The Missouri Chapter of the Sierra Club is celebrating 50 years of change. This has been a 50 year journey of learning, growing, and overcoming challenges along the way while becoming a stronger and better version of ourselves. Check out some of our victories and voices we are celebrating and lifting up and be sure to visit this page again as we update it.
Page looking pretty bare? Do you have something to contribute? Please email us your favorite memories over the last 50 years, or drop us a note about what Sierra Club means to you. We will add submissions to the site!
2007. In March 2007, after a lengthy campaign, Sierra Club and community partners entered into direct negotiations with Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L, now Evergy) that resulted in a landmark clean energy agreement (one of the first in the nation with an electric utility) that secured 300MW of energy efficiency savings, 400MW of new wind capacity, the clean-up of several existing coal-burning power plants, and a 20% fleet-wide reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. (Submitted by Jill Miller)
2008. In 2008, Sierra Club’ representative (Melissa Hope) secured KCP&L’s collaboration on the successful 2008 Missouri Clean Energy ballot initiative that required the state’s electric utilities to get 15% of their energy from renewable sources by 2021. (Submitted by Jill Miller)
2009. In 2009, Missouri Sierra Club (Melissa Hope and Energy Chair Henry Roberston) worked with KCP&L to draft the 2009 Missouri Energy Efficiency Investment Act and lobbied jointly at the Missouri legislature for passage. The Act encourages utility investment in energy efficiency programs to reduce energy demand. (Submitted by Jill Miller)
What the Chapter Means to Me, Reflections, Musings.
Being part of the Missouri Chapter of the Sierra Club means community and common purpose. I love volunteering my time and talent as we all work for a cleaner & brighter future for our state, working to overcome historical inequities as we accelerate our moving away from dirty fossil fuels towards a cleaner energy future. Being outside and enjoying the natural world around us has a multitude of benefits for the mind, body and soul; there is no price too high, time and effort-wise, to save our natural environment. I appreciate being part of the Sierra Club community working for a better future.(Submitted by Helen H. Host, PT, PhD)
At the age of 83, I am fortunate to be in good health. But I have not been active in events with the club. My most memory of Club events was squeezing lemons and selling lemonade to the public. It was a lot of work but raised enough funds to be worthwhile. I remember visiting an outing at Muny Opera in Forest Park. I can not remember the precise name of the event, but it centered around the environment. We also sold alcoholic beverages in Soulard until National authorities insisted we stop. Those were the days!!!! (Submitted by Alan Raymond)