Volunteer opportunities

How will you get started as a volunteer? Virtually everything the Sierra Club does is done largely or entirely by volunteers.

Some volunteers pick a cause that they care about and offer to do whatever is needed to advance it. Some pick a type of activity:

do you want to do something valuable but mindless, or are you looking for challenge;
do you want to do something sociable, or do you prefer working mostly alone;
should it be a regular commitment, or just once in a while?

One of the keys to the Club's success is that different volunteers bring such different aptitudes and preferences.

Almost every Yodeler article contains a volunteer opportunity. Every type of Sierra Club event and activity is led by volunteers, and experienced volunteers are always helping new folks get started. The following listings are just a tiny sampling of the available opportunities.

So call a name that you see in this Yodeler, or if you're not sure who to call, call Joanne Drabek at the Chapter Office at (510) 848-0800, ext. 315, or email joanne -at- sfbaysc.org

We'll welcome you and try to help you find the volunteer opportunity that suits you best.

Public Lands Day tablers

Volunteers wanted in Marin for Sep. 23 - 24, and 30, from 10 am to 3 pm, to hand out information in front of the Bear Valley visitor center at Point Reyes National Seashore. For more information contact Gordon at (415)663-1881.

Help sell Sierra Club Calendars

Starting in September the Chapter Office will be selling 2007 Sierra Club Calendars. Sales of the 2006 calendar netted $4,000 for the Chapter budget. To make this year's sales even stronger, we need your help.

Marketing manager: find new ways to promote and sell Sierra Club calendars, and develop a business-customer base. Start as soon as possible.

Shipping clerks: able-bodied people with your own motor vehicle to take packages (4 - 20 per week, weighing 1 - 20 pounds each) to Post Office and UPS store once a week, from September through mid-December.

To volunteer or get more information, call Joanne Drabek, (510)848-0800, ext. 315.

Plan to support the Sierra Club by ordering your 2007 Sierra Club Calendars from the San Francisco Bay Chapter. Calendars will be available September through mid-December. See back page of this Yodeler for order form with early-bird rates.

Mailing coordinator

Every three weeks or so the Chapter Office sends a mailing to newly joined Chapter members. We need a volunteer who can coordinate this mailing, including sorting it according to picky Post Office regulations and delivering it to the Post Office. You must be attentive to detail, have a car, and be able to lift a 25-pound mail sack. To volunteer, call Joanne Drabek at (510)848-0800, ext. 315.

Energy Committee

The Bay Chapter Energy Committee needs volunteers to help us keep abreast of energy issues affecting the Bay Area and to work with other Sierra Club entities to encourage renewable energy and energy conservation. Current needs include:

following San Francisco's progress in implementing tidal- and wave-energy technology;
implementing a plan to educate local communities about energy efficiency and conservation;
exploring ways locally to move towards sustainability and to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

We meet once a month, usually on the fourth Wednesday (see the chapter calendar or visit sfbayenergy.org

for exact times/places), to discuss these and other local energy issues, and to hear presentations from energy experts. Experience in the energy field is helpful, but more important is an interest in learning the details of specific technologies and legislation. For more information, contact committee chairs Doug Beach (San Francisco/Marin Counties) at (415)608-1439 or email dbeach7 -at- mac.com or Tom Roberts (Alameda/Contra Costa Counties) at (415) 203-2781 or email tc.roberts -at- mindspring.com

Alaska volunteers needed!

The Bush administration is attacking the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the western North Slope, and the Tongass National Forest all at once. Help the Sierra Club's Alaska Task Force and the Alaska Coalition defend Alaska's unique lands! To volunteer, contact Vicky Hoover, Sierra Club Alaska Task Force, at (415)977-5527 or email vicky.hoover -at- sierraclub.org

Retired? Want a challenge?

Volunteer at the Club's national headquarters in downtown San Francisco (one block from BART and Muni); contribute your experience to help us come to grips with the environmental problems of the next century. You'll meet new people with similar interests; have access to computers, the Internet, and one of the best environmental libraries in the country; and expand your own interests while sharing your time and skills. Experience is useful in just about any field. We can use skills at translating from English into a wide range of languages. In addition, we need a volunteer to help with administrative support including filing, copying, and some light correspondence and Internet searches. For details, call Michele Perrault at (415)977-5670.

Brighten a child's life (and yours!)

Have you ever seen a child's face light up during their first real experience with nature? Join the Club's Inner City Outings Program and open new eyes to the wonder of day-hiking, backpacking, and car-camping. ICO provides outdoor experiences for those who otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity. Diverse volunteer opportunities exist throughout the year. Most needed are volunteers interested in mid-week day hikes. No prior experience is necessary, but a love of the outdoors and comfort with children are highly recommended. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org/ico/sfbaychapter/index.html or contact Sadie Rabe at (925)768-2242 or email sadierabe -at- yahoo.com

Outings Office assistant

Every month Sierra Club's Outings Department in downtown San Francisco receives hundreds of requests for information. We need a few volunteers for about three or four hours every couple of weeks to help mail out responses. The hours can be any time between 9 am and 5 pm, Mon. - Fri. To help, call our volunteer coordinator at (415)977-5686.