Newsletter- July 2021 update from Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter
July 30, 2021
Take action to protect our planet!
We hope you are staying cool in these days of intense heat for so much of the country, including parts of our state. As climate change continues to impact us all, this month our newsletter focuses on the intersections of the environment and justice. We also have a recap of our recent partnership event with the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, news of an urban tree presentation and walking tour from our Winding Waters Group, and of course our usual recommendations feature.
But first, we'll hear from our chapter director, Amanda, as she tells us in her first blog for Sierra Club why the intersection of justice and the environment is so important to her -- and how we can all rise up to defend our planet and its people. Be sure to read on; we have highlighted ways you can take action today!
A Sustainable World Requires Justice & Liberation - a message from our chapter director
Are you confused about why environmental organizations are getting involved in the fight for racial justice? Are you concerned that we are getting off message or not “staying in our lane”? Do you worry that when we support efforts such as redistributing criminal justice funding among communities or standing alongside the Movement for Black Lives we are losing focus? Then please read on, fellow environmentalists, as we explore how the work for social justice is all tied up in our work toward a more sustainable world…. Read Amanda's full blog on our website.
One of the ways we have started showing up more in this work that we do is getting involved in justice fights that may not always be considered strictly environmental. Read on for updates on two recent events that we have been involved in!
“You can’t have climate change without sacrifice zones, and you can’t have sacrifice zones without disposable people, and you can't have disposable people without racism.” - Hop Hopkins
Defund Line 3: Protecting the Waters & Honoring the Treaties
Enbridge is currently constructing Line 3, a dirty tar sands pipeline, which would cross the Mississippi River, wild rice lakes, and homelands of the Anishinaabe people, who have lived in the Great Lakes region for over a thousand years. While this struggle is one that may seem removed from us here in Indiana, it is representative of so many others that are happening (and have historically happened) all across the country.
I was honored to stand alongside a group of activists in Broad Ripple, Indiana on July 10th on behalf of the Hoosier Chapter and call on Chase Bank to #DefundLine3 - as Chase and many other financial institutions are providing the funding for this construction to continue.
In the work toward climate justice, we must keep in mind that this country is built on the land and backs of Native peoples and other communities of color. The Red Lake Band of Chippewa, the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, and their allies are fighting to Stop Line 3 and to protect water, land, and, indeed, the climate for everyone.
The reason the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter is showing up for an issue that seems so removed from us here in Indiana is because we recognize that this battle is one for our physical existence but also for the betterment of our society through liberation and justice for all people. And this is where the two collide - in a space where indigenous lives and livelihoods and land are threatened by a corrupt industry interested only in money and power, with no regard for the state of climate emergency we are already living in. We do this work for the betterment of all. For the survival of all. Because in order to save the planet we must also save ourselves.
- Amanda Shepherd, Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Director
Defund Line 3 Rally, Indianapolis, July 2021.
Bruce and Cecelia Russell-Jayne & Amanda at the DefundLine3 event. Photo by Kennedy Davis.
Over 380 bills have been introduced in 48 states over the past year to make it harder to vote. The For the People Act will expand voting access and restore voting rights, ban gerrymandering, fix our broken campaign finance system, and much more. As environmentalists, we are constantly reminded that the fight for environmental justice is one that encompasses many others. This is why when we were given the opportunity to partner with Common Cause Indiana, Citizens Action Coalition, and others in standing up for the For the People Act at a rally in downtown Indianapolis, we jumped at the chance!
In order to fully confront the climate crisis, address environmental justice head on, and move to 100% clean, renewable energy we require an accurate representation of the people. All too often the voices of the people are curtailed by voter suppression, big money in politics, corruption, and gerrymandered districts.
This is why we must do everything possible to provide and fight for an equitable and inclusive democracy which lifts up the voice of every single person. The fate of our environment, critical environmental justice issues, our wildlife, and the quality of our lives all depend on that basic building block of democracy.
- Amanda Shepherd, Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Director
For the People rally, Indianapolis, July 2021.
Amanda speaking at the For the People rally, with Julia Vaughn (Common Cause Indiana). Indianapolis, July 2021.
Sierra Club and Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library's Last Tuesdays at 7 event- watch now!
We were delighted to partner with the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library to host a discussion of John Muir's My First Summer in the Sierra , part of the museum's Last Tuesdays at 7 series.
It was a lively event, which discussed Muir’s environmental legacy in the wake of social justice movements. Speakers included the chapter's Amanda Shepherd, Mat Davis, an Indianapolis artist, neighborhood organizer, and co-chair of the Indiana Racial Justice Alliance, Mike Wurtz, an author and professor who oversees the largest collection of John Muir material in the world, and Dan Chu, the executive director of the Sierra Club Foundation.
Screenshots from the Last Tuesdays at 7 event, which included discussion of Muir's time in Indiana from Mike Wurtz (above), and poetry from Indianapolis's own Mat Davis (below)
Columbus Urban Tree Presentation and Walking Tour
Dear Winding Waters Group members and friends,
Please join us for a presentation by arborist Carrie Tauscher, State and Community Urban Forestry Coordinator, Indiana Division of Forestry and arborist, Aren Flint, Indiana Team Lead-Urban Forestry of the Davey Resource Group. Our guest speakers will each give a presentation on the Tree City USA Program followed by a 30 minute stroll from the church towards Washington Street to discuss details about the trees.
The Bartholomew County Public Library, Red Room where the Winding Waters Group would normally meet is closed due to COVID 19 restrictions. Pastor Felipe Martinez of the First Presbyterian Church has kindly offered a meeting space for the presentation in the Laws Room of the First Presbyterian Church, 512 7th Street, Columbus, IN 47201. Masks are required during the presentation inside of the church but not required for the walking tour. Thank you to Pastor Martinez for the space and thank you to Reverend Michael Bean, Conservation Committee Chair of the Winding Waters Group for organizing this program and tour.
We hope to see you Wednesday, August 4th at 6pm to explore this interesting topic and to spend time with one another. You can register for the event here.
- Julie Lowe, Co-Chair Program Committee and Executive Committee Chair, Winding Waters Group.
- Eric Riddle Co-Chair Program Committee and Secretary, Winding Waters Group.
Thank you to AJ Weddle for sending these butterfly and bee photos!
"Pollinators make the world go round. I’ve learned to be grateful for the (literal) little things in life and observing insects and pollinators has helped me better understand just how beautiful biodiversity is. I hope these photos inspire others to get up close and personal with misunderstood creatures."
AJ Weddle is the Director of Development at Indiana Phenology, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to empowering Hoosiers of all ages to participate in citizen science.
Do you have a photo of nature that you would like to share?
We'd love to see it and perhaps feature it in a future newsletter!
What have you been reading, listening to, or watching lately? We'd love to hear from you! Use the button below or email rebecca.dien-johns@sierraclub.org
Thank you for your readership, and for all that you do to protect our planet. Please feel free to get in touch with comments or suggestions... we love to hear from you!
