Meet Vince Meldrum of Earth Force

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vince Meldrum.

Hi Vince, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Like many people who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s, my father worked in manufacturing. In my case, my dad was a steelworker in Central Utah. I grew up with the mindset that the entire world existed in Utah Valley. It wasn’t until I reached high school that I made friends who had plans to go to school that I began to realize that there was a world to explore and I could actually find work that didn’t require getting up at 5:00 AM (an essential feature in my 15-year-old mind).

Once that door was open, I knew I was bound for college. It was when I was in college (and frankly struggling with being a blue-collar kid in a white-collar world) that my dad said something to me that would stay with me to this day.

One day he took me aside to say he had worked in the steel mill for 35 years and hated every minute of it. That was a surprise. After all, he had risen to the upper echelon of local management at that point. He told me to “find work that you love, regardless of what it pays.” I have lived by that motto ever since.

So, now I do what I love. I create opportunities for young people to be civically engaged in their communities. We literally help young people become citizens by guiding them to work with local elected officials to solve the environmental problems in their community. And, I love it!

Just a few weeks ago I got an email from one of our former students that reminded me of why I do this work. She said, “I am writing to extend my gratitude to the entire Earth Force organization. To say Earth Force changed my life is an understatement. As a misunderstood child with a learning disability, Earth Force was my escape, a place where my energy and passion were not only tolerated but celebrated. Your organization changed my life as it has changed so many others. I cannot thank you enough for all the work that you do.”

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t believe that anyone has a smooth road. For me, the biggest bumps in the road have been the people I have lost along the way. My father died within a year of retiring at 57, my mother died a few years later. Not too long afterward we lost two of our siblings to the ravages of drug abuse that plague community across our country. They say losing a parent cuts a string to your past. I can tell you losing 4 members of your family of 7 can leave you feeling untethered from your history. I am sad that my own child will never know her grandparents and never feel that connection to our past that I found so fascinating.

At the same time, my family left me a number of gifts that have helped me through these difficult times. I have my mother’s sense of humor, my father’s dogged determination, and incredible memories of five teenage boys making mayhem. While the bumps forged who I am, the family ties provided the steel that makes up my person.

We’ve been impressed with Earth Force, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Earth Force exists to increase youth participation in environmental decision-making. We are known for our innovative tools that integrate the civic experience into environmental exploration and our top-quality professional development for formal and informal educators.

What makes us different from our competitors are our outcomes. Educators using our process have guided students as they have changed statewide indoor air quality regulations in Virginia, changed recycling policies in Missouri, and improved community resilience to wildfires in Estes Park. People know Earth Force by the amazing power of young people that is unlocked when adults use our process.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I haven’t ever really thought in terms of luck. If you think of luck as “finding an opportunity” when it is really needed, then we have been very lucky.

That said, I think those opportunities have been as much about listening to what is going on around us and being willing to take an opportunity when it presents itself. That being said, there are plenty of opportunities we tried to make happen that didn’t and those that we wanted to happen, but were lucky they didn’t.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.earthforce.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthforce/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/earthforceinc
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/earthforce