A Tribute
to our Founder
When Sari Carp moved to the Shenandoah Valley in 2015, neither she nor her clowder of 15 Israeli rescue cats had a clear plan for the future. Sari considered herself “a refugee from academia”; she held a Ph.D. in Behavioral Finance from New York University and had taught in multiple universities, including in Norway and Israel. But she hadn’t felt fulfilled. In Virginia, she met friends (and future Sustainability Matters co-founders) Amanda Scheetz and Paula Brownlee through a shared love of gardening and native plants. Sari realized her true passion in life was protecting and restoring the environment for the benefit of humans, animals, and all living creatures. And Sustainability Matters was born.
Moved by our community’s enthusiasm for Sustainability Matters’ early workshops and community events, Sari quickly became a full-time volunteer, working over 100 hours each week. As we grew and began receiving grants, Sari became our Executive Director and first paid employee. Outgoing and charismatic, Sari saw everyone she met – whether they were a fifth-generation farmer; a retired transplant from Washington, D.C.; a landfill manager; or a high school student – as someone she could learn from and transform into an ally for the environment. Known for her 3am emails and hours-long phone conversations, Sari had a contagious enthusiasm that drew together a diverse group of partners, volunteers, and supporters. Her creativity and intellectual curiosity led to a whirlwind of plans and ideas, ranging from turning landfills into native flower meadows to hosting a pandemic fundraiser with potato chips and wine pairings.
When Sari was unexpectedly diagnosed with stage four gallbladder cancer in the summer of 2023, her two biggest priorities were ensuring that her rescue animals be cared for and that Sustainability Matters continue on. She considered our educational work to be “much more meaningful than anything else I have ever done” and in the previous year had increasingly steered the organization to reach beyond the choir and make the conservation field more inclusive. She died peacefully on August 4, 2023, surrounded by loving friends and with her beloved cat Haym purring by her side. All of us at Sustainability Matters continue to be inspired by Sari’s passion and are honored to carry on the work she was instrumental in launching.
