Volunteering for Sierra Club

This afternoon, Thomas and I ventured to the Byrd Theater for a little volunteering. I wasn’t really sure what to expect – I figured my two hours would be spent sitting at a table asking passerby to sign a petition that I didn’t know much about. However, my time was spent slightly differently. Thomas and I were asked to stand outside the theater to hand out programs and inform people about the films playing inside. This allowed for lots of time for people watching. One of the most influential parts of my time spent volunteering was observing how people reacted to the idea of environmentalism. There were some who were “too busy” and had too much to do to stop and find out more information, some were there as requirements for a class, some were intrigued by the idea of the films but decided not to step inside, and a few were enthralled by the ideas that the films presented. Like Kenta, I was a little disappointed to see that the theater was not exactly filled during the showing each of the films. In his post he says, “This excitement, however, quickly faded as I looked around the theatre lobby: yes, I saw a lot of familiar faces, but I also didn’t see any new ones.” Needless to say, Thomas and I still had programs in our hands after the two hours had  passed. While there were a few people who were genuinely interested in what the festival had to offer, I was a little disappointed that there weren’t more.

However, my time spent learning more about the Sierra Club did give me faith in Richmond’s environmental pursuits. It was really inspiring to talk to people who were so knowledgeable about local problems and so passionate about the efforts to solve them. I also enjoyed learning about non-local movements. I learned about the problems of  fracking and a movement called “Idle No More in Canada” from a nice lady named Mary Beth. I talked to a man who helped people learn about sustainable agriculture methods in Nicaragua. I also got to catch a glimpse of the films Ingredients and Green Fire. Ingredients is about farmers working to create a sustainable food system and Green Fire is an account of the life and ideas of environmentalist Aldo Leopold. If you want to learn more, here are links to the two documentaries!

http://www.ingredientsfilm.com/the_story.php

http://www.greenfiremovie.com/

Before Thomas and I departed for a treat of Bev’s ice cream, we headed up to the balcony to check out the tables they had. I was intrigued by the table about the James River Association so I picked up a brochure about the state of the James River in 2011. The brochure provided a report on the gains and losses of wildlife on the James, the quality of habitat on the James, the amount of pollution in the James, and the quality of restoration and protection actions for the James. Sadly, not one of these categories got a grade above a B minus. Leaving the Byrd, I felt more like I was the one who had been helped instead of the other way around. While some of the information I gained while volunteering was disheartening, it did give me some hope to see people who were so passionate about the environment and that initiatives were being taken to improve it.