Some of you may be traveling. Some of you may be looking forward to traveling soon. Some of you may have heard I am traveling.
Yes, I left Florida May 1st in a rental car with the last of my must-have possessions to Deale, MD, on the Chesapeake Bay. After loading them onto our 44 ft Gulfstar Motor Yacht we cruised north on the Delaware Canal and Delaware Bay to Cape May NJ and then on the Jersey Intracoastal to the Manasquan Inlet.
We continued north along the Atlantic Coast and entered New York Harbor, where we were lucky enough to anchor for the night behind the Statue of Liberty!
We proceeded north up the Hudson River Valley to Waterford NY, where we took a hard left and headed east on the Erie Canal, which is where I am now.
I have seen some very cool and unique places. From the humble beaver damn to the Empire State Building, burned out castles, and double rainbows. Plans are to be back in Florida at the end of October. Stay tuned.
If people could imagine in 1825 how to engineer and hand dig much of the 339-mile Erie Canal with 36 locks to raise boats over 571 feet to get over the mountains and lower boats back into the Great Lakes, people can figure out how to reverse climate change. We must have faith.
"Few places in this world are more dangerous than home. Fear not, therefore, to try the mountain passes. They will kill care, save you from deadly apathy, set you free, and call forth every faculty into vigorous, enthusiastic action." - John Muir
P.S. The Florida Legislative Session is over. To encourage future legislative champions, we continue to accept donations for the Political Committee’s Political Action Campaign, Sierra Club Florida PAC is HERE.
Loxahatchee Group July General Meeting...
Gopher Games: The Fight to
Save the Heart of Florida
Join us for a Zoom discussing a powerful documentary.
Thursday, July 18, 2024, 7:30 PM
Zoom Room opens at 7:15
This documentary is an entirely volunteer-made film with dozens of people donating their time, equipment, and expertise to make it happen. It's a project reflecting the collective heart of millions of people who love these animals and believe their story must be told.
Speaker: Brent Fannin has a background in environmental education and communication. Brent's passion as a documentary filmmaker is telling stories of conservation and social justice. He believes that an effective story is well said with stunning visuals. He makes his documentaries professional, eye-catching, and educational with a statement.
He has spent time in Hollywood but prefers to keep his projects set in nature.
We hope to see you at this informative meeting! Sign up instructions: Upon registration Zoom link will be sent to you via email. Please check your junk/spam folder where it might wind up.
Add your voice and talents, help leave our children a living legacy — clean air, safe drinking water, and natural grandeur.
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This causeway was recently under two feet of water. (Photo by Lisa Hanley)
What do Florida and Maine have in Common?
By Lisa Hanley, Loxahatchee Group Public Lands and Forests Committee Chair. (Editor’s note: The author is a veteran Sierra Club Florida activist who lives part-time in Maine)
What do Florida and Maine have in common? Sea level rise caused by the warming Atlantic Ocean and increasingly severe weather systems is one thing. The Gulf of Maine is the fastest warming body of water in the world and although Florida's waters are much hotter, the ecosystems of both states are suffering, as well as homeowners along the coast.
The evidence is everywhere as I walk the waterfront of Stonington, Maine. New planks on floating docks, shingles on buildings, and railings on piers and ramps gleam against the weathered gray survivors of the storm of March 2024. The storm brought a record-breaking tidal surge of seven feet and occurred during a king high tide of 11 plus feet and covered roads, piers, and docks. It closed the only way off the island I call home five months of the year for an hour, swept away floats, and lifted buildings off their pilings.
Local officials do not need to be convinced that climate change is real, but they are hampered by political policies from the recent past. Yes, that’s right, Florida and Maine also share political interference from the state in local efforts to enact policies to combat and adapt to climate change.
Maine's present governor, Janet Mills, is playing catch up after the previous governor, Paul LaPage, denied climate change and refused all federal funding to raise causeways, shore up waterfronts and limit carbon output. For more on LaPage's disastrous environmental stances, check Wikipedia. If you read about LaPage, you will notice immediately the similarities between him and Governor DeSantis. And guess where LaPage now lives – that's right, in Florida!
I leave Florida to escape the heat but, there is no escaping the effects of global warming. What can we do? We can work to elect folks who respect the science surrounding climate change, believe in reducing the country's carbon footprint and greenhouse gases, and protect our natural world.
There is a donation button on our website for the Loxahatchee Group Political Action Committee, please consider donating today.
3 Points from the Stop the Burn Allies By Patrick Ferguson, Sierra Club Senior Organizing Representative Stop the Burn-Go Green Campaign
One:
We are so pleased to announce the success the campaign experienced during our recent trip to Washington D.C. The campaign met with several influential offices where we advocated on behalf of the Glades community and worked tirelessly to educate representatives on the dangerous impacts of pre-harvest sugar field burning.
“Our win-win message for environmental justice in the Glades was a hit in the halls of Congress. We returned to Florida energized and ready for whatever comes next.” — Al’Licia Pittman
Did you know that every year from October to May, nearly half a million acres of sugarcane are harvested through sugar field burning? Sugar field burning is a toxic and outdated practice that negatively impacts the health, quality of life, and economic opportunity of residents all around Florida's Everglades Agricultural Area!
Recent data shows that sugarcane burning pollution contributes to an estimated 1 to 6 deaths annually. Those residing near the fields in Palm Beach County, FL face a staggering 10-fold increase in mortality risk compared to those further away.
Despite these risks, the Palm Beach County Department of Health is completely silent. This means that for eight relentless months every year, children, pregnant women, the elderly, the ill, and countless others breathe in toxic smoke, without so much as a warning from their local health department.
Sadly, my husband Marvin Calderon passed away on April 29th. He had been very ill for a long while and thankfully he passed in his sleep and he is at peace.
His obituary read: Marvin Calderon, of Boynton Beach, Florida passed away at the age of 90 on April 29, 2024. He is survived by his beloved wife Sheila Calderon; two loving daughters Donna Mills and Alese (Daniel) Jenkins; three grandchildren John Jenkins (Sarah Kim), Anami Engle (Jim), Paul Mills; seven great-grandchildren Luca Jenkins, Paloma Jenkins, Kira Engle, Chris Engle, Jessica Engle, Adam Engle, Nick Engle (Chelsea); and three great-great-grandchildren Faith, Connor, and Noelle. Marvin was preceded in death by his son-in-law Herbert Mills.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions in Marvin's honor be made to Sierra Club or American Heart Association or charity of your choice.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers,
Sheila Calderon
News from National Sierra Club, Sierra Club Endorses Joe Biden for President
WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, after consulting with more than 50 chapters and groups, and with the advice and consent of our national board, the Sierra Club has decided to endorse President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for another term in office.
Four leading environmental and climate organizations -- the Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Action Fund, NextGen PAC, and NRDC Action Fund -- endorsed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for reelection. This is the first time the four groups have ever jointly announced a presidential endorsement.
President Biden accepted the endorsements in-person at LCV’s 2023 Capital Dinner joined by representatives of each organization. The Biden-Harris administration has done far more to address the climate crisis and environmental injustice than any administration in our nation’s history. “President Biden has acted courageously during a critical inflection point in the climate fight,” said Ben Jealous, National Executive Director of the Sierra Club. “No other administration has done more to move us forward. The stakes could not be higher, and the choice could not be clearer. We need President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris back in the White House for another four years.”
Starting on day one in the White House, President Biden quickly shifted our country away from the destructive climate-denialism of the Trump era, pursuing an ambitious plan that mobilized all of the government to tackle the climate crisis. America swiftly rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement, and our federal agencies went back to work enforcing key climate and environmental protections.
While we are enthusiastic about this endorsement, we will continue to hold this administration accountable when it falls short. Destructive fossil fuel projects like the Willow Project and the Mountain Valley Pipeline must not move forward and any implementation of climate policies must prioritize environmental justice while taking care to avoid creating new sacrifice zones. We can fight these fights while recognizing that a second term is essential to our progress. The alternative of a less habitable planet and future is simply unacceptable.
Our task for 2024 is clear. We must do everything we can to reelect President Biden and Vice President Harris.
Paid for by Sierra Club Political Committee
Get a Free Simple Will and Leave a Legacy to Our Loxahatchee Group
When they draft their will, many people decide to leave some of their assets to charity. And what better charity than our Loxahatchee Group, where your money can continue defending our natural environment and environmental justice even after you're gone.
My Law Office of Gary M. Landau will draft your simple will for free if you leave a bequest to the Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group of $5,000 or more.
As a member of the Loxahatchee group’s Executive Committee and the co-chair of the political committee, I understand the importance of continually funding all the great work the group does in our community.
Our law office, located in Coral Springs, has served the residents of South Florida for more than 25 years. We specialize in wills and living trusts as well as real estate transactions and closings.
To make an appointment to discuss how your legacy can include protecting our natural world via a free simple will, contact my office at 954-979-6566. Learn more about estate planning on our office website.
Save The Date
Our Annual fund raising event is coming up!
Thinking About Going Solar?
Now's the time to make your move!
Life-threatening heat and humidity are not exaggerations when you live in Palm Beach County. These issues are having an impact on you and your neighbors. How are you going to handle the ever-growing cost of electricity to keep your home comfortable?
Sierra Club has teamed up with the nonprofit Solar United Neighbors (SUN) to bring you the Palm Beach 2024 Solar Co-op — a free group to help you go solar.
Going solar is a life-changing event for many people and finding the right company to provide reasonably priced systems can be a complicated process.
The Palm Beach County Solar Co-op guides homeowners and small businesses through this process and allows co-op members to purchase a solar system and installation at a group rate from a single installer.
Together, co-op members will learn about solar energy and leverage their numbers to get competitive pricing and quality solar installations.
There is an important campaign under way RIGHT NOW to get a Right to Clean Water amendment on the ballot in 2026. This amendment would create a fundamental right to clean and healthy water by legally holding Florida State executive agencies accountable for actions or inactions that harm or threaten to harm Florida’s waters.
2. Become a Right to Clean Water Ambassador and gather petitions from your friends, neighbors, co-workers and others. How to do that is also on the WEBSITE. or you can email Paula McClease for more information.
NOTE: The Sierra Club Broward Group will cover the Right to Clean Water Amendment in depth
at its monthly general meeting on July 11 at 7 pm
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