For the last 14 years, Glen Besa has been working to protect the environment as director of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Issue after issue, he has led the club’s more than 15,000 Virginia members and supporters in protecting and improving air and water quality, advancing clean and renewable energy sources, understanding climate change and holding politicians accountable on decisions impacting the environment.

“Most everyone cares about the environment, but the level of intensity is not what it should be until there is an environmental disaster — like the coal ash spill in the Dan River (near Eden, N.C.) or the lead in the Flint, Mich., water system,” Mr. Besa says.

He notes that stronger democratic institutions and improved public education can lead to greater environmental protection. On May 27, Mr. Besa will retire from the Sierra Club staff. He turns over the reins to Kate Addleson, the incoming Virginia Chapter director.

People credit Mr. Besa with making the state’s environmental movement more inclusive by focusing on issues of environmental justice.

“Communities of color generally experience greater exposure to pollution and the impacts of climate change as a result of the institutional racism in our society,” he says. “Organizations like the Sierra Club are trying harder to be better allies in the fight for environmental justice.”

According to a Sierra Club report on state air quality, Richmond continually ranks among Virginia jurisdictions with the poorest air quality, and “the majority of the pollutants emitted into Richmond’s air are potent lung irritants, including ammonia, hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid.

“Exposure to these pollutants explains in part why the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ranks Richmond among the worst cities for asthma in the United States,” the report states.

Mr. Besa has remained a fearless advocate for better air quality and a thorn in the side of big polluters, while contributing to the development of solutions.

“Virginia and the United States need to move aggressively to invest in efficient solar and wind power to address climate change,” Mr. Besa says, adding that President Obama has been a “real leader” in this area.

“These technologies create jobs that can’t be exported. And because there are no fuel costs with these technologies, the money that flows elsewhere for coal, oil and gas would instead go into good paying jobs right here in our own communities.”

Mr. Besa will continue with the Sierra Club as he began nearly 30 years ago — as a volunteer. And in retirement, he plans to spend a lot more time with his major love — Mother Nature.

A close-up of this week’s Personality, a real “Mr. Clean,” Glen Besa:

Date and place of birth: May 30, in Newport, R.I., where my dad was stationed while in the Navy.

Current residence: Meadowbrook in North Chesterfield County.

Alma maters: Bachelor’s degree in philosophy, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, 1995; J.D., University of Baltimore School of Law, 1999.

Family: Wife, Tyla Matteson.

Purpose of Sierra Club of Virginia: Our mission is to explore, enjoy and protect the planet; to practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources; to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out those objectives.

Annual budget: $875,000.

Number of staff: 11.

Number of members in Richmond: More than 1,000 members and supporters in Metro Richmond.

My job as director: Fight for environmental justice to protect people and nature from pollution and to hold polluters and their allied public officials accountable.

Why I got involved in environmental issues: The first big issue I got involved in was a proposed road that would have harmed existing neighborhoods in the community of Catonsville in Baltimore County, Md., where I went to college. I learned that when citizens band together, we can win, and we did stop that road. That experience in my early 20s influenced my environmental activism for the rest of my life.

Future of environmental movement in Virginia: Virginia has a history of lax environmental protection. The same aristocracy in Virginia that has slowed progress on race issues interferes with progress on environmental protections as well. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The arc of the moral universe is long and it bends toward justice.” That is equally true for environmental justice, and our job is to keep bending that arc.

Number of partner organizations: In our climate change work, our partner groups exceed 20.

Biggest success: Working with the Mattaponi Indian Tribe and others to stop the City of Newport News from building a destructive and unnecessary reservoir that would have harmed the Mattaponi River and inundated lands that are sacred to the Tribe. Working together, it took us more than 13 years to defeat this project. Only two or three politicians were ever on our side. Democratic and Republican governors supported this project until a federal judge ruled in our favor and the City of Newport News finally abandoned the project.

Biggest regret: Losing the fight against Dominion’s Wise County coal fired power plant, one of the last coal plants built in the United States.

Impact on Virginia if nothing is done: Powerful corporate and moneyed interests will continue to advance their interests over the public’s, which harms both our democracy and our environment. Importance of clean air: Richmond and Hopewell have some of the most toxic air in Virginia and the state DEQ is doing too little to clean it up. And with climate change, hotter summers make our air pollution worse. Richmond is ranked among the worst cities for childhood asthma as a result.

Importance of clean water: Flint, Mich., is a frightening example of the consequences of water pollution. In Richmond, the Sierra Club is working with United Parents Against Lead to prevent such tragedies here. Clean water and clean air are basic human rights.

Participation levels of African-Americans: The American environmental movement has traditionally been white and middle class. Acknowledgement of institutional and environmental racism and efforts to address these injustices by groups like the Sierra Club are starting to change that. But we need to do more.

Level of concern among African-Americans about the environment: Public opinion polls typically show African-Americans care as much and generally more than the general public about climate change and pollution.

Role of Sierra Club in environmental justice issues: The Sierra Club has recently prioritized addressing diversity, equity and inclusion within the club. It is a national and Virginia Chapter priority. That is manifested in our work for voting rights, redistricting and campaign finance reform as well as in our environmental work on toxic air pollution.

Level of government support for Sierra Club positions at local and state levels: Generally, the same elected officials who oppose democratic reforms also oppose environmental reforms. However, because big corporate polluters give equally to Democrats and Republicans, I’d say our support at the state level is not what it should be.

Concern about climate change in General Assembly is: Acknowledgement of climate change as a concern divides along party lines with Republicans denying it and Democrats admitting it. But when it comes to taking action, too many Democrats and Republicans are deferential to corporations because of all the money they give to both parties.

What needs to be done to expand use of alternative energy sources: We need to eliminate the market barriers to efficiency, solar and wind, and remove the incentives we give to fossil fuels. Let me share two examples, one good, one bad. Gov. Terry McAuliffe, to his credit, just ended the tax credit the state has granted for decades to the coal industry. On the other hand, the governor sided with the Virginia Homebuilders Association to weaken building code standards for new homes that would have required more insulation and the testing of new heating and air conditioning systems before a home is sold. One step forward, one step back.

Role of schools on environmental issues: Learning the facts about the environment is important, but teaching critical thinking, civic engagement and good citizenship are important, too. Students need to grow up to be voters who hold public officials accountable and fully engage in our democracy.

My hero on the environment and why: Everyone who ever stood up to authority to fight for justice. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. are my personal heroes.

My advice to young people who have an interest in the environment: Bring to your interest in the environment a passion for justice.

How I unwind: Generally, I don’t unwind, but I get recharged by taking a hike in the woods.

I place top value on: Honesty, integrity and a passion for justice.

Best late-night snack: Coffee ice cream right out of the container, to my wife’s dismay.

Prized possession: My good health and high energy level.

Three words that best describe me: Intense, hard-working and enthusiastic.

No one knows that: I am really an introvert.

Persons who influenced me the most: My parents, who taught me empathy; my freshman philosophy professor, Tom Benson, who taught me how to think critically about ethics; and my wife, Tyla Matteson, who struggles daily to teach me patience.

If I had more time, I would: Take more walks in the woods and more paddles on our rivers, which is exactly what I intend to do upon my retirement.

Book that influenced me the most: “The Moral Rules” by Bernard Gert.

What I’m reading now: A biography of Harriet Tubman, “Bound for the Promise Land,” by Kate Clifford Larson. It will be great to see Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill.