Residents frequently volunteer with police departments or social service functions. In recent years, however, local government volunteer programs in environmental sustainability have become increasingly popular as volunteers everywhere are gaining interest in the environment. Not surprisingly, more and more local governments are developing comprehensive plan elements related to environmental sustainability. 

One of the best ways to develop volunteer environmental opportunities is for local government staff members to collaborate with existing nonprofit programs in the community, such as Rotary International, Kiwanis International, Lions Clubs International, Altrusa International, Soroptimist International, and Optimist International.

Local Community Service

One such program is Rotary International, which in 2020 adopted its seventh area of focus, supporting the environment.

1. Promoting peace.
2. Fighting disease.
3. Providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene.
4. Saving mothers and children.
5. Supporting basic education and literacy.
6. Growing local economies.
7. Supporting the environment.

The seventh area of focus is one of many ways local Rotary Clubs can imagine relationships with local governments and community organizations to benefit local communities.

Rotary International, founded in Chicago in 1905, invests service and donor money in local communities. Rotary is best known for its efforts to eradicate polio and for international service with Rotary clubs, nonprofit organizations, and governments worldwide. Historically, however, surveys show that around 60% of each Rotary Club membership in over 46,000 Rotary clubs worldwide is typically most interested in local community service.

Each Wednesday at 6 a.m. PST, I participate in a networking Zoom meeting with 30-80 Rotarians and non-Rotarians from around the world to hear and discuss the nature of environmental projects fostered by Rotary clubs and other organizations. 

Projects shared are broad-ranging: plastic pollution prevention and cleanup, habitat and wildlife preservation, literacy projects that extend the life of books, projects that clean up polluted streams and rivers, preserving urban forests, projects to protect pollinators, solar energy innovations, energy conservation, preservation of mangrove habitats, reducing carbon footprint, food sufficiency, and more. All these projects generate ideas with potential for local improvement. 

Check out Rotarian Dr. Sam Hancock’s Emerald Planet TV, which features a wealth of short videos on diverse environmental projects. 

Visit ESRAG (Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group) and consider attending one of the project seminars. ESRAG activities are open to Rotarians and non-Rotarians. Similarly, check out other community groups and assess collaboration opportunities. 

Community Engagement

This type of engagement can lead to projects that benefit the community. For instance the Peninsula School District —composed of five elementary schools in the Gig Harbor and Key Peninsula local school district —in Washington state, regularly collect plastics, which are transferred to Rotarians and then to Home Depot. Plastic waste is converted into long-lasting park benches for use in the community. 

Two Rotary clubs, a local conservation foundation, and the city of Gig Harbor focused an Earth Day project on stream restoration. Subsequently, one of those Rotary clubs aspires to pursue a long-term project design for restoring the primary stream that flows into Gig Harbor Bay, including ongoing stream maintenance and culvert replacement.

The Rotary Club of Gig Harbor is engaged in a pollinator/habitat project with project reviews from the Washington State Department of Transportation and the city of Gig Harbor. This project will transform the southeast quartile of a freeway interchange adjacent to Highway 16 and Wollochet Drive from a mowed zone into a pollinator habitat with a mix of evergreen and perennial vegetation that beautifies the interchange. In such locations, bees can naturally produce uncontaminated honey.

All ESRAG project meetings are open to all registered participants and are multicultural, inclusive, and entertaining.

Progressively, Rotary Clubs and other local service organizations seek partnerships to leverage their efforts and effectiveness.

Mark E. Hoppen, ED.D., MPA, ICMA-CM (Life member) is the former chief administrative officer of Gig Harbor, Black Diamond, and Normandy Park.  He is currently a member of ICMA’s Sustainable Communities Advisory Committee 2021-2025.