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Last week, the House of Representatives took the historic step of passing H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (also known as Waxman-Markey). The vote was close (219 to 212), and no one would argue that it does everything we need to do in order to stop climate change but, as Carl Pope wrote in his blog, failure to pass it would have "sent us all back to square one."
Although most Democrats supported the bill and most Republicans opposed it, the vote was not along strict party lines. Do you know how your representative voted? You can find out and send an email either expressing your appreciation or encouraging them to do better next time.
What's next? Just like last summer, look for the big oil and coal companies to organize rallies around the mantra of "Drill, Baby, Drill," This time, though, we're ready with a slogan of our own, though: "Don't Rig Our Clean Energy Future."
When we sat down to do a blind taste-test of energy bars from 25 companies that work to preserve the environment, well, let's just say that the flavor comparisons were all over the map. We won't name names when it comes to which brand provoked the comparison to ursine calling cards (and what kind of person knows what that tastes like in the first place?), but we'll be happy to point you to our ranked listing of 28 different bars, as well as reviews of the five that our judges found most appetizing.
Of course, if you'd rather make your own energy bars (guaranteed not to taste like bear scat), you can find out how at Climate Crossroads.
The Sierra Club has announced the first-ever "Green Energy & Green Livelihoods Achievement Award" winners for India. Sharing the award are Ecosphere Spiti, for successfully creating sustainable livelihoods linked to conservation and ecotourism and the Barefoot College in Rajasthan, for applying practical, traditional knowledge and community-owned sustainable technology to reach the poorest residents of the impoverished desert state. Each award comes with a $40,000 prize.
For more information on Sierra Club's India program (and to see Executive Director Carl Pope announce the awards in both English and Hindi), visit www.sierraclub.org/india.
The Sierra Club and its tribal partners won a hard-fought victory this month when 541 square miles of New Mexico's Mount Taylor, held sacred to many southwestern tribes, were listed on the state's Register of Cultural Properties. The designation will trigger an automatic consultation with the tribes for any new development proposals in the area. "The tribes and other community leaders are committed to opposing new mining proposals one by one and to do everything they can to use this cultural designation to protect Mount Taylor," says Sierra Club Associate Regional Representative Robert Tohe, himself a Navajo.
For more on this tremendous victory, read our Scrapbook blog.
You can support the Sierra Club every time you send an email -- or an instant message -- through Microsoft's i'm™ Initiative! After you join, every time you email someone using Windows Live™ Hotmail® or IM someone using Windows Live™ Messenger, the company will share a portion of the program's ad revenue with us.
Already an existing Windows Live™ Hotmail® or Messenger user? Log in to your account, go to your options menu, and select Sierra Club from the list of causes. We're one of ten cause organizations that benefit from this program. There's no charge to you, and you can support our many critical conservation efforts...just by doing something you do every day.
Click here to join now.
Richard Heinberg's new book, Blackout: Coal Climate and the Last Energy Crisis, debunks the myths about coal and covers the topics of scarcity, cost, and climate impacts.
In recognition of Sierra Club's excellent work in the Move Beyond Coal campaign, New Society Publishers is offering Blackout at 35 percent discount to Insider readers.
Please visit our online store or call 1-800-567-6772. Coupon number: SSC-BO.
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Climate Bill Passes the House of Representatives
Bear Scat or Rice Krispies Treats? 
Green India Awards
New Protection for Mount Taylor
Send a Message, Save the Planet 
Blackout: Coal, Climate and the Last Energy Crisis