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The Sykesville resident strokes her keys for humanitarian causes, such as the genocide in Darfur, and environmental issues by advocating for groups including Sierra Club and Greenpeace.

However, on Saturday, Sirk will put aside her keyboard and spend hours on her feet for Earth-to-Eldersburg Action Day. The event is one of hundreds of Step It Up events happening Saturday all over the country.

The organization encourages people to be a part of National Day of Climate Action, which encourages passers-by to tell Congress to cut carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050. That is less than 2 percent in reductions per year.

In each location, signs and T-shirts will spread the message, ‘‘Step it up, Congress! Cut Carbon 80% by 2050.”

The Eldersburg event will take place noon to 2 p.m. Saturday in the rear of Carrolltowne Center, 6400 Ridge Road.

Sirk discovered that Ellicott City had the closest event to her after receiving a mass e-mail from Step It Up, and thought that should change.

‘‘I volunteered without thinking,” she said. Though she’s participated in similar events, this is the first one she is organizing.

‘‘I am a member of many, many organizations, and I fight for a lot of causes,” she said in a phone interview. ‘‘I fight for gay rights, fight for the environment, fight for pro-choice rights.” The list goes on. She tries to spend equal time between her causes and organizations.

And she practices what she preaches, she said.

‘‘We’re sticklers in this house,” she said. ‘‘If you’re not in a room, nothing’s on.”

Energy-efficient light bulbs, unplugging unused electronics and appliances, and recycling and reusing items are ways she and her parents try to reduce pollution and carbon emissions.

Those habits and her passion come from her upbringing.

‘‘I have an action-oriented personality,” she said. ‘‘I was brought up with the idea that it is our job to do what we have to do to make the world a better place.”

She credits her mother, Barbara Sirk, as a big supporter of what she does.

‘‘She’s just the best thing ever,” she said. ‘‘She helped me no matter what and devotes her time and effort.”

Barbara said her daughter is resilient when it comes to something she’s passionate about.

‘‘When she sinks her teeth into something, she’s got it,” Barbara said. ‘‘She doesn’t let it go until she’s satisfied.”

Sirk’s mother is just as interested in environmental issues as her daughter. For her, it’s a health issue.

‘‘I have a whole family full of people who have health issues,” she said. ‘‘I have been an advocate of nutrition and how chemicals that are in our food are destroying our bodies.”

Barbara also joked that what she does for a living is balanced by her daughter. Barbara is a senior supervisor with the Maryland Vehicle Administration. ‘‘I put people out in their cars, polluting,” she said with a laugh.

Sirk’s flexible schedule gives her the ability to commit herself to her causes. The Massage Institute of Maryland student does odd jobs here and there to help neighbors.

Sirk also enjoys spending time in front of the cameras.

She stars in independent films shot in Maryland. A horror film she was in, ‘‘The Murder Game,” premiered at the Senator Theatre in Baltimore, she said.

Actors and causes seem to go together.

Last spring, Sirk attended the Rally to Stop Genocide held in Washington to help pressure governments to stop the violence in the Darfur region of Sudan in Africa. There, she said, she saw the likes of Chris Rock and George Clooney.

‘‘I thought it would be good. I was a body amongst them to spread the words about what’s going on over at the Sudan,” she said.

Now, she hopes others will join her Saturday. At the event, Sirk will have raffles and plans to have activities for children. Food will be provided by J and P Pizza and Habib’s Kabob and Bagel Café.

Sirk will raffle items donated by area businesses, such as potted plants and prizes from E.W. Becks, Curves Fitness Center, J. Maurice Salon, Little Professor Bookstore, Pizza Boli’s and more.

Organizations will have tables set up with information, including Environment Maryland, an organization helping Sirk with the event. She will also bring students from her school to give massages.