By Sam Lambert
Like many, the waning daylight and upcoming winter months leave me in an introspective frame of mind. As I reflect on the past few years and my journey to the Sierra Club, one of my fondest childhood memories continues to feature prominently.
“Want to get lost?”... A question I looked forward to on weekends throughout my younger years. We would pile in the car, with my Dad behind the wheel, and just drive. We would take turns being in charge, yelling “take a left… now a right…” until we saw something or someplace that made us stop. The stops were as varied as mine and my siblings’ personalities and gave us a greater appreciation for each other as well as experiences that we would not have chosen for ourselves. Now, I should preface, my Dad was a cab driver who seemingly had road atlases imprinted in his mind and yet, he never failed to surrender to the random directions shouted out or encourage us to see the wonder in what made one of us decide to pause (mine always tended to be a new trailhead).
I’m sure you are asking how this childhood tradition resulted in my joining the staff of the Sierra Club? Simply. I embraced getting lost, once again.
My early career spanned customer service, project management, and eventually sales & marketing in various corporate industries, providing opportunities to build on natural strengths while honing skills that were not so intuitive. I was also a serial volunteer, always looking for the chance to work in alignment with my principles. The latter experience brought me to a local food justice and urban agriculture organization that allowed me to satisfy my need for physical labor as well as lend my marketing skills to grow our reach.
After several years volunteering with this organization and a foray into local politics, I found myself in the midst of a pandemic and feeling quite lost, as so many did. I was reevaluating my impact on the world around me and I had a choice… I could stay the course and follow the invisible map I had plotted or I could follow the voice in my head yelling “take a left!” and go off course. When a full time staff opportunity became available, I took that turn and took a chance on a new path.
While working with that organization, we were supporting a plastic bag ban presented by a city councilor. One of the letters of support read at the council meeting came from the Massachusetts Sierra Club, an organization I knew little about at the time. The ban passed and I began looking more closely at the chapter, curious about the larger work and mission. My work in food justice and urban agriculture put me in close proximity with the environment and I knew firsthand the threats of climate change in our community. Food insecurity would grow to an unmanageable scale if we did not address the underlying environmental issues. When I saw a job posting for a Political and Municipal Organizer at the chapter, I felt the call of another turn and possibly a new destination.
These last nine months on staff, I have felt an immense sense of gratitude and responsibility. Throughout my time here, we have accomplished so much and yet, it never feels enough. I am acutely aware of the impacts of each interaction and the weight of the decisions made on real people, in real communities. I feel the urgency to implement lasting structural change.
I am forever thankful for those early lessons from my Dad, encouraging us to explore new paths and embrace the wonder of the unknown. Finally, I have a deep sense of gratitude for you, our members and supporters, who support this work in ways big and small; sharing your own journeys and allowing me to appreciate whole new perspectives that I may never have stopped to appreciate.
As we close this year and look forward to all of the opportunities 2024 will present us with, remember the difference you make with each action, whether it is signing a letter of support, making a donation, or giving of your time and expertise. You are not only supporting and doing the work to Explore, Enjoy, and Protect our Planet, but you never know who’s personal journey you are inspiring.