CALL FOR NOMINATIONS - AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE The Sustainable Planet Strategy Team (SPST) is soliciting nominations to fill two vacancies on the Agriculture Committee. Please forward this message to individuals and groups that might be interested. COMPLETED RESPONSES ARE DUE FEBRUARY 19, 2005. Those appointed will serve terms of two years. They will participate in conference calls and communicate regularly by e-mail and occasional face-to-face meetings ? usually no more than one per year. BACKGROUND Current members of the Agriculture Committee are Paul Barby (OK), Jon Harvey (CA), John Harbison (VT), Jeff Webster (MN), and Erin Riddle (NY). Dave Scott is the liaison from SPST. The Agriculture Committee is an all-volunteer committee that reports to the Sustainable Planet Strategy Team. Many other Sierra Club national entities work on issues closely connected to Agriculture, including the Challenge to Sprawl Campaign, which works to protect wetlands and farmland as part of its mission; the Clean Water Campaign, which works to protect wetlands, eliminating polluted runoff from farming & ranching, and restrain environmentally destructive CAFOs; and the Genetic Engineering Committee. To complement the work of these ongoing club campaigns, the Agriculture Committee has four primary responsibilities: (1) to take the lead in promoting the Club's views regarding national farm bills and to assist chapters and groups in their work on farm bills; (2) To take the lead in outreach to farming organizations and sustainable agriculture groups (and to work with the Environmental Partnerships Program in relation to these networks); (3) To educate Club activists (and the public) on sustainable agricultural practices and standards and on the links between environmental and agricultural issues; and (4) To assist the other Club entities mentioned above to ensure they appropriately represent the Club's views on agriculture and that they reach out to the agricultural community. QUALIFICATIONS The Agriculture Committee is looking for candidates with: -- interest and knowledge in agriculture issues and the connections between agriculture and environmental issues -- general knowledge about agriculture and the environment; farmers and ranchers -- access to e-mail -- willingness and ability to work cooperatively with people holding differing perspectives on the best strategies for the Club to follow -- sufficient flexibility in time commitments to allow full volunteer participation in this committee -- Sierra Club membership is required. (Prospective members may join upon appointment to the committee.) Club experience at local or national levels is helpful but not necessary. FOR MORE INFORMATION about the current work of the Agriculture Committee or the appointment process, contact Jon Harvey ( [log in to unmask] ) The Agriculture Committee will be appointed by the SPST, whose members are Dave Scott, Chair; Rich Isaac, Faith Teitelbaum, and Ned Grossnickle. For information about the appointment process, you may contact Dave Scott, [log in to unmask] NOMINATION FORM Send completed form (below) to Jon Harvey [log in to unmask] Completed responses are due by February 19, 2005. Forms can also be mailed to Jon Harvey at 3790 Smallwood Ct., Pleasanton, CA 94566, but email is preferred. If you want to nominate someone else, send that person this entire e-mail message and ask them to contact Jon Harvey with the requested information. ******************************** THE SUBJECT OF YOUR MESSAGE SHOULD BE " Ag. Comm: <your last name here>". PLEASE DELETE ALL TEXT ABOVE THE ******* 1) Name, address, phone(s), e-mail address, and best times & means to reach you: 2) Sierra Club experience, including length of membership, volunteer positions held, Sierra Club campaigns worked on: 3) Other relevant experience and qualifications you would bring to the Agriculture Committee, as related to the qualifications described above. 4) Why do you want to serve on the Agriculture Committee? 5) Describe your general availability for conference calls and regular e-mail contact: 6) Names, phone, and e-mail addresses of three references, including best times to reach them. If possible, please indicate contact information for your Sierra Club chapter chair, if that person is not one of your references. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Take Yahoo! Mail with you! Get it on your mobile phone. http://mobile.yahoo.com/maildemo - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]