Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet
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Shell's Dangerous Game Despite Shell Oil's abysmal record in the Arctic, President Obama has approved the company's drilling plans for the Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska -- even though Obama's own Interior Department puts the odds of a large spill at 75 percent. "Already, the idea that our government would take such an appalling risk is inspiring outraged citizens to rise up and say 'no way!'" says Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune. It's not too late to change the odds. Final Countdown to Protect the Arctic -- Donate Today The Obama administration's approval of Shell's drilling plans gets the oil giant 99 percent of the way to restarting this disastrous drilling in the wild, beautiful Arctic, where the extreme climate would make cleaning up the inevitable spill virtually impossible. But Shell still needs permits to get started. On Capitol Hill, at every public hearing, before national and local editorial boards -- we're going to outmaneuver Big Oil. Please make a gift to the Sierra Club right now to help save the Arctic, the Atlantic coast, and all wildlife through our effective, citizen-based advocacy and lobbying efforts. Environmental Justice Crusader Is New Sierra Club President This past weekend, the Sierra Club's national board of directors elected longtime environmental justice advocate and civil rights leader Aaron Mair of Schenectady, New York, as the Club's new president. The first African American to hold the office, Mair got his start in environmental activism more than 30 years ago, fighting a waste incinerator in Albany that was disproportionately affecting black residents of the city. He was also a grassroots leader in the fight to clean up the Hudson River, and key to getting the Sierra Club involved in that campaign. Read this interview with the Sierra Club’s new president. Sierra Club Family Trips Seeking quality time with the family this summer? Here's your chance to make memories together on a Sierra Club trip designed for kids, parents, and grandparents, too! Select from activities including raft, sampler trips, and more.
Expose Dark Money in Politics Only one in four top federal contractors discloses all its political spending, meaning that oil, gas, and coal companies working for the government could be sending taxpayer money to groups that deny climate change or fight against clean air and water protections. Tell President Obama to sign an executive order to make all contractors disclose their spending. Going the Extra Mile for Clean Energy Meet Matthew Kearns. He's an offshore wind energy activist, a former member of the Sierra Club Long Island Group's executive committee, and a long-distance runner. Really long-distance -- Kearns ran the length of Long Island last summer to promote offshore wind energy: "One wind energy site is at the island's tip; another is 100 miles west near Long Beach. I thought, "How to connect the dots? I can physically do that!'" Read more about what Kearns is up to. Photo by Carolyn Fong Can Nature Heal the Wounds of War? The Sierra Club's Military Outdoors program follows veterans to southern Utah, where a sweat lodge ceremony and a long hike provide much-needed solace. The sweat ritual welcomes them back from war, the way many Native American warriors were cleansed and brought back into their communities after battle. Read how this darkness and heat were only part of the journey. Photo by Whit Richardson How Charging Stations Boost Small Businesses Small businesses are installing electric-vehicle charging stations as a way to attract customers. From B&B's to breweries, drug stores to diners, restaurants to resorts, business owners are hearing from new and longtime patrons alike that they're charged up about this special perk. "Many of the people that come to plug in and eat tell me they didn't know of our restaurant before finding it on their EV charging map," says New Jersey diner owner Tom Moloughney. Learn more. [[S51:inc_insider_member_banner3]] Standing With Tribal Nations "We collectively stand together to protect what we love; the earth is a part of who we are." So said Reuben George (pictured at right in blue shirt) of the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation at a historic gathering last week where tribal nations from Montana, Washington, and British Columbia stood together to oppose North America's largest coal export terminal -- one of several proposed to be built in the Pacific Northwest. The Sierra Club stands in solidarity with those tribes in the fight against coal exports. Together we will stop these coal export terminals. 5 Cool Hot Sauces Addicted to sriracha? We are. But there are hot sauces out there -- from a spicy tomato achaar to a sweet potato habanero hot sauce -- that are made with locally sourced, organic, seasonal ingredients. Others are made using excess peppers that farmers sell at their stands, peppers grown on crop-rotated fields, or unshapely tomatoes that would otherwise be tossed. Just be sure you can take the heat. Check out these five ecofriendly hot sauces. Photo by Lori Eanes Should I Charge My Phone in the Car? A Sierra reader asks: "I sometimes make a point to plug my phone into the car charger when I drive, thinking that the energy required to charge the phone or iPad doesn't decrease fuel efficiency and therefore is kind of free. Is that true?" Spoiler: There is no such thing as free energy. There are more ecofriendly ways to charge your phone, though. Mr. Green shows you how to avoid "vampire power." Get Dangerous Oil Trains off the Tracks Less than a week after the U.S. Department of Transportation released new industry-friendly oil train safety standards, another oil train derailed and exploded in North Dakota. The department predicts an average of 15 accidents each year on lines running through major metropolitan areas. Yet the new rules force communities to play railway roulette with explosive oil trains for the next 10 years. Tell President Obama that we must protect our communities from explosive oil trains with an immediate ban on unsafe tankers.
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