Ian Brickey (202) 675-6270, ian.brickey@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK) unveiled a list of legislative and administrative priorities for the Biden-Harris White House focused on connecting children, youth and families with the outdoors and calling on the administration to build a legacy of outdoors for all. So far, nearly a dozen environmental groups, businesses, and nonprofit organizations, including Sierra Club, REI, and the YMCA of the USA, have endorsed the document and its four topline recommendations:
-
increasing access to the outdoors to promote health and wellness for youth and families,
-
promoting outdoors education,
-
protecting and maintaining public lands, and
-
diversifying who is welcome on public lands and waters and in the outdoors.
“President Biden identified addressing climate change as a Day One priority, and the outdoors are essential to achieving that,” said Jackie Ostfeld, OAK founder and campaign director for Sierra Club’s Outdoors for All campaign. “It’s clear that the outdoors are not just a nice thing to have, but are essential to everything from a strong economy to boosting individual and community health. We can’t Build Back Better unless we build an outdoors that is truly for all.”
OAK is sending the list of priorities to the White House and is organizing a day of advocacy to mobilize supporters as part of its annual week of education and advocacy for its youth and outdoors agenda.
About the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK)
OAK is a national strategic partnership of organizations from diverse sectors with a common interest in connecting children, youth and families with the outdoors. The members of OAK are brought together by the belief that the wellness of current and future generations, the health of our planet and communities and the economy of the future depend on humans having a personal, direct and life-long relationship with nature and the outdoors. OAK brings together nearly 100 businesses and organizations, representing more than 60 million individuals to address the growing divide between children, youth and the natural world. For more information: www.outdoorsallianceforkids.org
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.