The Central Group of the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club –– where you reside and the reason you receive our newsletters –– is the oldest group in the Sierra Club! It runs from West Hollywood to East L.A., from Griffith Park through South L.A, and includes some of the Gateway Cities, such as Montebello, El Monte and Cudahy. Altogether, we represent over 3,000 Sierra Club members. The Sierra Club itself is reliant on its volunteers; we are vigilant about environmental issues in the Central Group. On behalf of the Sierra Club, we lobby for policy changes to protect a range of environmental matters. In the past, the Central Group worked to ensure West Hollywood passed a ban on single use plastic; to phase out oil drilling in the City and County of Los Angeles; we opposed a gondola proposed by Warner Bros. in Griffith Park and advocated with other organizations for more low-income housing along transit corridors. We also supported community groups and their opposition to the gondola proposed to go over part of the State Historic Park to Dodger Stadium, among many other things. Our volunteers help elect strong environmental leaders in government both through candidate endorsement and campaign assistance. We have Trash Talk Saturdays, during which we pick up trash and learn the amazing history of various parks in our area.
We host hikes. The Newcomer hike is held in Griffith Park the first Sunday of every month. We have hosted over 50 hikes for the visually impaired. We do other things, too, such as maintain a social media presence, table (show up at provide info to people at public events), and work with community-based organizations to advance environmental issues. We have an active social media presence, a governing body (see the accompanying article on Profiles in Activism), and more. What we also do is build a sense of community among us and have fun. Join us!
What we don’t have is YOU. We have a mantra in the Central Group for new volunteers: Pick Your Passion. Find out what you want to do to make a difference and, if we can support it, we will wholeheartedly. We each feel that we have made a difference, and you can too!
If you would like to be part of our amazing group, please contact me at barbarajhensleigh@gmail.com or Jess Chow at chowjjs@gmail.com. We look forward to changing the world with you!
2023 Central Group Banquet Awardees
By Jessica Chow
This past May, we were excited to celebrate three of our amazing Central Group activists and volunteers at the 2023 Angeles Chapter Awards Banquet!
Innovation in Outings Award: White Cane Hike Team (Will McWhinney accepting)
Will McWhinney, our indefatigable Outings Chair, helped jump-start hikes for the blind and visually impaired. Since 2019, in collaboration with an organization dedicated to providing access to nature for the blind and visually impaired and with the support of Inspiring Connections Outdoors (another Sierra Club group), the White Cane Team led almost 40 hikes monthly, sometimes with up to 50 people, for around 235 visually impaired and blind Angelenos and guides. Last year, with Will’s experience as an instructor for wilderness hiking and camping, the group added camping trips to their list of activities.
White Cane Hikes involve numerous volunteers from a variety of affiliations. The hikes require a 1:1 volunteer-to-VIP ratio, meticulous scouting, accommodations, and other unique challenges. The team’s enthusiasm and energy has resulted in growing participation. The collaboration is an example of people from diverse backgrounds coming together inclusively to benefit a community empowering themselves equitably, in the spirit of the Jemez Principles.
Congratulations, Will and the White Cane Team. You all deserved this award as a reflection of your amazing work.
Environmental Justice Award: Linda Cleveland
Linda is immersed in a seemingly endless list of environmental justice initiatives – right where she lives. She was part of the “40 Million Reasons to Go Electric” campaign, and helped coordinate a ride-and-drive event in Watts, working to bring awareness and support for electric vehicles to her community. Linda also recently helped organize the Wattskanda Renaissance Parade, uplifting community developments for a healthier Watts.
She also helped lead efforts on the South Los Angeles AB 617 Community Steering Committee and has advocated for increased funding and an expansion of the community boundaries. Linda is also involved in the Tree People Watershed Leadership Group, Watts Rising-Transformative Climate Communities advisory group, and various other community leadership roles. She eats, sleeps, and drinks her community’s well-being.
Linda is both an activist with Sierra Club and helps lead Watts Clean Air and Energy Committee (WCAEC), a Sierra Club partner.
Linda and her daughter, Jackie Badejo, were just honored in the South Coast AQMD’s 2022 Clean Air Awards, receiving the award for Leadership in Air Quality for their work promoting air quality and climate awareness for the Watts Community and for their work on the Community Steering Committee.
Linda is being recognized today for her consistent and determined efforts toward social and environmental justice. We’re proud of you!
Sierra Club Ambassador Award AND Innovation in Activism Awards: Mathieu Bonin
During the pandemic, when acquiring a full roll of toilet paper might have been your only goal, Mathieu Bonin created a safe outdoor event that was both educational and good for the environment. He started Trash Talk Saturdays, where volunteers are invited to pick up trash at urban parks while learning about its history on a live conference call (listening in through ear buds). Volunteers thus can maintain social distance while experiencing nature and learning.
Mathieu’s first Trash Talk, at South Los Angeles Wetlands Park, was included in the L.A. Times’ “Wild” column. He and Sierra Club volunteers have now cleaned and learned about parks around the region, including South Park, Bosque del Rio Hondo, Sepulveda Basin Nature Reserve, Griffith Park, Elysian Park, Ascot Hills Park, Debs Park, Elyria Canyon Park, Hollenbeck Park, and Lincoln Park. As Mathieu puts it, “My idea is that knowledge enhances our appreciation of most everything; it's a cognitive approach.”
Trash Talk Saturdays are posted on MeetUp, and the public is welcome! We salute Mathieu for his innovation, and meticulous and interesting research exploring each park’s history and sociology, often pulling in politics, class, race and gender.
Profiles In Activism
BARBARA HENSLEIGH, CHAIR
I have been volunteering since 2016 after a devastating election. I worked on the phaseout of oil drilling in the L.A. basin; eliminating single use plastic through ordinances; the Hollywood Redevelopment Plan; lobbying officials to, among other things, require affordable housing and charging stations in new buildings; and rebuilding the Central Group, to name a few. What is my favorite eco-friendly restaurant? I love Un Solo Sol, in East L.A., across from the Metro’s Mariachi Plaza stop. It’s vegan and unprocessed and the nopalitos are yummy. The owner, Carlos Ortiz, is an activist himself, a bonus. For ice cream, Pazzo Gelato on Sunset in Silver Lake is a favorite. IMHO it’s the best ice cream in town, and without the plastic spoons or containers. Who is my hero and why? James Baldwin is my hero. He steadfastly spoke truth to power in a way that could not be ignored or diminished. Watch his debate with William F. Buckley, on YouTube, for one example. And he wrote well to boot!
JESS CHOW, VICE CHAIR
I joined the Sierra Club about 6 years ago, after becoming frustrated by the lack of progress and the worsening state of our environment. It became clear to me that working with elected officials was the most effective way to drive swift change. Although I had never been interested in politics before, I recognized the potential for impactful change working via an organization like Sierra Club.
Since then, I have been actively involved with the Club in numerous ways. I am Vice Chair of the Central Group Executive Committee, serve as the regional representative for the Angeles Political Committee, and co-chair the Angeles Chapter Banquet Committee.
What is your best camping pro-tip? We just took our 3-year-old camping, and the best advice given to us that we now pass onto other families is to bring a portable kiddie potty!
What advice can you give to someone who wants to be an environmental activist? Activism is a very broad word, and can come in many forms! To get started, do something that you love for an organization that aligns with your values, and leverage your existing skill sets to get you started. There's always a need for things like social media content, tabling/talking to people, or putting on events. No one's expecting someone to know how to lobby a politician right out of the gate!
ROBYN BYTHEWAY, SECRETARY/TREASURER
I’ve focused on living a sustainable lifestyle in my personal life for a while, but I joined Sierra Club after realizing that we need more systemic change in order to impact climate change, pollution, and environmental racism. I’ve now been a Central Group member for four years, and in that time have joined the Executive Committee and currently serve as the Central Group treasurer and secretary. I work a lot on various legislative projects and also on endorsement committees.
What is your favorite hike in Los Angeles? I’ve only done it once, but the hike to the summit of Mt. Baldy tops the list of my hikes in the Los Angeles area. It was grueling, but definitely worth it.
What is the matter you have worked on in the SC you are most proud of? I’m proud of having worked on Sierra Club’s endorsement committees during the last Los Angeles election. It was the first time I had participated, and I enjoyed the process of researching candidates’ environmental records, and hearing firsthand from them about their environmental priorities and goals.
KAWANA KENYA
Hi, I've been a member of the Sierra Club since 2019. I started because I was concerned about the negative health impacts of the oil fields in my neighborhood and wanted to turn my concern into action that would benefit my community. My environmental passion is based on equity work and helping to uplift the voices of historically underrepresented groups.
What is your favorite hike in Los Angeles? My favorite hike in L.A. is the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, but I also love walking down residential streets and checking out all of the different gardens.
What is your favorite native plant? At the moment, I'm fond of the crimson pitcher sage, but since I'm very new to gardening this is likely to change. Basically, I like anything that's low maintenance, low water, smells good and is beautiful.
What advice can you give to someone who wants to be an environmental activist? My advice to someone wanting to be an environmental activist is to pick your passion and stick with it. Start by learning as much as you can on your issue and then find others who also share your passion. Set goals and then work consistently to achieve them. Be prepared for the long game, because even small victories are often difficult to achieve.
AMANDA STEMEN
I'm volunteering for the Sierra Club because I'm passionate about having a healthy world for all. I've been with the Central Group for seven years now and have been working on parks and green space issues in the city of Los Angeles.
What is Your Most Interesting Adventure? Hmmm... it's hard to pick my most interesting adventure, but it was probably solo hiking in the mountains of Trinidad, Cuba, where I came across a bunch of wild boars and farmers who were astonished at how a white American female found her way to their trails.
What is Your Favorite Podcast? I have two favorite podcasts: "On Being" with Krista Tippett and "Your Undivided Attention" put out by the Center for Humane Technology. I highly recommend anyone concerned with the state of the world to listen to both.
RAJ PATEL
I've always been passionate about the environment, but I was driven to join the Sierra Club six years ago when it was made evident to me that the current systems in place are unsustainable for both humans and the planet. While the necessary changes won't happen overnight, I believe a lasting impact can be achieved through the collective and focused energy of people working together.
During my time with the Central Group, I've served on the Executive Committee, helped on a variety of campaigns such as Oil and Plastic Pollution, and planned a Zero Waste Fair.
What is your best camping pro-tip? When I was a student with the WTC (Sierra Club's Wilderness Travel Course), we went camping in the snow for a couple nights. There I learned that a Nalgene filled with boiling water inside of your sleeping bag is an effective way to help you keep warm at night!
What is your most interesting adventure? In 2019, my wife and I hiked a 40-mile portion of the Kumano Kodo in Japan, which is a series of pilgrimage routes through the mountains and countryside of Japan. We saw beautiful landscapes, met wonderful local people, and experienced a completely different side of Japan.
MATHIEU BONIN
I have been volunteering for the Sierra club since 2019. At that time I was shocked by the environmental policies made by a previous administration, how it was destructive for the ecosystems and for minorities. Morally I felt the need to act, at my modest level, for more environmental protections and more environmental justice. What led me to the environmental questions was a friendship with a biology and geology teacher who taught me ecology and natural history while I was studying environmental philosophy. We have been taking our students to Joshua Tree and the Salton Sea for ecological and philosophical field trips. It all started here for me; I am now interested in the question of urban parks and what aspects they allow us to reflect. I would like to be both literate in human and natural history to understand and protect our natural and human ecosystems.
How long have you beenwith Central Group and what have you been working on? I have been in the Sierra club for four years. I helped create Trash Talk Saturdays, which consists in cleaning a park while listening to a talk I make about the history and aspects of an urban park – I have been working on 18 parks now! It is an incredible experience. I also participated in the fundraising event "CityWalk," doing some research for the team, and I have been following some campaigns such as "Stop the Gondola" at the State Historic Park. I like tabling and meeting future new volunteers!
What is your favorite hike in Los Angeles? It’s not a hike per se, but I am commuting every day with my bike and I enjoy the L.A. river from Frogtown to Burbank. Every day is different, contemplating the birds and the flow. The seasons remind me that L.A. is within a wider natural system, and the L.A. river is a part of that.
What is your favorite book or podcast and why? I recommend Cyclettes by Tree Abraham. It allows you to experience poetry, personal writing and philosophy in the same book. This book helped me to understand the relationship I built this year with my bike and my biking. If, like me, you are interested in the relationship between landscape and science, A Natural History Guide to the Pacific Coast and North Central Baja California and Adjacent Islands by Dennis L. Bostic is a good example. Finally, about urban parks I would recommend the excellent podcast "Open Space Radio" by the National Recreation and Park Association. We rely on your generosity for the crucial work that we do. Donating is the strongest way you can support the Central Group’s efforts to connect our membership to protect our greenspaces from over development and pollution that is endemic to LA. We want to make sure parks, trails, and other openspaces are accessible to all communities in our region.
The Central Group Needs You
We rely on your generosity for the crucial work that we do. Joining or renewing your membership is the easist way you can support the Central Group’s efforts to connect our membership to protect our green spaces from over development and pollution that is endemic to LA. We want to make sure parks, trails, and other open spaces are accessible to all communities in our region
The Central Group is the heart of the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter, representing the areas from West Hollywood through East LA, and Griffith Park through South LA, and several Gateway Cities.
I have been volunteering since 2016 after a devastating election. I worked on the phaseout of oil drilling in the L.A. basin; eliminating single use plastic through ordinances; the Hollywood Redevelopment Plan; lobbying officials to, among other things, require affordable housing and charging stations in new buildings; and rebuilding the Central Group, to name a few.
I have been volunteering for the Sierra club since 2019. At that time I was shocked by the environmental policies made by a previous administration, how it was destructive for the ecosystems and for minorities. Morally I felt the need to act, at my modest level, for more environmental protections and more environmental justice. What led me to the environmental questions was a friendship with a biology and geology teacher who taught me ecology and natural history while I was studying environmental philosophy. We have been taking our students to Joshua Tree and the Salton Sea for ecological and philosophical field trips. It all started here for me; I am now interested in the question of urban parks and what aspects they allow us to reflect. I would like to be both literate in human and natural history to understand and protect our natural and human ecosystems. 
