Rincon Group / Our Blogs / Sierra Club's "Hitched" Newsletter. . .
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NEWS FROM THE LAST WEEK
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE- Sierra Club's COVID-19 response page.
BLACK LIVES MATTER- Be sure to read the Sierra Club statement on the police murder of George Floyd. And read Michael Brune’s powerful column about racism.
BE ACTIVELY ANTI-RACIST- White folks: Don’t know what to do or where to start when it comes to unlearning racism and working for equity? The Sierra Club Equity & Inclusion Department has an excellent resource section on Campfire.
NOW THAT’S SOME POTENTIAL- This week the Sierra Club released an analysis showing that, with a bold economic renewal plan, Congress could provide family-sustaining jobs for over 9 million people every year for the next 10 years while building an economy that fosters cleaner air and water, higher wages, healthier communities, greater equity, and a more stable climate.
PFAS AND FURIOUS- High five to Sierra Club member Pat Elder, a Marylander who took action against firefighting foam containing toxic PFAS being used at a military base near his home. Learn more about his work in this CNBC video.
THIS GUY ROCKS- Sierra Club environmental justice organizer Justin Onwenu made the New York Times in this article about the amazing healthy communities work he’s doing with two other organizers in Michigan.
GOOD NEWS- Congrats to the Sierra Club’s Santa Barbara group and allies! Last week, Aera Energy, co-owned by Exxon and Shell, announced that it would withdraw its Cat Canyon oil project in light of “ongoing permit uncertainty with respect to oil and gas projects,” as well as “current global uncertainties in the oil market.”
UTILITY SHUTOFF TOOLKIT- Sierra Club state lobbying and advocacy folks worked with Sierra Club healthy communities folks to create a Utility Disconnection advocacy toolkit! The COVID-19 crisis has raised attention about the issue of utility shutoffs for nonpayment. This toolkit offers four practical steps, with actions, examples, and resources for advocating against utility disconnections in your community. And props to the chapters and groups already doing so much work on this -- one example is in Washington State.
SAD UPDATE- The Sierra Club released a powerful statement when the US surpassed 100,000 deaths from COVID-19.
TALKING AROUND THAT VIRTUAL CAMPFIRE- High five to the Sierra Club Military Outdoors program for working with the Tucson and Georgia Sierra Club chapter/group last week on a virtual town hall for Sierra Club veteran and civilian volunteer leaders and participants across the country. During this town hall, they discussed ways to build a thriving local Military Outdoors program.
ALSO VIRTUAL- Thanks to awesome teamwork from Sierra Club folks Michelle Piñon, Alex Craven, Carly Ferro, Kim Pope, Moises Cisneros, and Kate Worteck, a recent Sierra Club webinar was a big success.The webinar, titled "Read the Room Bernhardt: No Public Comment Periods during a Public Health Crisis," attracted 17 activists from around the country and focused on moves by the Department of Interior to continue hosting "public hearings" and "lease sales" even as the majority of Americans are grappling with the consequences of COVID-19.
GET OUT- Last week ExxonMobil and Chevron held their annual shareholder meetings. In addition to attending the virtual meetings to tell them to stay out of the Arctic Refuge, Sierra Club activists were also keeping a close eye on whether BlackRock would uphold some of its climate commitments by voting against management at these big polluters.
WE’VE GOT MORE DOCUMENTS FOIA- Holy wow -- look at all the Department of the Interior documents Sierra Club folks got from a Freedom of Information Act request! And some of them reveal some real corruption.
WELCOME- Send a warm Sierra Club welcome to Saman Ghaffari, the new junior payroll and accounts payable clerk in Finance & Operations.
THE END
Rincon Group / Our Blogs / Sierra Club's "Hitched" Newsletter. . .