WPC Staff
Chris Laufman
Community Greening Field Technician
“Imagine Sisyphus happy.”
That’s the approach Chris Laufman, a field technician with WPC’s community greening and team, takes when things get a bit difficult: Think about the Greek mythological character rolling an immense boulder uphill for eternity…but imagine he loves doing it!
Long days, unpredictable Western Pennsylvania weather that can swing from blisteringly hot to bone chillingly cold in the space of 24 hours, unhappy drivers rerouted by safety cones…it can all add up.
Chris spends most days in spring, summer and fall outside with his colleagues, “getting my hands dirty and engaging with the public in some capacity.” Since he came to the Conservancy in 2023, he has worked with volunteers in communities around the region to help plant and maintain trees, gardens and greenspaces. But that, he says, is exactly what he loves: working outside and meeting interesting people in communities across Western Pennsylvania. It’s this, and nature’s own resilience, that inspires him.
His Sisphyean philosophy goes hand-in-hand with advice he gives anyone considering a similar type of work. “Make sure that you enjoy the actual work and not just the idea of it,” he says. “I think that sometimes people aren’t aware of the scope of work that we do—and the miles we log doing it.”
Speaking of logging miles, when he’s not greening Pittsburgh and surrounding communities, Chris enjoys running. He also spends as much time as possible with his wife Molly, daughter Della, cat Coconut and dog Daisy.
Chris encourages those who want to make a difference to “Get involved in your community at a local level by helping to develop and maintain greenspaces.”
He appreciates the volunteers, donors and community members who value WPC’s work to improve the region. “I am always impressed that there are people willing to take time out of their busy lives to come volunteer with us on the weekends, doing work that can be difficult and messy. Thank you for your support!”
The following lists some of the ways you can volunteer at the Conservancy. We welcome volunteers to help in our community flower gardens, plant trees or maintain our preserves and trails, among other tasks. View a list of our current or upcoming volunteer opportunities and register for one today.