November 13, 2012
º Holiday Survival Guide
º DIY: Tennis Racket End Table
º How to Eat Meat
º How Has Sandy Affected You?
º Must-See Wildlife Photography
Winter Adventures: From Challenging to Cushy, We Have a Trip for You
It's just over a week until Thanksgiving, and in many parts of the country the snow has already started to fly. This winter, consider taking a snow trip with Sierra Club Outings. Glide over frozen lakes, mush your own sled, snowshoe or cross-country ski remote backcountry, or carve telemark turns down open bowls in a magical winter landscape. At day's end, return to rustic cabins or a cozy lodge.
Snow trips not your thing? Try one of our lodge trips, which combine scenic settings and outdoor activities with the comforts of home, all at a budget-friendly price. Each lodge trip offers its own mix of activities including day hikes, nature walks, visits to local attractions -- even yoga and wine-tasting if you want it.
Looking for something else? Select from over 150 more adventures at Sierra Club Outings.
 
DIY: Tennis Racket End Table
Do you have too much old sports equipment cluttering up your attic or garage? You've probably long since retired your trusty old wooden rackets -- but don't pitch 'em out. Here's a project for reliving those moments of glory on the court and turning a pair of vintage wooden tennis rackets into a sporty side table.
Photo: Lori Eanes
 
Don't Let Wind Energy Jobs Disappear
The growing wind industry supports 75,000 American jobs. Blades and turbines are manufactured right here in the U.S., new wind facilities are installed and maintained, and clean, efficient energy is reducing our dependence on the dirty energy technology of the 19th century. But if Congress doesn't renew the Production Tax Credit before the end of the year, all that is in jeopardy. Write to your representative in Congress and urge them to renew the Production Tax Credit to protect American jobs and ensure a clean energy future.
 1.) Beth Terry, author of How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too.
2.) Ken Winston, policy advocate for the Sierra Club's Nevada chapter, talks about wind power.
3.) Avital Andrews, green living editor for Sierra magazine, shares tips for a green Thanksgiving.
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Holiday Survival Guide
 There you sit at the Thanksgiving table, hearing your uncle say that coal and oil are the only ways we can realistically supply our energy needs. Grandpa chimes in and says green jobs are a total scam. On Hannukwanzmas Eve, your sister says she wants to be green, but she doesn't know where to start. Meanwhile, your brother lets on that he'd like to put solar panels on his roof, but it's just too expensive.
What can you tell them all? Find out in the Sierra Club Holiday Survival Guide, which also supplies you with recipes, green gift-giving tips, and more.
How to Eat Meat Without Killing the Planet
 We all know that a diet based on local, organic produce is the most planet-friendly choice. But is it OK to splurge on a bird for the holidays? We've tackled the issue of sustainable meat in a four-part series that shows you the best ways to consume meat, fish, and eggs. We've even thrown in an extreme meat option for adventurous eaters.
How Has Sandy Affected You?
 Regardless of where we live, Hurricane Sandy hit us all in some way. The Sierra Club is cataloging our experiences so we can continue to push for leadership and policies that fight climate disruption.
Whether you were directly in the path of the storm, had friends or family affected -- as Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune did -- or simply have something to share, please check out our Share Your Story website and submit your story, photos, or thoughts about how Sandy affected you.
Vets: Show and Tell Us Your Favorite Place Outdoors
 From November 11 through December 7 (Veterans Day through Pearl Harbor Day), the Sierra Club’s Mission Outdoors program is teaming up with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to sponsor a public lands essay and photo contest.
The contest, " What My Public Lands Mean to Me," encourages vets, active-duty military personnel, and their families to submit photos, essays, and videos about their favorite places outdoors and time spent on America's public lands. Entries will be accepted through December 6, and three winners will be featured on the BLM and Sierra Club websites and receive an outdoor support kit from the Club. Enter here.
National Wind Week Breezes Through the Capital
 As part of its Wind Works campaign for clean energy, the Sierra Club has announced a national "Wind Week" to urge Congress to renew the vital Production Tax Credit for the wind industry before it expires on December 31. Wind Week, which began on November 12, brings together labor, environmental, and wind-industry groups to push Congress to extend the tax credit.
As part of Wind Week, the Sierra Club launched a campaign that blanketed the Capitol South Metro station in Washington, D.C., with ads calling on Congress to stand up for American jobs by renewing the tax credit. The ads -- check 'em out here -- will run until December 3.
Must-See Wildlife Photography
 Photographer Suzi Eszterhas spends months in the field with her wild subjects to capture moments like this one -- a two-week-old lion cub at Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya meeting its father for the first time.
We collected some of our favorite shots from Eszterhas's portfolio and asked her to share some tales from the field. Click through the slideshow and then read our interview to find out the mountain gorilla's chances of survival, how long it takes to get a great photograph of a cheetah hunt, and how it feels to be slapped by a chimp.
Photo: Suzi Eszterhas
The Pacific Northwest Test
 The Pacific Northwest is at a fork in the road. One path preserves its natural legacy. The other is full of coal trains and natural-gas pipelines. In Washington, Big Coal is pushing to cut through the state with open trains that would send tens of millions of tons of coal each year through communities to the coast for shipping. Last week, 1,000 people turned out for a public hearing in Mount Vernon to give the stop signal to coal trains. In Oregon, natural gas companies want to permanently alter the coastline with liquefied natural gas shipping terminals. The multibillion-dollar plan would include highway-size pipelines along the Columbia River.
Toxic coal trains next to families' backyards? Pipelines along the Columbia? No wonder thousands of Pacific Northwesterners are just saying "No!"
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