Join us for an important day of advocacy and relationship-building! Conservation Education Day (CED) is your chance to meet with your state legislators face to face. We will promote bills which protect our water, air and lands, and discourage harmful bills. The goal is to have a meeting with every TN legislator, building trust and relationships.
Last year, we had a record number of participants meet with a record number of legislators. Despite the hostile political climate in DC, all but one of the TN legislators were friendly and engaged in real conversations.
There will be lobbying training and education on the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 18th, followed by meetings on Wed. Feb. 19th between 8 am and 4 pm. We will try to schedule them to fit your travel schedule.
We would love more CED participation by Sierra Club members from suburban and rural areas, since these legislators get fewer constituent visitors and they appreciate you taking your time to meet with them.
Each meeting is only about 10 minutes long, and cannot be arranged unless there will be a constituent at the meeting, so come join us by clicking below!
Anderson County leaders say they're weighing public health study over coal ash worries. "Anderson County leaders say they might go as far as commissioning a public health study of communities around the coal-fired Bull Run power plant after listening to residents who say they are deeply worried about the dangers of coal ash." Read more from Jamie Satterfield's article published Jan. 15, 2020 in the Knoxville News Sentinel. Click here to read TVA's Q&A about the Bull Run closure.
Sewage lawsuit: Environmental group says Clarksville released 24 million gallons into Cumberland over 5 years. "The suit states that overflows in violation of the permit have been reported to TDEC, with 412 violations in the past 5 years." Read more in this article in the Clarksville Leaf Chronicle by Chris Smith, published Jan. 27, 2020. (In national news, the NY Times has reported that the EPA is letting cities dump more raw sewage into rivers for years to come.)
Aquifer study cleared to continue after holdup in MLGW funding. Money for an investigation of threats to Memphis’ drinking water supply is ready to flow again, after a six-month delay. The Center for Applied Earth Science and Engineering Research (CAESER) is studying breaches in the Memphis Sand aquifer’s protective clay layer, which could expose the underground reservoir of naturally purified water to contamination. Read more from Wayne Risher's article in the Daily Memphian from Jan. 21, 2020.
1.2 million new residents expected in Middle TN by 2045. "Middle Tennessee planning officials are laying the groundwork for the next major push to address transit and congestion, this time with a greater emphasis on regional, unified planning and on transparency surrounding that process. The renewed effort comes nearly two years after the failed transit referendum in Davidson County." Keep reading here from Jamie McGee's article in The Tennessean from Jan. 30, 2020.
OPINION: Vanderbilt University leads on curbing plastic pollution. Others should follow suit. "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch floating between California and Hawaii is twice the size of Texas.. I commend my alma mater, Vanderbilt University, for its decision to eliminate the use of all single-use plastic water and soda bottles on campus. Vanderbilt estimates its decision will result in saving 1.7 million bottles during the 4-year experience of a graduating class." Read more from Steve Cohen for the Commercial Appeal on Dec. 31, 2019.
OPINION: Tennesseans should be alarmed by changes to vehicle emissions testing."Back in May 2018, then-Gov. Bill Haslam signed a law that would end a requirement for vehicle emissions testing in Tennessee.. We should be extremely alarmed at what this change could mean for the health of Tennesseans. While we may technically be meeting federal air quality standards, when you look at the statistics it becomes clear that our air is not clean enough." Read more from Lola Motley's opinion piece in The Tennessean Jan. 9, 2020.
City Council raises electric rates, looks at cutting ties with TVA. “Memphis City Council members approved a hike in electric rates Tuesday, Jan. 21, but did so with a twist. The body took a step toward possibly issuing bonds for infrastructure improvements based on the savings Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division might realize if the utility cuts ties to the Tennessee Valley Authority.” Read more from Bill Dries in the Daily Memphian from Jan. 21, 2020.
The agency that brought Appalachia electricity must focus on climate. "Recently, the TVA has been devious and unambitious in its plans for clean energy.. The agency, long dominated by a conservative engineering mindset, has gotten little pressure from Washington to move faster on the energy transition. But it is starting to get pressure from the other direction: cities that buy power wholesale and resell it to their citizens." (Memphis, for example) Read the full NY Times article by Justin Gillis & Jameson McBride from Jan. 27, 2020.
For the first time, we have an idea of what it would look like if Memphis left TVA. "In the cavernous sanctuary of First Baptist Church on Broad Avenue Thursday, a few employees of Siemens, the German industrial giant, gave Memphis a picture, for the first time, of what life outside of the TVA would look like. The 936,000-plus residents of Shelby County could save billions on their electric bills between 2025 and 2039 if Memphis leaves TVA, Siemens told a few dozen community leaders and MLGW employees." Keep reading the article from Samuel Hardiman in Memphis Commercial Appeal from Jan. 23, 2020.
Vanderbilt, NES, TVA & Silicon Ranch partner on landmark renewable energy deal. "A landmark agreement announced Wednesday between Nashville Electric Service, Vanderbilt University and the Tennessee Valley Authority will bring new, large-scale renewable energy to the Tennessee Valley through TVA’s Green Invest program. The partnership is the first of its kind under the new program, which matches demand for green power from large business and industrial customers with cost-effective renewable projects." Read the full news release here from TVA on Jan. 22, 2020.
TVA's latest long-term partnership contract cedes no ground to local power companies. "The Tennessee Valley Authority has ceded practically no ground to local power companies seeking more contract flexibility to manage increased demands for renewable energy from customers, despite requests from the local power companies." Read more by Daniel Tait for the Energy & Policy Institute, Jan. 20, 2020.
TVA's push for lengthy utility deals could set back green initiatives in TN cities. "As cities in the South start exploring ways to expand renewable energy, some are running into an obstacle that could set those plans back decades: The TVA, concerned about its income base, has started pressuring its customers to lock in long-term contracts that critics say could leave the region relying on fossil fuels for years to come." Read more by James Bruggers in the Knoxville News Sentinel from Jan. 8, 2020.
Chattanooga remains heartbeat of TVA's nuclear power future, CEO Jeff Lyash says. "Despite the loss of thousands of TVA jobs in Chattanooga over the past 4 decades, Chattanooga remains the heartbeat of TVA's single-biggest source of power and will remain one of Chattanooga's biggest employers.In a speech to the Chattanooga Rotary Club, TVA President Jeff Lyash called Chattanooga 'the nuclear heartbeat' for TVA, which is looking at ways to both develop the next generation of smaller reactors and extend the life of its existing atomic plants." Read more by Dave Flessner for the Times Free Press on Jan. 30, 2020.
You are invited to participate in the Southeast Climate Conference sponsored by the Citizens Climate Lobby/Citizens Climate Education. Attendees will learn what climate scientists are saying about the climate crisis, and what engineers are saying about our energy future. Participate in workshops about building political will to take effective action on climate change. Newcomers and experienced folks can learn together, practice skills, inspire each other, network, and strategize in moving our country toward climate solutions.
Click here to register! For additional information contact Chet Hunt at chynt51@comcast.net. The Harvey Broome Group of the TN Sierra Club Chapter will be tabling at this event along with other local and regional organizations.
This event is a great opportunity for local organizations to offer information about their missions, encourage new membership, and build a stronger network in Tennessee and the southeast region for combating climate change. Sign up here!
On behalf of the UT Law Environmental Law Organization and Native American Law Students Association, we would like to invite you to register for The Oil & Gas Pipeline Legal Conference on Friday February 28, 2020. The conference will be held at the College of Law in Room 132 from 1:30 to 4:15 PM, with lunch at 1:30 and presentations from 2:00 to 4:15.
We are offering 2 hours of CLE credit for attorneys. Attendance is $10 and CLE credit is an additional $40. Attendance is free to students. Pay at the event by cash or check. Some of the fantastic presentations include:
From Pipe Dream to Pipeline: How A Politically Connected Company Nearly Piped Away the Watery Soul of The Mojave presented by David Lamfrom, Southeast Regional Director of The National Parks Conservation Association
Protection of Indigenous Homelands in Resisting Pipelines for Profit presented by Prof. Angelique W. EagleWoman, Visiting Professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Upcoming meetings in Anderson County about Bull Run and coal ash
Thurs. February 13th at 5:30 pm Eastern 4th TVA Bull Run Community Action Group (CAG) Meeting at Oak Ridge Central Services Complex, Multipurpose Room, 100 Woodbury Lane, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hosted by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Boxed dinner will be provided.
Tuesday, February 18th at 4:00 pm Public Hearing on TVA Bull Run Coal Ash Landfill Permit and Jackson Law Proceeding at Anderson County Courthouse, Room 312, 100 North Main Street, Clinton, TN 37716. Hosted by the Anderson County Board of Commissioners.
Calling all Tri-Cities folks!
If you live in the Tri-Cities area and are interested in forming a local Sierra Club group, we are meeting at Holston Valley UU Church in Gray, TN to organize. Members of the Care NET Community Conservation Committee of TN Sierra Club will be there to share info, answer questions, and generally get the group started.
Wed., February 12th, 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church 136 Bob Jobe Road, Gray TN
We will also bring food and drinks to share, as the meeting takes place at dinner time! Contact Bobbi Smith with questions at ardia1952@yahoo.com. Bring along friends, family or coworkers who are interested!
Middle TN Sierra Social
The Sierra Social and New Member Welcome has been combined with the Middle TN Monthly Program 2nd Thursday of each month at Radnor Lake Visitor Center in Nashville. The Social and New Member Welcome will start at 6:00 pm with snacks, friends, guests, and lively conversation. The program presentation, from 7:00-8:00pm with informative, interesting guest speaker presentations each month, is located at 1160 Otter Creek Road, Oak Hill, TN 37220 . Stay tuned for a Sierra-guided hike around Radnor Lake each month before the Social, beginning in March (when daylight savings time ends). Weather permitting, we’ll meet in front of the visitor center at 5:00 pm.
Are you a Sierra member who has been receiving our bi-monthly print publication, TheTennes-Sierran? You can now opt out of getting a paper copy of the newspaper and instead receive it digitally as an email attachment. To request paperless delivery, click this link to open the form to make your paperless request.
Amplify your voice!
AddUp is an online platform debuted by the Sierra Club in 2015 that informs readers of campaigns and events locally, regionally, and nationally. It creates easy opportunities to share and grow those campaigns through social media. You can find information about our campaigns on our AddUp website. Your signature will be added to messages to your representatives and you can easily share the campaign to your social media accounts.
Kate Anthony is the incoming Chairperson for the Cherokee Group and has been a Sierra Club member since the 1990s. A lifelong activist for peace and justice causes, in retirement Kate has been focusing her efforts on environmental and conservation issues. Kate is a Quaker pacifist, and Quaker principles have always informed her work in activism and as a psychotherapist. She been a practitioner of civil disobedience since the Viet Nam war days and most recently was arrested four times in 2018 with the Poor People’s Campaign.
Having grown up in Southern California, Kate has many fond memories of backpacking in the High Sierra. She has a Masters degree in clinical social work from the University of Louisville and a Doctorate in psychology from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Kate is an avid organic gardener, working on sustainability and developing skills for self sufficiency. She and her lesbian partner of 28 years have an all-electric home in North GA powered by solar roof panels, with a mini-orchard of apricots, peaches, figs, apples, berries, and about 500 square feet of vegetable gardens, plus herb gardens, native wildflowers, and 7 laying hens.
Dear Eartha: Advice from an Eco-Guru
Dear Eartha, Some of the guys in my men’s group are birders. They cited some scary statistics about the crisis of dwindling bird populations in the world. Their concerns have me worried. What’s going on with bird extinction? What do birds do for the planet? Could we really see a world without birdsong in our near future? —Worried about the Warblers
Dear Worried, The twitter on bird depletion is no flight of fancy. I’m a big bird fan myself and joined a bird class at our local nature center a few years back. Besides their uplifting songs, birds also pollinate crops, boost tourism, and keep ecosystems in balance. But I never realized that “179 birds have gone extinct” since the 16th century, according to the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), and 90% of those were island birds, killed by “the hands or paws of invasive mammals.” Hunting and trapping killed 25% of those—how the dodo bird died off.
But a new 8-year study, published in Biological Conservation, found that birds are now dying on mainland continents, classifying 8 more species of birds as having gone extinct. Deforestation and habitat invasion are the causes, according to author Stuart Butchart and colleagues at BirdLife and the University of Cambridge. Butchart and his team posit that “the scale of impacts” humans have had on the natural environment is “pushing a whole suite of species toward extinction.”
Today, according to the TN Audubon Society website, two-thirds of North American bird species are at risk of extinction from climate change (Survival by Degrees: 389 Bird Species on the Brink).The NRDC points to the importance of keeping in place the hard-won conservation laws that the Trump administration would like to roll back, such as the 100-year old Migratory Bird Treaty Act (go online to sign the petition).
The MBTA makes it illegal to kill or injure any of the more than 1,000 bird species listed under the act which is credited as having saved the snowy egret, wood ducks, and the sandhill crane from extinction. This act is crucial as the dangers of power lines, communication towers, and oil waste ponds can kill tens of millions of birds every year.
Here are a few practical actions we can all take to reduce stressors on ecosystems that support birds:
Keep your cat indoors: cats kill more than a billion birds each year in the US and Canada!
Landscape your yard: gardens, trees, and native flowers are good for people and birds
Reduce kills from window strikes: place bird feeders at least 25 feet from your home and use window decals to prevent collisions
Drink bird-friendly coffee: buying and drinking certified bird-friendly, shade-grown coffee reduces stress on migratory bird-habitat and natural resources
Urge Congress to take action to protect birds through legal protections (See the Audubon Society and NRDC websites for more.)
Thanks for your letter, Worried. You’ve got us motivated. Yours till next time, Eartha
Got an environmental query for Eartha? Submit your question to "Dear Eartha" via Enews.SierraTN@gmail.com
This rotund, short-legged bird is most active at dawn and dusk. With its long straight beak, it forages lowlands in wooded areas and blends into the habitat.
The woodcock's large eyes are situated above its ears, which allows it to watch for predators while its beak is in the ground foraging for food.
Males perform aerial mating flights in which he gives several nasal peents before flying high into the air. During the ascent his wings make a twittering sound and he chirps continuously before spiraling to the ground to repeat the display. Females often begin laying eggs by late February.
Now an obsolete name, the woodcock used to be known as the "timberdoodle."
Put your technical skills to good use by building your resume and supporting a great cause – join the Digital Strategies Team!
Sierra Club uses several world-class tech platforms to help volunteers and Groups in the Tennessee Chapter deliver our conservation messages. We use Salesforce to maintain membership records, and Marketing Cloud to produce and distribute our newsletters. Our websites are maintained using the Drupal CMS. We use Zoom for video conferencing.
Here's a chance for you or someone you know to apply or learn skills with these systems. It's a few hours per month and we provide support. You'll use the systems and provide support for our members. Click below to check out our recruiting page!
We are the Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club, the world’s oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization. With over 3.8 million members and supporters, the Sierra Club has the resources to empower people and to influence public policy through community activism, public education, lobbying, and litigation.
Our mission is to Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet.
