(By Pachia Vang) Sam Webb is one of three new Cool Davis members who joins us from the CivicSpark AmeriCorps program in Sacramento. For the next 11-months Sam and his cohorts will be working on energy, transportation, and consumption in Davis. As our energy lead, Sam will be signing households up for our Cool Homes program and helping them reduce their energy use!

Growing up alongside a beautiful lake and snowy mountain tops in the quaint little town of Sunapee, New Hampshire, Sam spent a lot of time outdoors helping his family out on their hobby farm. This upbringing has shaped his worldviews tremendously and is a compelling reason why he is committed to environmental work. “I’ve always thought about the environment and how we impact it. Even from a young age,” Sam says.

This closeness to the environment is what led him to the University of Vermont where he pursued a degree in Environment Science and graduated from the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. Focusing specifically on Ecological Design and Sustainability he really appreciated how much his studies allowed him to continue living an active lifestyle, from doing small things like planting trees along the river to working on bigger projects as an intern installing solar panels.

Since graduating from college, Sam has spent the last five years living in Salt Lake City as the assistant manager at Level 9 Sports, a small ski shop, giving him plenty of time to get out to nearby slopes. His position as the assistant manager allowed him to share his passion for sustainability, starting a bike-to-work incentive program for his employees along with the store’s first recycling program.

On his time off from skiing and working, he also spent a bit of time with the region’s local utility company, Rocky Mountain Power, selling wind energy credits to household residents and teaching them about the economic and environmental benefits of switching to renewable energy.

“I thought CivicSpark was the perfect opportunity to return to the environmental field after being gone for a while. It’s a good opportunity for me to get hands on experience and serve a community to help them build sustainability.” – Sam Webb

With this initial experience, Sam is excited to become Cool Davis’ household energy lead. “I thought CivicSpark was the perfect opportunity to return to the environmental field after being gone for a while. It’s a good opportunity for me to get hands on experience and serve a community to help them build sustainability.” He hopes that this year with Cool Davis will provide him with a more thorough understanding of different community energy reduction strategies.

Apart from skiing, Sam likes to play soccer and also has a bit of a green thumb. He enjoys organic gardening and finds it very rewarding to eat food grown from his own backyard.

The farm that he grew up on was purchased by his grandfather after WWII as a conservation easement and his family, ever since, has been committed to land conservation through sustainable agriculture and forestry (his older brother is an arborist). Some of the food they provide to their local community includes maple syrup and grass fed beef. Sam hopes to continue his family legacy of conservation work by pursing graduate studies in sustainable development and non-profit work.