Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet
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February 19, 2013
º Put the Brakes on Fracked Gas º Gust Junkies º Beating the Drums Against Coal º Sierra Club Teams Up With eBay º Put an "X" on Keystone XL
  New 2014 International OutingsPlunge boldly into the stunning diversity of life on one of the Sierra Club's latest international excursions. Search for brilliant birds in the rainforest and ruins of Belize; trek the most wild and remote region in Nepal along the Tibetan plateau; or climb, kayak, and camp in the frozen desert of Antarctica, the "Seventh Continent." Looking for something else? Select from over 150 more adventures at Sierra Club Outings.   Letters From the MountainSteve Matteson, who designs fonts for Google and Microsoft, finally decided to create a set of letters for the sake of making himself happy. He looked to the mountains for inspiration. The result was Massif Pro, a typeface that’s based on pencil sketches he drew while backpacking in Yosemite. Check out the letters that are, as Matteson puts it, "a hidden homage to Half Dome."   Put the Brakes on Fracked Gas
Communities across the country are already rising up against fracking, but the stakes have gotten even higher with the natural gas industry’s push to export liquefied natural gas to other countries. President Obama is only hearing one side of the story from the Department of Energy, and it favors the natural gas industry. DOE's recent study on the economics of fracked gas exports completely ignores the public health, environmental, and climate costs of an export rush. Tell President Obama to put the brakes on exporting fracked gas. |
Climate Rally Reverberates from Sea to Shining Sea
 Thank you. Thank you to the nearly 50,000 who attended the Forward on Climate Rally at the Washington Monument on Sunday, the thousands at 20-plus solidarity rallies across the country, and the more than one million online activists who stood up and spoke out to tell President Obama that this is the time to lead. This truly was the largest climate rally in U.S. history. The president needs to know that this is a national movement -- and it's up to you to show him. Will you call the White House today and demand immediate climate action? (If it's after hours, call and leave a message!) 
Sierra Club President and Executive Director Arrested in Peaceful Pipeline Protest
 Washington, D.C., police arrested Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, Board of Directors President Allison Chin, and 46 other climate-crisis activists outside the White House on February 13 for engaging in an act of peaceful civil disobedience -- the first in the Club's 120-year history. Others arrested included 350.org founder Bill McKibben, longtime civil rights leader Julian Bond, and Waterkeeper Alliance founder Robert Kennedy, Jr.
The protest was an announcement to President Obama and other leaders that it is vital to take immediate action to combat climate disruption and slash fossil-fuel pollution. The action was national news for days afterward. 
Gust JunkiesThe soul-lifting joy of flight, the heart-pumping thrill of speed, and the mind-altering beauty of the outdoors are the elements that draw windsurfers, paragliders, sailors, and other wind addicts to their sports. Our latest photo gallery explores the high-adrenaline world of wind sports and the athletes who can't feel a breeze without wanting to ride it. Are you tempted to join them? Photo: Richard Hallman 
Beating the Drums Against Coal in Montana
 The Otter Creek coal tracts, straddling the Montana-Wyoming border, contain 1.3 billion tons of coal that will deface the land and emit 2.4 billion tons of global-warming pollution if it’s strip-mined and burned as Big Coal intends. When the Montana Department of Environmental Quality tried to mute public opposition to mining Montana’s share of the Otter Creek tracts, the Sierra Club, National Wildlife Foundation, and Northern Cheyenne tribal activists called them on their tactics and made their voices heard. Sierra Club Teams Up With eBay
 The Sierra Club is excited to be working with eBay, the planet's largest online platform for reuse. Starting in April (Earth Month), we'll be auctioning off celebrity items and experiences to benefit The Sierra Club Foundation, and our chapters and groups will be selling gently-used outdoor gear and apparel on eBay.What can you do right now? Select The Sierra Club Foundation as a favorite nonprofit on eBay; start stashing your gently used outdoor gear and apparel to donate to a chapter or group during local collection events in April; and volunteer to help with a collection event. To learn more, contact kelly.kirchner@sierraclub.org. Don't Give the Cold Shoulder to Low-Income Americans
 During President Obama's inauguration speech, he spoke about the bedrock American value of providing every citizen with a basic measure of security and dignity. The government's Weatherization Assistance Program is a remarkable success story that has made one million low-income families more comfortable and secure by making their homes more energy-efficient and lowering their annual utility bills by an average of $437. We need a robust weatherization assistance program for low-income Americans. Tell President Obama to make sure the Weatherization Assistance Program has adequate resources to continue its important work. Help Us Put an "X" on the Keystone XL Pipeline
 The Keystone XL pipeline hangs in the political balance. Snaking through America's Heartland to deliver dirty tar sands crude from mines in Canada to Gulf Coast refineries for international export, it would produce as much carbon pollution as seven new coal-fired power plants -- or another 5.5 million new cars on the road every year. It’s no wonder NASA's top climate scientist, James Hansen, says future tar sands development will mean "game over" for the climate.This is the environmental battle of our time. Make your voice heard loud and clear with other Sierra Club supporters by making a generous gift today. |
1.) Amy Korst, author of The Zero Waste Lifestyle