Gear Up for a New Year with Sierra Club Outings

Tick, tick, tick... that's the sound of 2012 winding down -- which means it's time to start thinking about next year's travel plans!

Dreaming of watersports and warm ocean breezes in sunny St. John? Winter wildlife and cross-country skiing in the Vermont backcountry? A tour of Norway's fjords and glaciers?

Browse all these and 150 more unique adventures at Sierra Club Outings.

Shirt? Check. Tote Bag? Check.

Earlier this year, you asked for them. Now you've got 'em. Our National Parks Subway Map tote bag and John Muir HIKE t-shirts make excellent holiday gifts! Get them before they run out, and see what else strikes your fancy at the Sierra Club store.

Stop the Blank Checks

The natural gas industry wants to ship fracked liquefied natural gas to other countries to profit even more, while leaving our communities to deal with consequences -- including poisoned drinking water, air pollution, and destroyed coasts.

It is up to us to tell President Obama the natural gas industry does not deserve a blank check to put our communities at risk.

Bestselling novelist and essayist Barbara Kingsolver talks about her new book, Flight Behavior, in which climate change plays a central role.

Listen | Subscribe

Climate Change Hits Home

Ten days ago, for the first time since Hurricane Sandy hit, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune visited the beachfront community in New Jersey where he grew up. The damage was so extensive that the area is closed off and there is still no power or clean water. Brune's family and their neighbors were allowed to enter the barrier island for just seven hours.

Visit our new website, Climate Comes Home, to read what he and others had to say and see the devastation.

Photo: Julie Dermansky

Choose Revolution

Sierra Club President Allison Chin joined 3,000 other activists on November 18 for a march on the White House and a rally at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C. Chin and others -- including 350.org founder Bill McKibben -- called on President Obama to stop tar sands development, reject the Keystone XL pipeline, and promote clean energy solutions to combat the climate crisis.

 "Will America be the victim of climate disruption, or will we be the hero of a clean energy revolution?" Chin asked. "I choose the revolution!"

Up On the Farm

Is it possible to reside in a crowded city and still eat like you live in the country? In the Big Apple, a food revolution has taken root: New York City has more urban farms and community gardens than any other American city.

We compare two different models for rooftop agriculture to get the dirt on homegrown, hyper-local food.

Photo: JJ Sulin

Let's Hangout

What is Craigslist founder Craig Newmark doing hanging out with the Sierra Club? Newmark's "craigconnects" program and the Sierra Club's Military Outdoors program share a focus on serving returning veterans, military members, and their families.

Join our Google Hangout on December 7, National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, where Newmark and the Sierra Club will discuss the military community, technology, the outdoors, and how we can help veterans.

Huge Victory for Our Mountains

One can only imagine what John Muir would have thought of mountaintop removal coal mining. But he'd certainly have celebrated this month’s announcement that the Patriot Coal Corporation has entered into an agreement with the Sierra Club and other environmental groups to end its involvement in this destructive practice.

Soccket to Me

Kids in the developing world can play soccer during the day, and use the energy stored in the ball to power an LED lamp when the sun goes down. After getting kicked around for 30 minutes, the Soccket can power an LED lamp for three hours.

We talk with inventor Jessica O. Matthews about how this game-changing ball works and what it means for people who rely on polluting kerosene lights. "People think serious issues require serious solutions," says Matthews. "I think play can be used to provide tangible things to people who need them."

Photo: Natalie Brasington

---