Meet Michael (Sandy) Schachter
Michael’s friends often refer to him as Sandy Schachter, and even a casual acquaintance can tell within minutes of meeting him that Michael is passionate about all things environmental.
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He describes his concern for the environment as both personal and political, He and his wife, Melissa, have for more than 30 years lived on a family farm and woodlands in Craven County, enjoying their rural life. Watching the wild animals and birds, seeing the wild plants grow, and walking through the woods, gives Michael a sense of joy and a determination to protect this natural environment. Michael doesn’t just advocate for the environment, he also continuously has been an activist in the struggle for social and environmental justice since before the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963.
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Since his retirement from Coastal Carolina Community College, Michael has been able to increase his participation in organizations working for change and informing the public on the climate change crisis. He helped found the Carolina Nature Coalition based in New Bern, a group that has since its inception in 2013 been putting on monthly films, lectures and discussions of environmental issues affecting Eastern North Carolina.
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As the Political Committee Co-Chair for the Croatan Group Sierra Club since 2015, Michael has taken part in the monthly statewide conference calls and participated in the State Political Committee. The Croatan Political Committee interviewed and endorsed several candidates in the 2017 municipal elections and will be making plans for the upcoming 2018 elections.
In 2017 Michael organized two Sierra Club sponsored buses from Eastern Carolina to the People’s Climate March in Washington, DC, because of his belief that politics is more than just getting someone elected to office. It includes also political actions that bring important issues forward both for the public and the legislators. Most recently, Michael represented the NC Sierra Club Equity Committee at the NC Environmental Justice Summit.
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