New Jersey starts the new year welcoming a new governor to Trenton, and our Chapter also begins the new year with a change of leadership (with, understandably, not quite as much media coverage as the gubernatorial transition). With this issue of The Jersey Sierran, I have the honor of stepping into the role of chair of the New Jersey Chapter.
It’s a big step, following 10 distinguished years of service from my predecessor, Rich Issac, who among other things led the effort to hire current chapter director, Anjuli Ramos-Busot (who has earned statewide respect and merited an appointment to the incoming governor’s Making Energy More Affordable and Reliable transition action team). Rich also recruited dozens of volunteers to fill roles in the Chapter and had a significant role in the Chapter’s political endorsement program.
While he was term-limited as an elected ExCom member, Rich continues as Loantaka group chair (Union and Morris counties) and as a member of several Chapter committees, so we will be able to continue to take advantage of his deep well of knowledge in remaining the premier grassroots environmental advocacy organization in New Jersey.
We use the word volunteer often in the Sierra Club—for good reason. Page 12 of this newsletter features a box titled “New Jersey Chapter Leadership.” Did you know that everyone listed there, except the four people listed in the blue-shaded section, is a volunteer?
Sierra Club prides itself on deriving much of its energy, and much of its strategy, from the work of its volunteers. While our Chapter has four valuable professional staff members to help carry out our work, in chapters across the country it is the role of the volunteer executive committees, led by volunteer chapter chairs such as myself, to set the priorities of the organization. Volunteer committees dig deep into policy issues and help recommend which state legislation our Chapter supports or opposes. Our volunteer committees also explore ways to protect our state’s environment. They often are the people the public sees at rallies, testifying before the Legislature, or speaking at local municipal meetings. Much of the content of this newsletter is the work of volunteers.
The tricky part of relying on volunteers, of course, is that we are always looking for more of them! Some of our volunteers come with deep expertise. For instance, Bill Beren, chair of our Transportation Committee, had a long career working in mass transit.
Other volunteers come “merely” with a commitment to our mission to protect the environment or to share the joy of being outdoors with like-minded folks. I became active in Sierra Club through our outings program—outings are often the “gateway drug” for many to become chapter volunteers across the country.
Below this column, you will see a blurb seeking volunteers to fill the roles of compliance officer and vice treasurer. While those are roles that have pretty specialized requirements, many other opportunities take only your willingness to pitch in.
Do you see a topic in one of these articles that piques your interest or hits on something you have special knowledge about? Are you interested in working as part of a team focusing on a specific policy area, such as environmental and social justice, clean energy, transportation, opposing warehouse sprawl, or promoting building electrification? Would you provide your skills for a particular organizational need, such as developing social media, fundraising, or leading outings? Do you prefer to work with a statewide team, or are you interested in engaging more with members of a local group? You could do any of these in the New Jersey Chapter.
If you choose to step up your membership to an active volunteer role, the time commitment can be flexible to suit your capacity. We have volunteers who have full-time jobs—I am a software engineer, for example. Some of us are retired, and some are full-time parents or students. I think you’ll find that the satisfaction you get from working with like-minded folks makes for a worthwhile investment of your volunteering time.
To explore an opportunity to join our team of volunteers, there are several ways to begin. To engage with a local group, reach out to one of the officers listed in the Group News section starting on page 9. For a state-level role, our leadership section on page 12 details all of our chief officers and their contact information. For something you don’t see listed, drop me an email at chapter.chair@newjersey.sierraclub.org. We can’t wait to get to know you better!