I had the honor and privilege to attend the 10th Anniversary celebrations of the Sierra Club’s Puerto Rico Chapter last weekend. I knew I would see a different sort of Sierra Club – after all it is Puerto Rico! But what I experienced was beyond my expectations. Puerto Rico Sierra Club showed me the Sierra Club that many of us are working toward becoming. It models the community we can become and the power we can have.
On Saturday, the Sierra Club community came out in droves to celebrate the 10th anniversary at the Luis Muñoz Rivera Park. All were welcome and all sorts of folks were there: the young hip organic farmers sharing samples of their wares (oranges, coffee and huge beautiful zucchini!); the first composting and recycling business owner on the Island talked up the benefits of zero waste while also providing bins for compost waste and recycling at the event. Children were entertained by seed planting, coloring stations and best of all - a puppet show with a wide variety of characters that kept us all on the edge of our seats. All attendees were treated to lunch consisting of local flavors: rice, seeds, meat, beans, and salad – OH so good! After lunch there were speeches: a story of how Puerto Rico Sierra Club began, the community that keeps it going, the vision for the future and gifts of words, applause and accolades for the staff and volunteer leaders. But what really set this event a notch above the rest – the music and dancing! A live band performed and got the entire crowd up to dance. Young and old, white, black and brown, rich and poor, gay, bi and straight gathered on an impromptu dance floor to shake our hips, laugh and smile as we sweated to the beat.
But that’s not nearly enough to illustrate what makes this Sierra Club chapter different. What makes them tick is community. They are not a Club divided by issue, demographic, activity or politics. There are no Outings leaders or Conservation leaders– they are one and the same.
How do they do, what they do so well?
When the Puerto Rico Sierra Club enters a community, they connect with local organizations, schools and business folks to talk about what the Sierra Club sees as issues facing the community and to learn from the local community about their needs and concerns. The locals are not viewed as participants to “take out” or “talk at” – they become a part of the movement of concerned and active community members. The Sierra Club leadership works with locals to understand the needs of their community and become partners with them to create the change needed. For example, the Sierra Club volunteers worked with locals to apply for grant money to buy kayaks to start an eco-tourism business, which now conducts water activities , which incorporate conservation education. The Sierra Club worked with local fisher folk to learn where they sell their catch and then promoted those restaurants to increase its number of patrons, which in turn increased a demand for fish. The local fisher folk now watch coastal activities and report violations of environmental laws and agreements, as well as lead Sierra Club outings.
The Sierra Club connects with the general public, local schools and organizations to go outdoors to nearby spaces to enjoy and explore while they talk about the importance of protection.
Outings begin with a discussion about the local history, current events and stories about local and world figures (at least the ones that might have been to or had an impact on the area). While on an outing participants are encouraged to try new activities, discover local flora and fauna and learn about the threats to the spectacular beauty they are in and learn ways to get involved at their own comfort level. Outings end at local bars and restaurants where they eat, drink, laugh and talk politics and environment. This is also where a large part of the recruiting strategy takes place. Leaders always talk up leadership and keep an eye out for the next person they can mentor.
Leader trainings are incorporate everything. At a training workshop, volunteers learn the issues facing their community as well as their history; they learn organizing, leadership, outdoor and community building skills. They realize that outings and conservation are intimately intertwined and that people are a part of the environment. But the training dives deeper; the Puerto Rico Sierra Club leaders believe that protecting the environment is protecting people and vice versa. They believe that it takes a community; whether that community is a local township, an island, a Club or the human race. They know they need to build the community in order to build sustainability.
Thank you Puerto Rico Sierra Club leaders for making me feel so at home and for showing me that building a community is the path toward building Sierra Club 2.0.