NJ Chapter Fetes Environmental Champions!
Network Offers Support for Home Electrification
By Betsy Longendorfer and Ernest Dorflinger • Building Electrification Committee
The Building Electrification Committee (BEC) of the NJ Chapter of the Sierra Club conducts monthly webinars about home electrification and also fields questions from residents. Electrification is the replacement of gas- and oil-burning home appliances. It also includes the installation of solar panels and batteries.
Trump Is Poised to Dismantle Environmental Policy
By Chris Hitchcock, Esq. • Chapter Legal Advisor
There is no sugarcoating this. Donald Trump’s reelection will lead to substantial setbacks for environmental law and the environment.
The Quest for Clean Air
By Renée Pollard • Environmental and Social Justice Committee Chair
The air is one of Earth’s most valued resources, something every living being needs for survival. But today, it is no longer as clean as it once was, and no longer free because it comes with a toll on our health.
Fashion, Fabric, and Climate
By Judith Green • Co-Chair, Climate Committee; ExCom Member, North Jersey Group
Many people fail to consider climate change and environmental pollution when shopping for clothes, yet fabric manufacturing contributes up to 8% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide, and textile dyeing ranks second in polluting our waters.
Some clothing trends are sustainable while others are deeply concerning.
Schools Show More Interest in Bus Fleet Electrification
By Bill Beren • Chair, Transportation Committee
For the fourth year in a row, the Transportation Committee brought our electric school bus campaign to school district decision makers at the annual NJ School Boards Association Workshop in Atlantic City. This year we were able to partner with Sustainable New Jersey Senior Program Manager Nancy Quirk to host a well-attended panel discussion on electric school buses.
DEP Proposes to Lengthen the Endangered List
By Tony Hagen • editor@newjersey.sierraclub.org
Under a Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) proposed rule, conservation status for this insect would be changed to endangered.
In all, 30 species would see increased concern under the proposed rule. They include butterflies, freshwater fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and land mammals.
Hiking Gertrude’s Nose in the Hudson Valley
Choosey Consumers Choose Recyclable Plastic!
Ablaze Like a Torch, Then a Crackle Underfoot
NJ Chapter Hires Energy Program Manager
NJ Chapter Congratulates Senator-Elect Andy Kim!
By Ricardo Pereira • Chapter Political Chair
The New Jersey Chapter of the Sierra Club congratulates Senator-elect Andy Kim on his victory in the November 5 General Election. This was a historic moment, as Kim is the first Asian American senator from New Jersey and the first Korean American senator in US history.
As Far as We Know, You Can’t Take It With You
By Jim Andreano • Fundraising Committee Chair
Please strengthen your commitment to the planet by helping to ensure it’s cared for after you’re gone. Create a meaningful legacy in your name with a bequest to the NJ Chapter through the Sierra Club Foundation.
We Must Reduce Our Oil Dependence
By George Moffatt • Education Chair, Jersey Shore Group
The United States produced more crude oil in 2024 than any other country.
A World of Change in a Very Short Time
By Joanne Pannone • Lifetime Sierra Club Member
The cool nights and warm days were producing bright colors in the leaves. New Jerseyans were spared the hurricanes that devastated the South, but climate change has impacted New Jersey’s biodiversity—definitely.
Chapter Members Turn Out for Turbines!
By Denise Brush and Howard Stein • Offshore Wind Committee Co-Chairs
Our Chapter’s Offshore Wind Committee was active this fall in advocacy for and education about the benefits of offshore wind for New Jersey. Committee members have attended webinars, public hearings, rallies, and community fairs.
EPA Targets Emissions at Ports and Ferry Terminals
Recent port expansions have brought more trucks, more ships, and more warehouses to the port region, meaning more diesel fumes and particulate matter in communities already suffering from high rates of breathing-related illnesses.
Driving on Sunshine
By Alina Zahra, Shloka Parikh, and Anthony Chann
The Rutgers University Solar Team, known as RU Solar, is designing, financing, and constructing its first fully in-house solar car. Solar cars are lightweight, aerodynamic vehicles that utilize solar panels as their sole source of power. They also are the focus of a series of intercollegiate racing challenges.
Club Urges NPS to Protect Thomas Edison Park
This proposal for Thomas Edison Park will have many detrimental land use impacts. Among those, it will increase impervious land cover, potentially causing flooding problems, and reduce public access to natural park area.
Jeff Rapaport: Honoring a True Climate Warrior
The North Jersey Sierra Group mourns the loss of Jeff Rapaport, a true climate warrior and an amazing human being.