Volunteer opportunities

Happy New Year! Celebrate - and get more from your Club membership than just another membership card. We always need new volunteers to help keep making the Sierra Club what it is: one of the foremost grassroots environmental organizations in the country. A few volunteer possibilities are mentioned below. Or think about working with one of our conservation committees, making phone calls and writing letters on an important local issue. And of course we've got hikes to lead, envelopes to stuff, and lots of other jobs. For more ideas, contact Chapter administrative assistant Joanne Drabek at the Chapter Office at (510) 848-0800, ext. 315, or joanne-at-sfbaysc.org

Data entry

We are looking for a few good volunteers to help with data-entry projects at the Chapter Office. We do not need computer experts, just folks who can follow basic instructions to enter data into our computers. Normal business hours are ideal, and evenings are possible. Your help will be invaluable to our conservation efforts. To help, please contact Cathleen at (510)848-0800, ext. 316, or cathleen-at-sfbaysc.org

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.

Receptionists

The Chapter Office in Berkeley needs additional volunteer receptionists who are energetic team members, service-oriented, and gracious. You will be directing calls, greeting guests, responding to inquiries, and providing general office support. Regular four-hour shifts are available weekdays, 10 am - 2 pm or 1 - 5 pm. We request a weekly commitment for a minimum of four months. Training and ongoing support are cheerfully provided. If you have a predictable schedule and would like to support the Chapter by helping in the office, 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 Yodeler calendar or 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 dbeach7-at-mac.com or Tom Roberts (Alameda/Contra Costa Counties) at (415)203-2781 or tc.roberts-at-mindspring.com

Caricaturist

The Yodeler is looking for a skilled caricaturist to draw occasional portraits of our volunteers of the month. If you are available, please send a few samples of your work to Yodeler editor Don Forman at

Sierra Club
2530 San Pablo Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94702
yodeler-at-sfbaysc.org

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 vicky.hoover-at-sierraclub.org

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.

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

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-sierraclub.org.