ABOUT
George Schuler is more than just a mild-mannered water conservation specialist. In truth, he is more aptly described as a combination peacemaker, innovator, analyst, psychologist, preacher, and technologist. This unique combination of skills has served him well at The Nature Conservancy in its mission to convince disparate stakeholders to work together towards sustainability.
CHILDHOOD INFLUENCES
Schuler’s interest in nature began at an early age, thanks in part to a subscription to a magazine clearly for grown-ups. “It was a nature magazine, but not a kid’s one,” he explained. “And I remember looking at the pictures and being fascinated.”
Schuler grew up on a farm in rural Ohio, his parents seeking refuge from inner-city life. Although they weren’t farmers, they quickly adapted to life in a small town, meeting and working with their neighbors. “I've had this orientation towards community-building because it was how my family survived. I still use the lessons I learned as a farm boy in almost every situation.”
COLLEGE YEARS
George received his BS in Environmental Science from Allegheny College in Meadville, PA. In one of his classes, every week they would discuss news related to the environment and dissect it from all angles. “This helped me see the bigger picture of a very specific story, be it pollution in the city or diamond mining in South Africa.”
Schuler enjoyed dreaming up new ways to better understand sustainable agriculture and its impact on the planet. In one of his first papers published as an undergrad, Schuler invented a piece of scientific equipment to study microscopic pieces of roots. “I essentially was locked in a lab with an idea, a goal, and a bunch of scrap parts like plastic tubes, fish tank aerators, and plastic buckets.”
Schuler continued his higher education at Yale University where he attended the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and received his Master’s.
“It was a time for me to experiment, delve into new subjects or ideas and not worry about failing. I took a systems analysis class that was way over my head, but it seemed useful, interesting, and forward-thinking,” he recalled.
EARLY CAREER
After graduation, Schuler came to New York to join The Nature Conservancy. “Finding a job that allowed me to blend creative problem-solving with community and science was the proverbial Holy Grail for me,” he remarked.
When Schuler arrived, he was given some basic rules: don’t spend any money and don’t get the group in trouble. Immediately, he quite literally immersed himself in his conservation efforts.
“I remember going to state prison property in the middle of winter and crawling over the frozen section of river to get a water sample. Then, I would drive two hours to a government lab where I could run the sample myself. There really was no one else to do it other than me,” he said.
Schuler was also embedded in local communities, where he would go to board or city council meetings to explain the benefits of conservation. He recalls one meeting where the room was packed with both sides of a contentious local environmental issue.
After hours of public comment, they turned to Schuler and asked what he had to say. As he walked to the podium, he had a transformation. “I remember a hostile room and using some humor but also using some science. In the end, I was able to convince both sides to continue their discussion and listen to what the other had to say.”
MAJOR PROJECTS
For over a decade, George has served as lead water resource scientist and policy analyst for The Nature Conservancy. Successes include authoring key parts of New York’s 2011 Water Resource Management Act (WRMA) and the development of the New York Streamflow Estimation Tool, a desktop software program that enables water users and state regulators to estimate daily streamflow at locations where there is no gage and offers a comprehensive analysis of the state’s water levels.
WATER FOR TOMORROW
Schuler’s latest endeavor is Water for Tomorrow, which aims to change the way communities manage water in New York State by fostering collective dialogue and understanding. This includes not only incubation and training programs and an online community platform, but also a board game.
“The idea behind the game was how do you build some awareness and understanding of the issues and not make it about us versus them,” he explained. In the game, players take on the characters of various stakeholders, such as the mayor, the director of the water utility, and the CEO of a water bottling company, and try to solve real-world water events together.
“We’ve used the game in training sessions as well as in communities. As they play the game, they have fun trying to solve problems and then we talk about really important local issues. It’s a way to make it less emotionally fraught,” he added.
According to Schuler, it’s been a very natural transition from crawling on ice to inventing games. “I used to be very focused on science, data, and understanding the world. Now I’m at the point in my career where it's really about how I empower people, communities, and businesses to make decisions that will positively impact the planet.”