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.

Help at the Solano Stroll

Sunday, September 9; shifts from 8:30 am (setting up) till 5 pm (cleaning up).

Have fun staffing the Sierra Club table at the Solano Stroll. You'll share information about individuals reducing their CO₂ emissions and the current status of the Albany waterfront development (we'll have printed hand-outs), and you'll sell Sierra Club Calendars.

To ask questions or volunteer, please contact Joanne at (510)848-0800, ext. 315, or email joanne -at- sfbaysc.org

Sierra Club Calendar sales team

Starting Tue., Sep. 4, the Chapter Office will be selling 2008 Sierra Club Calendars. In 2006 we netted $4,000 to support Chapter conservation efforts. To make this year's sales even stronger we need your help filling the following volunteer positions.

• Marketing manager. We need a sales-oriented volunteer with creative ideas to find new ways to promote and sell the Sierra Club calendars, and to develop a base of business customers. We need you right away through October.
• Project coordinator. Manage the entire sales process, overseeing each step from receiving orders to shipping the calendars. You need to be available September through December, weekly during business hours. You should be detailed-oriented, well-organized, and self-motivated, with good leadership skills.
• Regional-group reps. Help your regional group raise money by selling calendars at local meetings and events, from September through December.
• Packaging clerks. We need efficient, detailed-oriented volunteers to pack and address calendars, from September through mid-December, for weekly, 4 - 6-hour shifts.
• Shipping clerks. We need people with vehicles to take packages (4 - 20 per week, weighing 1 - 20 pounds each) to the 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 this holiday season by ordering your 2008 Sierra Club Calendars from the San Francisco Bay Chapter. Calendars will be available September through mid-December.

Count ballots

The ballots from the Chapter elections will be counted on Sat., Dec. 1, at the Chapter Office, 2530 San Pablo Ave. in Berkeley. To volunteer to help count, contact Nominations and Elections Committee chair Becky Evans at (415)775-3309 or Joanne Drabek at (510)848-0800, ext. 315.

Carpentry

In the late fall the Chapter Office will get some renovations. Our kitchen/storage room needs some help: expanded kitchen counter and cupboards, and altered storage shelves. If you have the skills and want to volunteer for these tasks, please call Joanne Drabek at (510)848-0800, ext. 315.

ExComm secretary

The current secretary of the Chapter Executive Committee is getting ready to step down, and we are looking for someone to step into her shoes. The secretary attends ExComm meetings (second Monday evening of each month) and takes minutes, later writing them up in final form. This volunteer gets a ringside seat as Chapter policy is made, plus the opportunity to be part of the "inner circle" of Chapter leaders. It's perfect for a member who is already familiar with the Bay Chapter, or for one with a strong interest in learning more. The ideal ExComm secretary has had previous minute-taking experience and has access to a word processor. ExComm minutes serve as a crucial communications link among Chapter activists, so you'll be a star! Time commitment is 8 - 10 hours per month; minimum six-month commitment preferred. For more information, contact Chapter chair Juliet Lamont at (510)909-5403 or email jlamont -at- creekcats.com

Yodeler graphic designer

The Yodeler is looking for one more volunteer with professional graphic-design skills for occasional projects.

Send samples of your work to:

Sierra Club Yodeler
2530 San Pablo Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94702

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.

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.

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 sadierabe -at- yahoo.com

Help stop clearcutting

You can help to stop massive clearcutting in California. Join other activists to work on this issue. You could help make phone calls, write letters, speak to other groups, help with mailings, collect signatures, create flyers, attend Board of Forestry meetings, or donate money to help support these activities - whatever your interest! Contact Patricia Jones at (510)548-2204 or email StopClearcutting -at- motherlode.sierraclub.org

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 local efforts and clean technologies;
• 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 monthly, on the fourth Wednesday, 7 - 9 pm at Sierra Club Headquarters, 85 Second St. in San Francisco (near Montgomery Street BART/Muni), 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. Sign up for our e-mail listserv for meeting and event announcements at http://groups.google.com/group/sfbayenergy.

For more information, contact committee chairs Doug Beach (San Francisco/Marin Counties) at (415) 608-1439 or email dbeach7 -at- mac.com or Aaron Israel at izzinsf -at- gmail.com or (415) 515-2683.