense of humor and is a wonderful colleague and a true-blue friend."

-Julie Stoneman
MEC Land Programs Director 1994-2000