Last month we introduced you to Sia Gaind, one of our new Campaign Interns. This week we’d love to introduce your to Seth Gebauer, our intern in the Tacoma area! Read on to learn more about him.

Share a little about your story!

I grew up in rural Klamath Falls, Oregon and moved to Tacoma for college, where I attend Pacific Lutheran University. I’m studying Political Science, Economics, and Environmental Studies, but my passion lies in the intersections between environmental policy, urban planning, and questions of scale.

Why do you believe in Futurewise’s work? Why do you think what we do is important?

Futurewise’s approach is really holistic – recognizing how land use, transportation, and housing policy overlap and each contribute to a more sustainable and livable Washington is an important and effective approach to the challenges that the state is facing today. I’m also excited to work at the state level – there are many challenges that we can’t solve at solely the municipal level.

Share a little bit about the work you do outside of Futurewise.

I’m a part of the Ultimate Frisbee team here at PLU, which is a ton of fun. I really enjoy getting outdoors and am a founding member of our birding club on campus as well as an Outdoor Rec trip leader. My passion for the environment and our public lands has led me to conservation corps and trail work the past few summers, which is both a lot of fun and a good break from my laptop screen which I seem to be glued to during the school year.

What’s your favorite thing about living in Washington?

I absolutely love the ecological diversity – Washington seems to have it all – temperate rainforests, rugged coastline, variegated and interlinked wetland systems, rich forests and alpine meadows, snowy and jagged peaks, high desert and sagebrush steppe, and the Palouse grasslands in the east.

If you could snap your fingers and fix one issue facing our state, what would it be?

The climate crisis. While not unique to Washington state, this issue is absolutely existential for us – but solving it will bring about other positive changes: a more inclusive transportation system, more just and humane food networks, and livable, equitable communities.

Once again, we are so excited to have Seth join our team through the upcoming legislative session, and if you want to say hello or learn how to get involved with Seth, you can always email him at seth@futurewise.org.