Welcome!
Since 1892, the Sierra Club has been working to protect communities, open spaces, and the planet itself. We are the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States with 3.8 million members and supporters. Sierra Club Ohio started in 1968 and represents more than 125,000 members and supporters throughout Ohio. Our Organization advocates for environmental and social justice, energy efficiency, public transit, protecting Ohio’s forests and state parks, preserving water resources, and transition to a 21st-century economy through the creation of good-paying, long-standing green jobs. Below you will find an introduction to our campaign focused teams and where to find contact information for statewide staff.
Land Acknowledgement
The Sierra Club acknowledges the Indigenous peoples of the land we live on in Ohio including the Erie, Hopewell, Lenape (Delaware), Myaamia (Miami), Mississauga, Osage, Ottawa, Potawatomi, Shawanwaki/Shawnee, Wyandot, and other Great Lakes Tribes (Chippewa, Kickapoo, Wea, Pinakahsw, and Kaskashia). Through colonialism, Indigenous peoples were forcefully removed from their land to accommodate white settlers. The Sierra Club recognizes the genocidal history and land theft of Native inhabitants. We are grateful of those who lived here before us along with the many Indigenous peoples who call Ohio home.
Active Campaigns and Teams: Areas you can get involved with right now!
Beyond Coal: From mining to burning to waste disposal, there’s nothing clean about coal. The Beyond Coal campaign seeks to retire all coal plants in the U.S. and replace them entirely with sources of renewable energy. In Ohio, more coal plants have retired or been announced for retirement than any other state in the country. We organize Ohioans to build grassroots power to replace coal with renewable energy--seeking an equitable and just transition in our communities, and also advocating for programs to reduce energy waste.
Fighting Oil and Gas: Ohio has the nation's largest population negatively impacted by oil and gas. The Ohio Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign works to limit and stop fracked gas and oil infrastructure. Our team is building a unified movement of volunteers and partners to take on the oil and gas industry and interrelated issues by centering fence-line and impacted communities. We are grounded in our organizational and team values to build relationships and uplift communities' voices to improve policy and shift the power structure into communities to build a democratic, transparent, thriving, and transformational future for all.
Environmental and Social Justice: Sierra Club Ohio has started this team to support and develop an Environmental and Social Justice (ESJ) movement in Ohio. This is a newer committee dedicated to creating inclusive environments with a broad spectrum of people. Environmental and Social Justice connects to all we do within the Sierra Club, and our focus is to have this committee be at the center of our campaigns, procedures, and practices. (webpage to come!)
Legislative Action: The Legislative Committee meets regularly to review, analyze and track pending statewide legislation, to provide regular updates and other communications to the statewide Conservation Committee and to our members, to help develop the Ohio Sierra Club’s legislative priorities, and to recommend actions related to pending statewide legislation. Members of the Legislative Committee also help to build and establish relationships with legislators and other elected officials, and ensure that they are educated about our members' legislative priorities.
Politics and Elections: The Political Committee contributes to the Sierra Club’s objectives by helping elect politicians who seek to protect our resources and natural heritage. Our work is tightly integrated with both national and local conservation priorities. In 2022, we will be encouraging our volunteers to engage with endorsed candidate campaigns.
Ready for 100% Clean Energy: Ready For 100 is a national movement with a vision of resilient and healthy communities powered by 100% clean, renewable energy. We work with cities and towns to achieve an equitable and just transition to 100% clean, renewable energy for all. Learn more about our overall clean energy campaigns here!
Statewide Plastics: The Ohio Plastics Campaign focuses on reducing the use of unnecessary single-use plastic items and managing plastic waste. We know plastic pollution is an environmental crisis and a public health crisis- the impacts are felt everywhere, but particularly by fenceline, low-income, and communities of color. Through coalition building, volunteer engagement, and legislative actions we seek change. We work to call out false solutions, shine the light on research linking plastics to environmental and human health impacts, push for corporations to take responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their product, support zero waste efforts and a circular economy, and address the injustices associated with the status quo of a take-make-waste society. Check out our latest actions on AddUp.
Water: The Clean Water Campaign focuses on advocating for habitat preservation and protection of freshwater systems in Ohio through regulatory oversight, volunteer engagement, and education and participation on water policy issues. Check out our latest actions on AddUp.
Young Environmental Leaders: Sierra Club Ohio is developing a community of Young Environmental Leaders throughout the state of Ohio for a focus on rejuvenating a younger generation into the Sierra Club Ohio community. This will provide opportunities for coordination of Ohio environmental justice campaigns, learning and training activities, efforts to grow leadership from the ground up, and offer a space for individuals to have personal growth and explore becoming environmental champions!
Learn more about our staff working in these areas on the page here.