MEET OUR FOUNDER
Shimon Schwarzschild founded Action for Nature in 1984 after a successful campaign to halt the decimation of songbirds in Assisi, Italy.
ACTION FOR NATURE FOUNDER,
Shimon Schwarzschild
Shimon Schwarzschild (December 19, 1925 – November 10, 2021), our co-founder, had a life filled with establishing and working for non-profit organizations to foster a better world.
Having escaped Nazi Germany as a child, Shimon always sought to improve the world and to right wrongs. A visionary and an activist, he led a very active life working for causes he believed in from saving the songbirds of Assisi to founding Action for Nature and co-founding the Native Yew Conservation Council, which advocated for the worldwide protection of wild yew trees as a source for the anti-cancer chemical Taxol. He served as the executive director of American Youth Hostels (now Hosteling International) and the Whale Center. He was a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and for 30 years did community work in San Francisco related to safety, bicycle issues, and the conservation of local parks.
Encouraged by the success of the Assisi Bird Campaign, Shimon, with Mimi Griffin-Jones, co-founded Assisi Nature Council/USA, which was later renamed Action For Nature. Believing that young people are the future of the world, the board focused on youth, publishing a book of stories of international young environmentalists.
Shimon then convinced the board to recognize other young activists with an annual award. Now, twenty years later, the International Young Eco-Hero Award program is a lasting tribute to Shimon’s visionary thinking, his love of nature, and his commitment to environmental advocacy.
Shimon remained engaged in board activities even after moving to New York. When visiting his daughters in California, he always tried to fit a board meeting into his schedule. We miss his energy, his enthusiasm, his wise advice, and his loving nature.
TRIBUTES
In New York, on his way home to the Bay Area after visiting Assisi, Italy, he shared with me his dream of saving the songbirds on Mt. Subasio which were being decimated by hunters. I was skeptical. Little did I know that it was that dream, coupled with his persistence and passion, that did save the songbirds and eventually resulted in the creation of Action for Nature. And that was Shimon, ever the cheerful optimist, ever the hard worker, ever the creator.
– Jean Barish
Shimon was a singularly accomplished gentleman. And both parts of that phrase are accurate: he was a man, and he was very gentle. His optimism was boundless; he brought out the positive in every situation. Time spent with Shimon felt like being wrapped up in a warm, wooly, white blanket.
– Tamsin Orion
Shimon & his daughter, Daria
Shimon & his wife, Naomi
In my 20 years with Shimon, he was a tireless ambassador for Action for Nature, carrying books and brochures with him to distribute to people he met. (Perhaps this weight-bearing exercise was partly responsible for his exceptional fitness into his 90’s). I appreciate, ever more deeply, Shimon’s vision and inspiration in creating Action for Nature, which is such a perfect convergence of all the things he cared about. It is a comfort to know that his legacy is alive and thriving and a delight to meet the new eco-heroes every year.
– Naomi Schechter Schwarzschild
In 1981, Shimon led an American Youth Hostel bicycle tour of China, the first such tour to be authorized by the People’s Republic of China. One of the participants, Marie McLoughlin, was already in Asia but her bicycle was in San Francisco. Shimon packed and delivered the bicycle to her in Hong Kong. “What trip leader would do that?” exclaims Marie. “Shimon held the group together. It was a great success and really special; Shimon was a great leader.” Although Shimon always seemed to be in a rush and short of time, he nevertheless left behind over 120 journals and some 40 large binders meticulously documenting his work.
– Beryl Kay
Adrienne Scroggie, Eco-Hero Winner & Shimon
When we first met Shimon we found him a very interesting man. His quiet courage, convictions, knowledge about the world, his kindness, and persuasive abilities had already done much to save the natural world. This natural world, he helped others to understand, was in danger. He influenced others to help preserve this world for all of humanity. We who were influenced positively by him were honored to know him.
– Alan and Adrienne Scroggie
Shimon & his daughter, Nomi
What can I say, Pop?
You’re sleeping with the fishes,
swimming in our hearts.
– Nomi Schwarzschild