Farewell to a Keeper of the Mountains
West Virginia
environmental hero Larry Gibson died on September 9 while working on his cabin on his beloved Kayford Mountain. He was 66. Larry's homestead was an island of natural beauty amid a moonscape of destruction wrought by mountaintop-removal mining, which Larry fought tooth-and-nail for the past two decades.
Even in the face of death threats and intimidation, "
Larry never backed down," says Mary Anne Hitt, director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign. On September 13,
hundreds of people rallied in Washington, D.C., calling for an end to mountaintop-removal mining. The day was dedicated to Larry Gibson.
Image © J Henry Fair 2012 / www.industrialscars.com
Polar Bears Trump Big Oil
Royal Dutch Shell announced yesterday that it will not move forward with plans to drill for oil in the Arctic's Beaufort and Chukchi Seas -- this year. Shell put off drilling after spill containment equipment failed during a test under calm, predictable conditions.
Known as the Polar Bear Seas, the waters where Shell still wants to drill are home to the entire U.S. population of polar bears and serve as a vital migration route for bowhead and beluga whales. More than a million people have spoken out against Shell's drilling plans over the past few months.
Tell President Obama you're thrilled that Shell has decided not to drill this year -- and urge him to protect the Polar Bear Seas next year.
The buzz about clean cars: Move beyond oil with electric vehicles!
Because they turn their back on the pump, oil spills, and tailpipe emissions, a switch to electric vehicles is an important part of our economic future, and an important solution to climate disruption. Fueling one costs the equivalent of 75 cents per gallon of gas, and next to nothing in maintenance!
But as long as our highways are dominated by gas stations rather than EV-charging stations, it will be very hard to move beyond oil.
Write your governor today to support more infrastructure for electric vehicles in your state!
Make Light: India's Barefoot College
Rural mothers come to northern India's Barefoot College from villages in Fiji, Peru, Rwanda, and beyond.
They arrive largely unschooled and leave six months later as solar engineers, ready to electrify their worlds.
Photo: Lana Slezic
Giant Sequoias -- Safe at Last?
The U.S. Forest Service has released a long-awaited new management plan for Giant Sequoia National Monument in California's Sierra Nevada. President Clinton created the monument to protect groves of giant sequoia located outside of national parks.
But unlike most national monuments, which are managed by the National Park Service, Giant Sequoia is overseen by the Forest Service, which proposed to cut 7.5 million board feet of timber a year in the monument.
After years of grassroots pressure, including more than 350,000 comments submitted by Sierra Club members and supporters, the Forest Service has finally released
a management plan that doesn't default to cutting down trees.
Drive Green, Save Green
The Hartford -- ranked the "#1 Greenest Financial Services Company" in Newsweek's 2011 "Green Rankings" for its environmental performance -- is offering Sierra Club members and supporters special rates on auto insurance, additional discounts for hybrid and electric vehicles, and coverage options that help you rebuild with eco-friendly materials if something happens to your home.
Learn more and request a free online auto quote, or call for a free quote at 888-584-5099.
