About Us

 

Sierra Club Prairie Chapter Staff

Executive Director - Chelsea Flook

Chelsea recently relocated to Edmonton to become part of the Sierra Club Prairie. Her experience and talents have added a strong grounding to the Sierra Club Prairie, and is proud and exhilarated to be the Interim Director for a grassroots community based movement that seeks to protect the integrity of community and environmental health.
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Energy Campaigner / Community Organizer - Crystal Lameman

Crystal Lameman is a 30 year old mother of two and she is from and resides on the Beaver Lake Cree Nation which is located 2.5 hours N.E. of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She is a college and University graduate, holding a 2 year Social Work Diploma, a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences, and a Bachelor of Elementary Education.  She has always taken an active role in participating in the dialogue of the Rights of Indigenous People and it is through her involvement at the grassroots level that she has been given an opportunity to travel to England to deliver her message in relation to the Fuel Quality Directive and the Canadian tar sands importation into Europe. She was a keynote speaker at the People and Planets Shared Planet conference, and rallied for support around England in the campaign against the tar sands destruction.

Crystal is a member of the Front-Line Fellowship program through the Environmental Justice Coalition in Washington DC where she travelled to receive a three day training initiative and has most recently attended the United Nations Rio+20 Conference on Sustainability.  She is actively involved in all that encompasses Indigenous rights and issues – socially, economically, and environmentally.

Crystal is currently working for the Sierra Club Prairie Chapter through a partnership between SCP and the Indigenous Environment Network. She actively speaks out to media and plays host to the many people who travel to her community seeking information regarding her nations court case and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples ~ She is proud that the entirety of her work is done at the grassroots level.

 

Thank you Chinook Group Summer Students!

Cassidy Robertson
Cassidy is a student from Lord Beaverbrook High School in Calgary. After post secondary she will pursue her knack for business and become a social entrepreneur with a focus on sustainable energy. She loves to hear about small ideas that turn really big, she often turns her friends from part time employees into small business owners, and one day she will be the face of corporate social responsibility. The knowledge and experience gained will lead to a remarkable understanding of how innovative non-profits operate and Cassidy is looking forward to being part of an environmental movement. She hopes to apply concepts from the Sierra Club Chinook Group to a student activist club she is starting in the fall.

Cole Tufts
Cole is currently pursuing a Masters of Library Information Studies at McGill University in Montreal. Originally from Calgary, they have been a part of the grassroots activist community here for many years with interest and involvement ranging from food politics to the anti-war movements, cycling to urban agriculture. A true prairie soul Cole is passionate about preserving the majesty, beauty and power of our province for generations to come. Having finished an undergraduate degree in Urban Studies, Cole is also excited about sustainable urban development and believes that it is imperative that cities and their populations learn to be more accountable for the impact they have on the environments they exist within. They hope to one day combine the passion they have for sustainability and the environment with their love of books and belief in life long learning to open a free school. Cole is excited about working with the Sierra Club Chinook Group this summer to develop a program which will help to inspire more people to get excited and passionate about preserving our world.

 

2013 Chapter Executive Committee - More details to be updated shortly

Terry Noel - Edmonton, Alberta - Vice Chair.  A life-long environmentalist, Terry became interested in Sierra Club after attending a healing walk in Fort McMurray and seeing first-hand the disconnect between corporate entities and the communities they affect most. Terry has served as co-chair of World University Services of Canada at the Grant Macewan campus, and has been heavily involved in activist work throughout Edmonton with Occupy, Canadian Injured Workers, SWAG, IWW, Idle No More, the Congolese community, and others.  Upon completion of his major in political science and a minor in economics, Terry ran as a candidate for the Green Party in 2012 provincial election.  Terry has a certificate in Multimedia and Web Development, and enjoys using his spare time to create things, whether through programming, creating music, drawing, or writing.

Andrea Waywanko - Edmonton, Alberta - Treasurer. A long time board member, Andrea has also served on the boards of the Alberta Environment Network and Canadian Environmental Network. She is steadfast in her struggle to protect and uphold the integrity of the prairie ecosystems and communities, bringing with her a long history of activism particularly with the feminist, labour,  and international solidarity movements and the New Democratic Party, both provincially and federally. She has a scientific background in tarsands geology, receiving her Master's degree from the University of Alberta.

Billy Patterson- Strasbourg, Saskatchewan - Deputy Chair. A board member for a few years now, Billy also serves on the boards of the Student Environmental Action Network (they're only Canadian member), Carmichael Outreach, and Green Party of Saskatchewan. He is also a founding member of Clean Green Regina, Regina Public Interest Research Group, and The Environmental Action Network at the UofR. He has a degree in photovoltaic design and installation and is currently freelance landscaping around Saskatchewan. He is an advocate of the 'precautionary principle' (agreed to at 1992 earth summit) and protecting the meagre remaining native prairie plants and animals in the Canadian prairies.

Dave Greenfield - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Dave has been active in environmental issues since the mid 1980's. In particular, he has worked to oppose the nuclear industry, the biotech industry and corporate globalization, and to envision just and sustainable alternatives.

Melissa Gorrie - Edmonton, Alberta - Melissa grew up in Peace River, Alberta. It was during that time where she first began to realize the power and beauty of nature. It was also during that time that she became interested in Aboriginal rights, especially as they relate to environmental issues. Her passion for Aboriginal issues led her to a position as a policy analyst with Alberta Aboriginal Relations, which included working on the environmental and health issues facing the community of Fort Chipewyan. Melissa currently works as an environmental lawyer with Ecojustice in Edmonton, Alberta. In this position she represents individuals and environmental groups in the fight to protect the environment. The majority of her work focuses on tar sands, water and species protection. Melissa has volunteered with Sierra Club and Greenpeace and has held Executive positions on various boards over the past several years. In her spare time she enjoys running, skiing, hiking, travelling and spending time with her husband and cat.

 

2010/11 YMCA Eco Interns

Kevin Force - Water Educator. An Edmonton local, Kevin has been active in student politics with the Council of Canadians University of Alberta Chapter helping to build awareness and advocacy for progressive energy, trade and water policies. Passionate about justice, Kevin will be taking his talents and expertise to community groups around the province, building the awareness about how water in Alberta is affected by climate change, over-allocation, pollution and water markets, while advocating for provincial protections that prioritize water rights for ecosystems, human needs, Treaty rights and future generations.

 

Sierra Club Prairie 2010 Summer Students

Pam Chohan - Pam rocked out as an Education and Summer Outreach Coordinator for the Sierra Club Prairie. On top of coordinating a number of public education events on issues of tar sands, renewable energy and water, Pam coordinated UNITY: A Holistic Gathering for the Love of our Planet, ( http://edmonton.canadiary.com/2010/07/unity-holistic-gathering-for-love-of.html ) bringing together more than a hundred people in Edmonton to celebrate the diversity of our movement for social and environmental justice and a healthier, cleaner future for all of us.

2010 Sierra Youth Coaltion Fellow

Asia Szkudlarek - Graduated with Bachelor of Commerce from the U of A and majoring in Business Law,  Asia is serving as a fellow for the Sierra Youth Coaltion, aiding in the community organizing work of the Sierra Club Prairie. Read More >>

 

Open Positions

Member at Large

All members of the Executive Committee are expected to follow the responsibilities outlined below, in addition to extra responsibilities that are associated with their particular job description.

Responsibilities:

• Regularly attends Executive Committee meetings and important related meetings/functions/special events.
• Make a serious commitment to participate actively in committee work.
• Volunteers for and willingly accepts assignments and completes them thoroughly and on time.
• Stays informed about committee matters, prepares themselves well for meetings, and reviews and comments on minutes and reports.
• Gets to know other committee members and builds a collegial working relationship that contributes to consensus.
• Is an active participant in the committee's annual evaluation and planning efforts.
• Participate in fund raising for the organization.
• Is a member of the Sierra Club.
• Ensure key volunteers and leaders are thanked timely and in an appropriate manner.
• Be informed on the chapter's mission, services, policies, and programs.
• Make a personal financial contribution to the organization.
• Inform others about the organization.
• Suggest possible nominees to the board who can make significant contributions to the work of the Executive Committee and the chapter.
• Keep up-to-date on developments in the Sierra Club.
• Follow conflict-of-interest and confidentiality policies.
• Assist the Executive in carrying out its fiduciary responsibilities, such as reviewing the chapter's annual financial statements

Fundraising Chair Person

Responsibilities:

• Work with the Executive Committee to develop an annual chapter fundraising program.
• Report progress and plans to Executive Committee on a regular basis.
• Implement and oversee the fundraising program, including organizing the various fundraising activities (such as an annual funds appeal, calendar sales, a fundraising event). Each of these activities may be delegated to an individual or subcommittee.
• Keep records of fundraising expenses and income.
• Forward all relevant documentation to the treasurer.
• Keep records of fundraising procedures and information which can be used in the future, e.g. how many volunteers did you need to do a special event, what printer did you use and what was the cost, who wrote the grant proposal, etc.
• Keep records on donors. Besides name and address, how much did they give? Did they give because of a phone call, personal visit or letter? What issues are they particularly interested in? Recruit and train volunteers with an interest in fundraising.
• Coordinate with the national office and/or chapter on mailing and phoning programs, foundation grants, and corporate gifts.
• Be aware of Sierra Club of Canada fundraising policies, and ask when you're not sure.

Please send a letter of interest and resume to Executive Committee Chair Josephine Baran to apply for one of these volunteer opportunities.

Our Supporters

Sierra Club Prairie activities, campaigns and programs would not be possible without the assistance of our many supporters and sponsors!

Thank you!

Community Organizing Program
Alberta Ecotrust Foundation
Mountain Equipment Coop
Sierra Club Canada Foundation

Energy Program
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
The Tides Foundation
John & Barbara Poole Family
Sierra Club Canada Foundation

Water Program
Alberta Ecotrust Foundation
Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation
Mountain Equipment Coop
Sierra Club Canada Foundation

Nuclear Program
Project Ploughshares
Edmonton Small Press

Thank-you to all of our supporters through membership and individual donations!