Jan. 18, 2011: In This Issue
º These Hills Will Stay Alive
º Drilling and the Gulf
º Recharging the Economy
º The Perfect Day in Yosemite
º Environmental Justice for All
º Good Jobs Green Jobs
Family Adventures
Looking to spend quality time with your kids this summer? Check out our thrilling and affordable trips designed especially for families. We'll keep children and adults entertained from morning to night with hikes, water sports, nature presentations, and other engaging activities.
See a full list of family trips or search for other outings by activity, date, location, and price at outings.sierraclub.org/national. |
Free Park-ing Days
The National Parks are some of America's most marvelous lands. And while it's important to support the parks through admissions, the recently announced National Park free days are a great way to fit more Park visits into your budget. So mark your calendar. There's even a full week of free admission in April in honor of National Park Week. |
1) Hollywood Actress Eva Mendes talks about why environmental issues are important to her, and what she does to go green 2) Tierra Del Forte from Fair Trade USA on green Fair Trade fashion 3) Green cuisine tips from Annie Somerville, executive chef of Greens restaurant.
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For more than a decade, local Sierra Club activists and other concerned citizens in Appalachia have worked to stop the devastation of mountaintop-removal mining. Last week, they achieved one of their most important victories when the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would cancel the water-pollution permit for one of the largest mountaintop-removal mines ever proposed in Appalachia.
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson stopped a mountaintop mine that would have buried more than seven miles of vital headwater streams, poisoned local waterways, and obliterated over 2,000 acres of Appalachian woodlands -- and she did it despite threats from some in Congress who would prefer to let corporations ignore the Clean Water Act with impunity. Putting the health and safety of people and communities first -- that's a decision that deserves our thanks! |
The independent commission appointed by President Obama to investigate last year's oil disaster in the Gulf has issued its final report and -- who'd have guessed? -- it reads more like a thriller than the work of a committee. The New York Times called Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling "riveting and chilling," while Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune blogged that "it's enough of a page-turner that you almost wonder whether the Commission hired Sebastian Junger (The Perfect Storm) as a ghostwriter."
Besides identifying widespread problems with the oil-drilling industry that demand immediate reform, the report makes a strong case for why we need a balanced energy policy that encourages renewables and offers a clear path to a future without fossil fuels.
For a copy of the report you could shell out $39 to the Government Printing Office. Here's a better idea: Read this Compass blog post on e-book options (including some free ones). |
The economy's like the weather in that it's easier to complain about it than to do something that might make it better. That's not the case with the renewable-energy sector, though, where the sun is shining brightly. Read the details of a newly released solar jobs census report as well as our interview with a major solar-installation company that is getting ready to expand its workforce and its services into the East Coast this year.
The wind sector also had a good 2010, albeit at a slower growth rate than during the previous year. Nevertheless, the renewable-energy industry continues to prove that good green jobs are already here -- and ready to recharge the economy. |
While hiking in Yosemite National Park, long-time Los Angeles resident Jamie Simons turned to her husband and said, "I want to live here." Then she actually did something about it. Now, having moved her family to Wawona, she's blogging about the experience, as her daughter attends a one-room schoolhouse and her husband occasionally longs for noise, fast food, people, and the city.
Jamie calls her blog "A Year in Yosemite" but, so far, one day has stood out above all others.
Photo by Jon Jay |
The next Good Jobs Green Jobs Conference is rapidly approaching (Feb. 8-10 in Washington, D.C.), and the Sierra Club is once again a presenting sponsor. Along with two days of workshops and keynote speakers focused on growing the clean-energy economy, there will be an address by Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood about how green transportation and transit can create good jobs, protect the environment, and keep America globally competitive. |
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