Dear friends,
Explore. Enjoy. Protect.
These three words - the Sierra Club’s motto - are our guiding principles as we work together to safeguard our world’s environment. Now, as nations across that world reel from the coronavirus pandemic, they can still guide and reassure us.
As we modify our routines to help lessen the impact of the pandemic, we hope you can find some time to explore the outdoors, safely and mindful of others’ space. We can enjoy our experiences with others in virtual ways, sharing stories and images from your past trips, and spreading our shared love of the environment with your family and friends.
And, of course, we can still protect. Online advocacy remains an important and accessible tool for many Sierrans even while public meetings on important environmental issues are being cancelled or postponed. In North Carolina, we've got four active campaigns. Three of them are on the AddUp advocacy website, where you can "explore" many other current opportunities to speak up for the environment.
The N.C. Chapter of the Sierra Club and our state's local Groups will, for the present, confine our email communications to essential information about how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting our work and our communities. We'll post other news on our website, including this month's full issue of Footnotes Online, and share other alerts, updates and the occasional penguin video on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds.
On any day, we're grateful for Sierrans who join us in exploring the outdoors, in advocating for environmental justice, in supporting policy and political issues, and in leading sustainable and carbon-sensitive lives. We hope you will all be safe and well. We hope to see you soon.
Thanks for all you do,
Your N.C. Sierra Club staff
Speak up for the environment!
Sitting out the pandemic panic at home? You can still be an activist for our environment! We've got four online portals for you to offer comments on pressing issues in North Carolina.
You can join us in resisting "greenwashing" and protecting North Carolina woodlands by protesting a permit request for a wood pellet-making plant in Lumberton. Wood pellets are touted as a renewable fuel, but we disagree. Rather than using forest detritus, many pellet makers use clear-cut timber. And burning wood to fuel power plants is hardly a carbon-neutral practice.
You've got extra time to weigh in on proposed regulations for the use of toxic methyl bromide. This carcinogen has been banned in many countries, but may still be used in the United States as a fumigant for lumber before it's shipped overseas. An outcry from coastal communities - including some already heavily impacted by polluting businesses - put the brakes on permits to allow its use in their areas while state environmental regulators consider tough new rules. The comment period on the proposed rules has been extended to April 17, so speak up if you haven't already!
We're also working on detailed advice for commenting on the draft revision of the Pisgah and Nantahala national forest management plan. This complex document from the U.S. Forest Service will guide use of these western North Carolina forests for years to come. You can sign up now to join our campaign to protect the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests and we'll keep you up to date on the process, as well as let you know when we've prepared guidance on comments to be submitted before the May 14 deadline.
And you can join North Carolinians who attended public hearings from Graham to Asheville since the beginning of the year to speak against Duke Energy's latest rate hike attempt. Let's back them up by sending thousands of letters to the N.C. Utilities Commission to say that Duke Energy doesn't deserve to raise our rates for their dirty energy and coal ash mismanagement. Most importantly, remember to say why fair electric rates and clean energy matter to you!
NC Sierra Club at 50: A win for wilderness areas
This year, the North Carolina Sierra Club is celebrating its 50th anniversary as a chapter of the nation's oldest environmental advocacy organization.
As the year progresses, we'll occasionally share a story of some of the issues close to our - and your - hearts, those where we've had significant wins, those we are still fighting, and those that are just coming to light.
The first of these stories is from Robbie Cox (at right in photo), a longtime Sierran who is also an emeritus professor at UNC's Department of Communications. Robbie's career with the Sierra Club included three stints as president of the national organization, in 1994-96, 2000-01, and 2007-08.
Robbie's early Sierra Club activism saw him play a pivotal role in the passage of the N.C. Wilderness Act of 1984. Click here to read how and why this issue is dear to him, and how Sierrans' advocacy was essential to its success.
Indian Beach becomes 45th N.C. gov't to oppose offshore drilling
It appears to be unanimous - the last incorporated town on North Carolina's coast has said a firm "no" to offshore drilling.
Indian Beach's town commission voted unanimously last week to oppose seismic blast testing and drilling for oil and gas off the North Carolina coast. That makes it the 45th government in the state to adopt such a resolution and the last coastal municipality to do so, anti-drilling groups said.
The Bogue Banks town of Indian Beach is in Carteret County, one of four coastal counties that have yet to adopt a resolution opposing offshore drilling. The other three are Onslow, Pender and Brunswick counties.
We're deeply grateful to our coastal Sierrans, as well as our allies in the Don't Drill NC coalition, for all the hard work they've done and continue to do to fight this threat to our shore environment and communities.
National Sierra Club Elections are Underway - VOTE!
The annual election for Sierra Club’s Board of Directors is now under way.
If you're eligible to vote, you should have received a ballot in early March by mail, or digitally if you chose the electronic delivery option. This will include information on the candidates and where you can find additional information on Sierra Club’s election website.
Your participation is critical for a strong Sierra Club.
The Sierra Club is a democratically structured organization at all levels. Sierra Club requires the regular flow of views on policy and priorities from its grassroots membership in order to function well. Yearly participation in elections is a major membership obligation.
Our grassroots structure is strengthened when participation is high and provides an opportunity for members from all walks of life to have a say in what the future of the Sierra Club looks like.
Each candidate has provided a written statement about themselves and their views on the official election ballot. You can learn more by asking questions of your group and chapter leadership and other experienced members you know. You can also visit the Sierra Club’s election website for additional information.
Even if you receive your election materials in the mail, we encourage you to save time and postage by using the online voting site. If you prefer postal mail, note that your ballot must be received no later than April 22.
Upcoming Outings and Events
Please note that most in-person outings and events have been cancelled through mid-April, and more cancellations are possible. For current information on events, visit our Outings calendar.
Virtual Meeting: Thursday, March 19, Noon-1 PM
Women's Voices in the Movement for Climate Justice (WEBINAR) - Hosted by Interfaith Power & Light
This webinar will highlight the voices of women across North Carolina doing the work of faith-based climate and environmental justice. Issues discussed will include the offerings of ecowomanism to the environmental conversation, coastal health and the threats of climate change, church organizing, composting and preaching/speaking on climate, and more. Penny Hooper, a leader in the Sierra Club's Croatan Group, will participate in the discussion.
Register here to join this online discussion.