From Earth Day to May Day, we’ve celebrated the impact Sierra Club members and supporters like you are making every day. From transitioning to clean energy to defending our democracy to protecting our public lands, we’ve spent the last two weeks talking about the ways all of our fights are connected. We want to thank those of you who joined us, and let you know where you're needed next.
It's in times of crisis that we need movements calling for bold change. It's how the New Deal came about in the 1930s; ditto the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Affordable Care Act of 2010. We are in one of these moments now. The things we do over the coming months will shape our country and the climate for generations to come.
The THRIVE Act is here to meet the moment. Introduced in Congress last week, it's an exciting and transformative piece of legislation that combines Green New Deal policies to combat the climate crisis, address racial and economic inequality, and create 15 million good jobs. The THRIVE Act builds upon President Biden's American Jobs Plan, with additional funding for key climate priorities. If you haven't yet added your name in support of the THRIVE Act, do so now.
Here's Where You're Needed Next
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Did You Miss an Event? Check Out the Recordings
Thursday, April 22
On April 22, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, Sierra Club President Ramon Cruz, National Director of Grassroots Power Building Byron Ramos-Gudiel, and Director of Digital Strategies Deepa Kunapuli kicked off Earth Week with a discussion of the once-in-a-generation opportunities we have set before us to create a livable planet for all, and about how you could get involved throughout the week.
Global Grassroots Voices—Financing Disaster in India: The US Export-Import Bank & Coal Finance Overseas. The Sierra Club hosted an international conversation about what world leaders can learn from India and the global grassroots calls for climate action. Speakers included Kate DeAngelis, Friends of the Earth US; Shripad Dharmadhikary, Manthan Adhyayan Kendra; Neha Mathew-Shah, the Sierra Club; Somnath Mukherji, Association for India's Development (AID); Anuradha Munshi, Center for Financial Accountability; Maureen Nandini Mitra, Earth Island Journal; Sandeep Singh, Union of the Displaced People, Sasan; Neil Tangri, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives.
Friday, April 23
Creating Resilient Communities in Times of Compounding Crises: Healthy Communities Program Director Pedro Cruz, Beyond Dirty Fuels Organizing Representative Bryan Parras, and a panel of Gulf Coast organizers and activists had a conversation about their work to create resilient communities in the face of compounding crises.
Environmental and Racial Justice: Watch Director of Organizational Transformation Hop Hopkins and Tony-nominated actor and singer Joshua Henry at 4PM EST talk about the intersections of environmental and racial justice on Instagram Live. Joshua Henry, a three-time Tony Award-nominated actor and Grammy nominee, is known for playing Aaron Burr in the first national tour of Hamilton. His new EP "Guarantee" is available now.
Saturday, April 24
Energy Burden: How Systemic Racism Creates Unaffordable Bills and Energy Waste.
Sunday, April 25
Clean Water: Fixing Water Systems to Protect Our Health.
Clean, affordable drinking water is a key part of healthy communities and healthy environments. “It’s a gender justice issue and racial equity issue in the United States,” says Sonya Lunder, Senior Toxics Advisor for the Gender, Equity, and Environment program.
Monday, April 26
Public Lands Victories and #OutdoorsForAll: Making the Leap from Enjoying Nature to Everyday Outdoor Advocacy. Want to find out how you can become an everyday outdoors activist? Then check out this Instagram Live discussion. Our panelists share their perspectives on outdoor advocacy, and remind those of us who love to spend time in nature that wild places need to be protected, especially if we want to share them with future generations. Nature is a human right, and getting outdoors can be incredibly healing, but in turn, we all need to help heal nature and our communities. How do we move from just loving nature to protecting our public lands and advocating for more access to nearby nature? Panel includes Chris Hill, Sierra Club Campaign Director, Our Wild America; Eva Karlsson, CEO of Houdini Sportswear; Chelsea Murphy, outdoor activist; Maya Penn, environmental activist.
Tuesday, April 27
A Democracy That Works for Everyone: Why Do We Need to Fight for Democracy as We Fight for a Livable Planet? Explore the intersections between the struggle for voting rights and the struggle to fight climate change, preserve wild spaces, and end environmental injustice. Sierra Club Executive Director Mike Brune, Sierra Club President Ramón Cruz, and National Director of Policy, Advocacy, and Legal Leslie Fields joined special guests for democracy trivia and updates on the top five issues facing democracy activists this year. Participants included Courtney Hight, Sierra Club Democracy Program Director; Tishan Weerasooriya, Sierra Club Democracy Program Campaign Representative; Angela Jiang, Sierra Club Georgia Chapter Conservation Organizer; and Christy McCillivray, Sierra Club Associate Organizing Representative, Michigan Chapter.
Wednesday, April 28
Everything Electric! A Fun Chat with Drivers of Electric Bikes, Trucks, Buses, and More! More and more people are discovering the benefits of the many forms of electric transportation. Electric bikes and scooters can help you get around your neighborhood, and electric buses mean that riders don't have to breathe dirty air. Electric freight and delivery trucks mean highways are cleaner and quieter. And electric rideshare drivers don't have to pay for fuel as they wait for a ping from a rider. Hear from some electric vehicle proponents on this panel, which also features special guest Warren Dickson of 3rd Rock Hip Hop.
Thursday, April 29
Time to THRIVE! Art and Youth Leadership: Join us for an intergenerational panel and art build! We’ll ground the THRIVE Agenda in a historical, youth, and movement-centered context and discuss what it looks like for us to seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity to remake our economy and society so that it works for us! Art is a key way for us to envision the world we want to create and communicate our goals to the broader public. During the art build, we’ll walk you through making a banner, poster, or window sign you can put up in your home or neighborhood to call for climate, racial and economic justice. We’ll also talk about the importance of poetry, music, and spoken word!
Friday, April 30
This panel of organizers and volunteers highlights the experiences of those affected by fracking, and unpacks the deep impacts the oil and gas industry has on our communities. Together, we urge President Biden to stop oil and gas exports immediately. Panel includes Catherine Collentine, Sierra Club Associate Director, Beyond Dirty Fuels; Josette Hinojosa, Brownsville Community Organizer; Dr. Christopher Basaldú, Sierra Club Organizing Manager; Mahyar Sorour, Deputy Legislative Director for Clean Energy for All and Dirty Fuels.
Saturday, May 1
How can the labor and environmental movements work together to build a clean energy economy that supports healthy communities and a planet where everyone can thrive? On International Workers Day, May 1, Derrick Figures, the Sierra Club’s Labor Program Director, joined a lineup of special guests from the labor movement to explore these questions.
Earth Week & Labor: Sharonda Williams-Tack: Investing in the reduction of high energy burdens (the proportion of income spent on household energy) can support the development of a strong and diverse energy efficiency workforce that represents the local community. Sharonda Williams-Tack, the Associate Director of the Sierra Club’s Healthy Communities campaign, talks to Derrick Figures about this intersection of climate and economic justice work.
Earth Week & Labor: Ben Beachy: “To truly build back better, we have to tackle the interlocking crises of systemic racism, economic inequity, the climate crisis, and public health,” says Ben Beachy, director of the Sierra Club’s Living Economy Program. “Climate solutions are also our job solutions. It’s not possible to tackle the climate crisis without creating good jobs.” Listen to Beachy in conversation with Figures.
Earth Week & Labor: UFCW: The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union represents grocery workers, home health aides, and frontline workers. Rachel Lyons, Legislative Director at the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) discusses how unions make an enormous difference in ensuring workers are paid fair wages, treated with respect, and offered fair schedules, family-friendly policies, and health care.
Earth Week & Labor: AFL-CIO: Bart Sheard, the Legislative Representative for the AFL-CIO, joined Figures to discuss the importance of the Protect the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act), which will help ensure all private sector workers have a clear path to form a union.
Earth Week & Labor: AFSCME: “Unions symbolize equality,” says Holly Biglow, Legislative Specialist at AFSCME. “A collective bargaining agreement does not change based on how you look or who you are.” Listen to Biglow’s conversation with Figures about the history of AFSCME, and how unions benefit communities.