My name is Seth Bush, and I recently moved to Baltimore from Pittsburgh, PA to work on the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign. Now is an exciting time for the campaign because we now have the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) on our side. They want to release strict standards that will limit pollution from two of the dirtiest coal-fired power plants on the East Coast (Crane and Wagner). However, they’re going to need our public support when they face the dirty coal industry, otherwise they might be pressured to back down. That’s where I come in! I will be working with the Maryland Chapter to engage a diverse range of citizens in the area, and we will collectively stand with MDE to stop the Crane and Wagner plants from damaging our health and contributing to climate disruption.
Can you join us in our stand at two upcoming events in Baltimore?
The first will be a fun potluck lunch at Chris Yoder’s home on Saturday, March 1st at noon. We will share good food, meet new friends, and discuss how we can amplify our voices in support of MDE’s strict standards.
You can find more information and RSVP here: http://tioga.sierraclub.org/oars-activity/pages/activity.jsf?activity=53455
The second will be a free screening of the acclaimed documentary film Coal Country on Thursday, March 13th at 6 PM at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Central Branch. Coal Country tells the story of Appalachians who are fighting to preserve their health and community from devastation by the coal industry. We will have a discussion after the film about how we can act in solidarity with Appalachians by taking action to clean up coal in our own community.
You can find more information and RSVP here:
http://tioga.sierraclub.org/oars-activity/pages/activity.jsf?activity=53451
A bit more about myself:
I have been organizing in the environmental and climate justice movements for over five years. Although I started with recycling projects and outings in my hometown of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, I became actively involved in energy and climate issues when I started college at the University of Pittsburgh and witnessed the environmental devastation caused by fracked gas. My work there ultimately led to a full-time position with the Sierra Student Coalition (SSC) as the PA Campus Organizer based in Pittsburgh where I helped organize Power Shift 2013 from May through November 2013. My temporary position with SSC eventually expired, and so I applied to stay with the Sierra Club as an organizer in Baltimore on the Beyond Coal Campaign....and here I am!
I moved to the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore in January and I am excited to strategize, organize the community here, and get to work now that I'm settled. Dirty coal in Maryland won't know what hit it!
If you're curious to learn a bit more about my experiences in Pittsburgh, you can see a blog post I wrote here:
www.wearepowershift.org/blogs/repaving-road-sustainable-just-energy-future
And an interview I did with Pittsburgh's NPR station here:
http://www.alleghenyfront.org/story/power-shift-2013-brings-young-activists-pittsburgh
I look forward to seeing you at our events!
Cheers,
Seth