12,000 House Guests for Obama
Last Sunday, 12,000 concerned citizens, including thousands of Sierra Club members and supporters, young and old, from every walk of life and every corner of the nation,
encircled the White House to send a simple message to the president: "Say ‘No’ to Keystone XL." Thousands more who couldn't be there watched from home
and took action online.
Keystone XL is the giant pipeline that would bring dirty tar sands oil from Canada across America's heartland for export to other countries.
It's an idea that is as wrong for America as it is lucrative for Big Oil. Only President Obama has the power to stop the Keystone XL before it can put our communities at risk.
The message was loud and clear on Sunday, but the fight's not over. Oil company lobbyists are on a spending spree as they try to convince Americans that we must stay addicted to oil just a little bit longer. Instead, we need to stand up to Big Oil, and
you can help.
How Green Are Your Lightbulbs?
By now, most people know that compact fluorescent lightbulbs are a better choice than old-fashioned incandescent ones, both economically and environmentally.
But wait a minute -- are those the only options out there? What about halogen bulbs? LED bulbs?
Sierra magazine's Mr. Green sheds a little light on the situation by
explaining how to calculate the "miles per gallon" for any kind of lightbulb. And the winner is ....
The Amazing Lynn Henning
Read the wonderful new
profile of her in O Magazine, and you'll know exactly why family farmer and Sierra Club Water Sentinel Lynn Henning is a true American hero. The Goldman Environmental Prize winner has worked tirelessly (and effectively) to expose the extreme polluting practices of livestock factory farms in rural Michigan.
O Magazine followed Lynn on her regular 125-mile monitoring loop -- checking streams and taking water samples to hold livestock factory farms accountable when they break water and air quality laws.
Can
one dedicated person successfully stand up to big polluters? Lynn Henning is the proof.
Photo: Tom Dusenbery
Our Newest National Monument
The United States got a new addition to its National Park System last week when President Obama designated a substantial portion of Fort Monroe, in Hampton, Virginia, as a national monument.
The fort played a pivotal role in emancipation, earning the name "Freedom's Fortress." The national monument designation -- the first one of Obama's presidency -- could create nearly 3,000 jobs in Virginia as part of a larger Fort Monroe Reuse plan.
Join us in thanking President Obama for using his authority under the Antiquities Act to protect Fort Monroe.
Mountains to Heal Their Wounds
In the mountains of Idaho, a
group of injured war veterans is seeking relief from wounds -- some obvious, some invisible. Since 2006, Higher Ground has hosted about 200 post-9/11 veterans at its fly-fishing, river adventure, snow sports, and water sports programs.
The programs are free for the vets and their supporters, along with three years of follow-up care and their choice of sports equipment to take home.
This year, the Sierra Club's
Military Families Outdoors program was proud to support Higher Ground.
Photo: Glenn Oakley
Toxic Coal Ash in Lake Michigan
How many more coal ash spills will it take before Americans are finally protected from coal ash pollution? The
latest spill happened in Lake Michigan. Just two weeks earlier, polluters successfully lobbied the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill that strips the EPA of the authority to protect Americans from coal ash.
Now the polluters' bill is before the U.S. Senate. Tell your senators that we deserve at least as much protection from toxic coal ash as we currently have from ordinary household garbage.
It's time to let the EPA do its job.
Tim Guilfoile's "Wilderness Journal"
Longtime sportsman and clean water activist Tim Guilfoile was recently named conservation editor of The Contemporary Sportsman, where he authors a regular column, "Wilderness Journal," in his official capacity as deputy director of the Sierra Club's Water Sentinels Program.
Publisher Jim Stenson says a Sierra Club presence in a fly-fishing or hunting magazine is a natural fit. "I know a lot of Sierra Club members hunt and fish," he says,"and we’re more than happy to promote the Club’s watershed and habitat projects."
Want to read Tim's column? You can subscribe to The Contemporary Sportsman online for free.
