Newsletter- January 2021 update from Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter

 

Happy new year from the Hoosier Chapter
 
Black text Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter banner with green pine tree logo image
Hi Supporter,

Happy new year, fellow Hoosiers! 

We hope your 2021 is off to a great start. We’re excited about the year ahead and all that it means for our chapter, Indiana, and beyond. 

While all Sierra Club in-person activities are still currently on hold due to the pandemic, we hope to have lots of exciting opportunities for you this year- from volunteering, to virtual events, and actions you can take to help our environment here in Indiana. And, hopefully later in the year, we will be able to have hikes and in-person meetings too. 

Why not kick-start your year by becoming a Sierra Club member, if you’re not already? For a limited time, you can join Sierra Club for $15 and get a free trekker bag. If you live in Indiana, you automatically become a member of the Hoosier Chapter- we would love to have you!

If you'd like to find out more about volunteering in our state, we invite you to join a virtual community conversation on Wednesday, Feb 3 at 7pm EST. Go here to register on Zoom. If you can't make this event, don't worry! We're going to have lots more opportunities to get involved soon.

We have three local actions we invite you to take today- to protect the Ohio River, save our Indiana wetlands, and to oppose the gas power grab.

Also in this newsletter- the results of our recent Hoosier Chapter and Winding Waters Group executive committee elections, information about a youth-led climate campaign here in Indiana, and our regular recommendations feature. 

Happy reading!

Hoosier Chapter & Winding Waters Group election results

Hoosier Chapter:

Please join us in congratulating Steve Aaholm, Shannon Anderson, Marylin Bauchat, Jason Flickner, and Linze Southwick for being re-elected to the Hoosier Chapter 2021 Executive Committee (EXCOM). Each of them brings their own unique styles and skill sets together to lead the Chapter in its efforts to make Indiana a better place to live. Their dedication and activism are much appreciated. Throughout the year, the EXCOM members put in many uncompensated hours to protect and improve our water, air, land, and wildlife. They also strive to make sure that all Indiana residents are well represented to achieve these goals. Wish them well.

- Richard Hill, Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter elections chair.

Winding Waters Group:

I take great pleasure in announcing the results of the Sierra Club Winding Waters Group 2021-2022 election. The members will serve a 2 year term to the executive committee.
 
Joe Bronnert is elected to the ex-com for his second term. He is the mover and groover of the Outdoors Committee. New executive committee member, Mary-Beth Wert is a welcome addition with her savvy intelligence and calm demeanor. And we are very excited regarding Eric Riddle who received several “write-in” votes on the ballot. 

Read more on our Facebook page here.

- Rebecca Lorenz, Winding Waters Group Nomination and Election Committee Chair.
Sierra Club executive committee members are shown with text congratulating them on their reelection.
Winding Waters Group executive committee members are shown, with text congratulating them on their election

Actions you can take now!

Join us in petitioning the U.S. EPA to create numeric nutrient standards for the Ohio River

The Ohio River provides drinking water for over 5 million people and has been affected by toxic algae blooms. The EPA has failed at protecting the Ohio River and the people that rely on it for basic human needs. Take action and sign this petition demanding the U.S. EPA set a numeric standard limiting excess nitrogen and phosphorus from entering the Ohio River! 

Demand the EPA Protect the Ohio River from Pollution!
A photo of a river with green algae visible. The text says, Indiana deserves clean water!

From our Indiana Beyond Coal team -
Tell your legislators: No gas power grab! 

A bill that takes away the ability of local governments to make decisions about what kind of energy sources best serve their communities is moving quickly through the Indiana House of Representatives. House Bill 1191, the Gas Power Grab, preempts local control by banning local governments from prohibiting gas hookups for new construction and inhibits universities sustainability projects. HB 1191 fails to allow our local governments the ability to pursue policies that protect our health and will prevent local governments and universities from achieving their climate goals. 

THE STATE OF INDIANA HAS FAILED TO ACT ON CLIMATE. But local governments are creating local solutions. The state needs to lead on climate action or get out of the way.

Call your legislators and tell them to VOTE NO on House Bill 1191, the Gas Power Grab.
Indiana Beyond Coal logo- text reads Beyond Coal over an outline of the map of the state of Indiana

Take action today to protect our wetlands!

Many you may have already heard about Senate Bill 389, which is rightly concerning environmentalists in Indiana.

The bill would remove protection from state isolated wetlands, which are wetlands that aren't regulated by federal law.

This bill is now in the Senate, and may be given final approval as early as this coming Monday, 1 February. 

​​​​​​​It's now imperative to contact state senators to make our feelings clear- vote NO on SB 389 to protect our wetlands!
A photo of some wetlands. The text says Take Action! State wetlands threatened. Please contact your senators this weekend. Find out more: sierraclub.org/Indiana

Confront the Climate Crisis -
A message from youth-led climate action in Indiana

"The Confront the Climate Crisis campaign is a statewide campaign aimed at engaging organizations and student-led action groups across the state in statewide climate action. By bringing youth to the forefront, we know that we can create the change that we need to see and take the next step in protecting our future.

We have the power to confront the climate crisis - and that is what we will do."

- Confront the Climate Crisis 

Show your support and sign the petition
Youths wearing masks, outdoors in the sunshine, hold up a banner saying confront the climate crisis. The image on the banner is an artistic depiction of a young black woman blowing cool air to cool down an overheating planet Earth.

Our recommendations this month

What our Chair, Julie Lowe, has been reading:

How Denim Became a Political Symbol of the 1960s - The blue jeans fabric conquered pop culture and fortified the civil rights movement (Smithsonian Magazine)

Invisible No More - Maine photographer Séan Alonzo Harris brings often-overlooked members of our communities into focus (Yankee Magazine)

Child labor in palm oil industry tied to Girl Scout cookies (The Republic)

Fighting deforestation should be a top priority for 2021, and here’s how it can be (GreenBiz)

Related: How a public institute in Oregon became a de facto lobbying arm of the timber industry (opb.org) and Timber tax cuts cost Oregon towns billions. Then clear-cuts polluted their water and drove up the price (The Oregonian)

 

Reader recommends- Michelle Carr on A Day in the Life of America.

Several weeks before July 4th of 2017, Jared Leto began this project to capture a 24 hour snapshot of our country. People from all over the country, including myself, sent in our captures of the day. With so many hurting and our country clearly so divided, that Fourth was a very difficult one for me as well as many others. I was incredibly grateful to have a project to work on that I felt gave me something positive to look for when the world around us felt so different. It tells a story of our country divided and the hope that remains for our future. 

View A Day in the Life of America on PBS.
Eleven members of the Winding Waters Group stand outside in the sunshine holding up a Sierra Club banner and a sign saying Happy National Pollinator Week from Columbus IN.
Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter chair Julie Lowe, far left, and our Winding Waters Group celebrating pollinator week in pre-pandemic times. 
 
Julie Lowe, a white woman with glasses, is shown in black and white with text quoting her- "I am particularly passionate about protecting old growth forests and the native animals and insects that live within, and clean energy for all" Julie Lowe- Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter
Read more about Julie, and all our staff and volunteers, on our website.
 
Michelle Carr, a white woman with blonde hair and a winter hat, smiles and gives a thumbs up for camera.
Michelle Carr is chair of our Communications Committee and of the Winding Waters Group. 
From Indiana:

Belonging To Our Bodies - Manon Voice (Humans and Nature)
Murals for Racial Justice: A dive into the artists' minds (NUVO)
Scrub Hub: How can I be more environmentally-friendly in the new year? (Indy Star)
How the outdoors kept us healthy and sane through 2020 in Michiana (South Bend Tribune)
The Wild Birds Unlimited Bird Feeder in the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park (YouTube)
Celebrating the comeback of the bald eagle in Indiana (NUVO)
Students, staff practice living sustainably, discuss importance of environmental movement (Indiana Environmental Reporter)
Young voices are working to expand climate education in the Wabash Valley (WTHI)
Six Indiana communities selected to host national Smithsonian exhibit about water and our connections to it(Indiana Humanities)

From the rest of the country and beyond:

A walk to remember 2020 (Mint)
Walkability is a Health Justice Issue in Philadelphia (America Walks)
Wild ways: how readers have been helping wildlife in their gardens (Guardian)
‘Solidarity, Not Charity’: A Visual History of Mutual Aid (Bloomberg)
What is ‘friluftsliv’? How an idea of outdoor living could help us this winter (National Geographic)
Advent Song Summoned by the Forest: Raising Kids during Climate Catastrophe (Radical Discipleship)
Dear America: how do we create a better country in 2021? (The Guardian)
Building Back Better Must Include Outdoor Equity (Morning Consult)
10 of the best virtual travel experiences: readers' tips (The Guardian)
Justice for Black Farmers (National Black Food and Justice Alliance)

We want to hear from you! What have you been watching, listening to, or reading, recently? Use the button below to tell us! 
I have a recommendation!
That's all for this newsletter, folks! 

Thank you so much for your readership and your continued support of our work. We appreciate you!

In solidarity,

Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter
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