Here, you will find six organizations accepting charitable donations for relief work in Burma as well as five organizations possibly accepting volunteers for relief efforts.

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Marine Science Institute Earth Day Celebration: Saturday, April 19, 2008
The Marine Science Institute invites one and all to come celebrate the Earth, San Francisco Bay and all things marine science. The day is jam packed with activities for the entire family, including four 2-hour discovery voyages on San Francisco Bay aboard our 90 ft. research vessel the Robert G. Brownlee, a lunch-time performance by the Banana Slug String Band, shark feedings, interpretive tables, fish and shark touch tanks, juggling and vaudeville presentation, ocean crafts, canoe demonstrations, environmental info faire, plankton shows, traditional Pacific Islander dancing, and much, much more.
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
For more information visit our website at www.sfbaymsi.org, or contact Aaron Tinker at (650) 364-2760 x16 or by email aaron@sfbaymsi.org. Entrance is FREE, but there is a cost for the boat trips. Pre-registration via website for the Discovery Voyages is strongly recommended.

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What’s it like helping to clean up after the single worst ecological disaster in a nation’s history? Ecoworldly went to the Taean Peninsula–the site of South Korea’s recent oil spill–to lend a hand and find out.

There is, perhaps, the sense in the West that Asian countries are less concerned about the environment. Ten years ago, this may have been true. However, ask one of the tens of thousands of Korean volunteers who have come to help clean up the massive 10-million liter (2.6m gallon) oil spill off the West Coast of their country, and you’ll hear another story.

Jun Ho Kim, a university student and volunteer at the oil cleanup, says, “All of the Korean people think about the environment. People used to think that development was best; they only thought about development. Their consciousness has changed. Their concept about the world has changed.

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FUF plants trees in San Francisco, and you can plant with them. To date, they’ve planted over 40,000 trees and counting. They’re also the only NGO of their kind in the city. That means no FUF, no trees. Generally, FUF teams meet every other Saturday to plant. Get on FUF’s mailing list to find tree planting locations and times.

You can just show up to one of the plantings with no reservation. There, you’ll meet other volunteers of all ages, some experienced arborists along with many first-time volunteers. These folks are always fun, always friendly, and share an interest in the keeping the environment healthy and beautiful. Come for the chance to plant some trees, stay for the fun potluck lunch that usually follows a planting!

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I see this answer as two-fold. First, there are things that we can do as individuals related to our little piece of the world: the choices we make in our daily lives around everything from transportation to laundry detergent add up to a create a lot of impact. And second, there are things that we can do collectively, as groups, which likely have immediate implications broader than ourselves.

I read recently that according to a study by the Corporation for National and Community Service, Los Angeles ranks 44th out of the 50 largest cities in the US in rates of community volunteering. City of Angels? Hardly.

That stat seemed pretty amazing to me, until I learned the four key drivers of volunteering:

• Community attachment,
• Commuting times,
• High school graduation levels and poverty, and
• The prevalence of nonprofits and their capacity to retain volunteers from year to year.

Since we are talking about LA here, two of those factors really jump out as me as systemic problems for this city: long commute times, and the sad state of LAUSD. A third factor, community attachment, is apparently a measure of homeownership - also a struggle for most with LA’s outrageous housing prices. So what are we to do about it? My answer: look for opportunities that allow you to use your unique skills and talents, and that also satisfy your interests. To find something that works for you, try Volunteer Match, an online service that lets you search for organizations needing volunteers by interest and location.

Many organizations have the need for volunteers with specific skills, who don’t need to commute to their site to contribute. Sustainable Harvest, for example, needs bilingual folks to translate outreach and educational materials for use in Spanish-speaking countries facing rainforest devastation. If you’re bilingual and interested in rainforest preservation (and really, who isn’t?), you could do this from your home utilizing a skill that is unique to you. Other organizations might need marketing ideas, fundraising expertise, or help just getting organized. Think about what you do well and enjoy, and then ask around – you’ll surely find a group who needs just that.

One organization, Social Venture Partners International (SVP), takes this concept of collective expertise to a whole new level. With their new model of giving termed ‘venture philanthropy’ the network of professionals donate money, yes, but also their experience in the form of consulting teams. These teams work with nonprofits to build their capacity to provide services to the community. Current and upcoming investments by the Los Angeles SVP focus on education and the environment. Launched in Seattle in 1997, the network now boasts 21 city-based organizations in North America.

Of course, sometimes, you just want to get your hands in the dirt. It’s rewarding to look back at a beach that’s now free of debris (Heal the Bay) or a tree that you’ve just planted (North East Trees).

And don’t forget the eco-friendly laundry detergent!

Do you dream of working with animals? Find out how you can volunteer at your local zoo or wildlife rehabilitation center and gain the experience of a lifetime. It’s easy to become involved and easier still to fall in love with this rewarding volunteer activity.

Now you may be asking why anyone in his or her right mind would give up a relaxing Sunday at home to shovel poop, and it’s a fair question. But just imagine yourself bottle-feeding baby sea otters, teaching visitors about habitat conservation, or helping a wounded eagle to learn how to fly. If you admire animals and wish to contribute to their welfare, this is the stuff that dreams are made of.

Volunteering at your nearest zoo is easy, and most zoos offer many ways to get involved. Visit your zoo’s website and follow the links to learn about volunteer programs, or you can contact the zoo directly and ask what opportunities are available. Volunteer duties can range from visitor outreach to animal care giving.

You can also learn about the important role that zoos play in conservation. For example, the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle works collaboratively with villages and researchers in Tanzania to reduce conflict between humans and African elephants. In Ohio, the Columbus Zoo plays a key role in repopulating a local, endangered species of mussel. Some zoos may even offer qualified volunteers the chance to become directly involved in exciting conservation programs such as these.

Wildlife rehabilitation centers are another excellent place to get hands-on experience helping animals. Rehabilitation centers focus on treating sick or wounded animals and returning them to the wild. Many centers also offer outreach and education opportunities. If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, consider volunteering with the Marine Mammal Center of Sausalito, where you can work directly with baby seals, sea lions, otters, and other local marine mammals. To find a wildlife rehabilitation center in your area, you can search for “wildlife rehabilitation center” and your city at Goodsearch.com, or visit AnimalHelp.com and search for a rehabilitator. To learn more about wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, visit The Wildlife Rehabilitation Information Directory.

Amazing hands-on work with animals is a reward in itself, but there are other benefits of taking action to help animals. Each October, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) presents its Animal Action Award to recognize individuals of all ages for contributions to animal welfare. Begin volunteering today with a zoo or wildlife rehabilitation center and by October you may qualify—or you may know somebody who qualifies—for this award.

The Woodland Park Zoo, Elephant Conservation

The Columbus Zoo, Mussel Conservation

The Marine Mammal Center of Sausalito, Volunteer Opportunities

Goodsearch

Animal Help, Rehabilitator Search

The Wildlife Rehabilitation Information Directory

IFAW, Animal Action Award Nomination

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jojo79/534619156/

This weekend I took the plunge and found myself standing on top of a roof, where I discovered there are many steps involved in a solar installation, only the last of which involves the panels.

When we arrived, the team leaders quickly divivded us up into a ground team and a roof team and then launched right into the project. While the ground team stayed below to size up the inverter and electrical circuits, the rest of us went up to the roof to learn how to set the feet and tracking system that support the rooftop panels.

I quickly learned that setting the feet can be a messy process. Applying tar to secure the feet and to stop up any potential roof leaks, I soon had tar all over my pants, hands, feet, and even in my hair… Luckily, the Grid Alternatives team came prepared with some biodeisel to clean all it off and I was soon reabsorbed in the next steps of aligning the tracking and testing the efficiency percentage of each panel.

The teams were an interesting mix of Grid Alternatives veterans and newcomers, and it quickly became apparent why people get hooked on volunteering for installs with Grid Alternatives: not only were the team leaders easy-going and interested in sharing their seasoned knowledge, the other volunteers were also quick to exchange practical and scientific experience with the those who didn’t have as much familiarity with the solar realm.

All in all, it’s safe to say I’m officially hooked. Learning how to install solar panels (for free!) was one of the easiest and most fun ways to spend my Saturday, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. If you’re interested in signing up for a training and an install day, check out www.gridalternatives.org, and I will probably see you there.

If you’re like most people interested in the green life, you probably have a growing obsession with solar power but haven’t been able to afford the extra $200-500 it costs to take a how-to solar workshop. Luckily, if you live near the Bay Area, you can learn how to install solar panels for free by volunteering with the amazing San Francisco-based GRID Alternatives.

With a mission to “Empower communities in need by providing renewable energy efficiency services, equipment and training,” GRID Alternatives has set up a program that links willing volunteers with low-income homeowners who want solar panels but don’t have the means to fund an installation.

For interested volunteers, the 2-step process is surprisingly simple:
Step 1: Fill out a volunteer application and attend a mandatory training session.
Step 2: Install solar panels! Volunteer at as many installation days as you’d like– there are often several sessions offered each month.

Last Tuesday I completed step one of this process, sitting down with about 30 other newcomers for an extremely informative, easy-to-understand training session. In less than two hours we covered the basics of electricity and solar power, including a step-by-step process of an average day in the field with a heavy emphasis on safety (we will be working on someone’s roof, after all)!

Now that the first training session is complete, I can’t wait to get out and start installing solar panels. If you’d like to check it out, email info@gridalternatives.org for upcoming volunteer opportunities or visit www.gridalternatives.org/