As we all deal with a global pandemic with COVID-19, we wanted to let you know how the Sierra Club is adapting and responding so we can keep doing the important work of helping our communities, protecting our natural and human environment and fighting for a just, clean energy future.
April 2020 Newsletter
This month's newsletter covers COVID-19 news, ideas for keeping busy and active, non-COVID news updates, and some light-hearted information that reminds us it is, after all, springtime in beautiful Tennessee!
Inside this Edition: click on the link below to jump to the section
The Sierra Club is full of Explorers - it’s in our Mission - but we’re also committed to Protecting the planet and the people who live here.
In the face of the Covid-19 Coronavirus, there is a delicate balance between these values. Across the nation, everyone who is able is being asked to physically isolate themselves from others. This doesn’t always explicitly mean that we need to lock ourselves inside our homes - and there are good reasons and opportunities to get outside - but we need to be mindful of our effects on our neighbors every time we make the decision to step outside of our doors.
Important Note about upcoming scheduled events:
In the interest of public safety, Sierra Club events through April 12 will not be conducted in-person. All events before April 12 will be canceled, rescheduled, or will be done virtually. Events planned for after that are considered tentative, and it is very unlikely that the May and probably June Program meetings will be held. We will follow the guidance provided by the Sierra Club national office regarding holding in-person meetings. Some Groups are holding Ex-Com meetings via electronic platforms. If you would like to attend, contact your Group Chair. To find out the status of a meeting, check our webpage and scroll down to the Events Calendar.
COVID-19 & Environmental News
EPA suspends enforcement of environmental laws amid coronavirus. "The EPA issued a sweeping suspension of its enforcement of environmental laws Thursday, telling companies they would not need to meet environmental standards during the coronavirus outbreak. The temporary policy, for which EPA has set no end date, would allow any number of industries to skirt environmental laws.. Cynthia Giles, who headed EPA's Office of Enforcement during the Obama administration, called it a moratorium on enforcing the nation's environmental laws and an abdication of EPA's duty." Read more by Rebecca Beitsch - The Hill - March 26, 2020.
Majority of Smokies National Park closes. “The Great Smoky Mountains National Park closed to visitors at noon Tuesday [ March 24 ] in an unprecedented move to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Most areas of the park will remain closed through April 6, officials announced. Only Foothills Parkway and the Spur, a stretch of U.S. Highway 441 that serves as the main road connecting Gatlinburg to Pigeon Forge, will stay open. A section of 441, which cuts through the park from the southern edge of Gatlinburg to North Carolina, will be closed." Read full article by Karen Chávez for the Asheville Citizen Times - March 24 2020.
Coronavirus response proves the world can act on climate change. “In the past few weeks, governments around the world have enacted dramatic measures to mitigate the threat of COVID-19… At this point, the policy changes required to mitigate climate change appear far less disruptive — economically, socially and culturally — than the measures being taken right now to tackle COVID-19… When the dust of COVID-19 settles, we should look back at this moment as proof that our societies are not enslaved to fate, and find strength in the demonstrated ability of modern societies to react to global emergencies.” Full article from Eric Galbraith and Ross Otto for The Conversation on March 19, 2020.
After Coronavirus, the world will never be the same. But maybe, it can be better. “Life has changed a lot in the past few days, weeks, or months, depending where you live. As efforts to contain the novel coronavirus ramp up, it’s likely going to change even more... But what if life never fully goes back to how it was pre-coronavirus?.. More importantly—or, at least, more optimistically—what if the world could come out of this crisis better than it was before? ‘Now is the time when we need to think about what we would like the new world to look like, and start planning for it and building it,’ Metzl said.” Read or Listen to full article (Audio available) by Vanessa Bates Ramirez for Singularity Hub on March 22, 2020.
'Out in the dark': Coronavirus highlights internet access inequality in Tennessee. "During an unprecedented time when people are urged to work from home, receive health care online and stay indoors as much as possible, having a reliable internet connection may be more important than ever. Yet hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans are living unconnected during the coronavirus pandemic that has turned the world upside down."Read more from Travis Dorman - Knoxville News Sentinel - March 29, 2020.
Check out these activities and opportunities to stay active (or activist!) while social distancing
Urge your local utility to 'Round It Up'!
By JoAnn McIntosh
Sierra Club TN Chapter is urging the state’s 82 local power companies (LPCs) to develop opt-out “round it up” programs before a new state law restricts their ability to do so at the end of 2020. Such programs would automatically round customers’ bills up to the nearest dollar unless the customer chooses to opt out of the program. LPCs with opt-out programs have a 50-85% participation rate (as opposed to 1.5-5% participation for opt-in programs) and are able to raise millions of dollars for charitable purposes such as energy efficiency upgrades for low-income communities.
The program’s cost per customer would be less than $12/year, but the millions of dollars generated could provide a means to vastly reduce people’s utility bills, create jobs, and stimulate local economies. They’re the cheapest way to retire polluting energy sources and reduce greenhouse gases. Plus, they provide LPCs an opportunity to help their customers help each other.To assist the Chapter’s effort by contacting your LPC, please sign up here!
International City Nature Challenge
by Mac Post [edited]
With social distancing continuing for the foreseeable future, the iNaturalist City Nature Challenge 2020 is a fun way to get outside and explore, provided you do so responsibly and at a safe distance from others. The City Nature Challenge, held during April 24-27, is an international bioblitz competition between cities across the world to see who can observe the most wildlife in a 4-day period. Cities compete for the most observations, species documented, and people engaged.
There is a friendly competition among the 4 Tennessee cities that have registeredfor the competition. See each city’s project requirements by visiting their link: Chattanooga, Knox County, Johnson City, Nashville.
How to participate: download the iNaturalist mobile app (free), create an account, and start recording your observations and contributing to science. iNaturalist allows you to keep track of your nature observations, crowd-source identifications, learn about nature, createuseful data for science, and become a community scientist.
iNaturalist is a joint initiative of the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society. Findings are shared with scientific data repositories to help scientists find and use the data.
Help us make great programs!
What program would you like to see?
Sinclaire Sparkman, Program Chair, would like to hear your ideas for interesting programs for the Middle Tennessee Group. Maybe the speaker is someone you know or heard at another event. Maybe it's one of our previous speakers or a new idea to consider. Look through our past programs for inspiration.
Sinclaire will make the necessary contacts and set up the program. Then come and enjoy the program with us. We have a social hour before the program where you can meet and talk with the presenter and others interested in conservation and environment.
For years Sierra Club has been asking us to show up. Now Sierra Club is asking us to sit on our couches. We can do this.
With COVID-19, unlike with climate change and environmental contamination, Trump’s selfish, ignorant denial will have immediate, terrifying, and lethal consequences. COVID-19 experts not working for re-election all agree: without a comprehensive U.S. testing, tracking, and isolation system, only social distancing and lockdowns can save not just our economy, but millions of lives.
But time is fast slipping away. President Trump’s and Governor Lee’s chaotic coronavirus policies and preparations are frighteningly inadequate. They’re the way to cause, not prevent, panic, shutdowns, an economic crash, and unimaginable human suffering and death.
Tell them so! Contact President Donald J. Trump (email or 202-456-1111) or Governor Bill Lee (email or 615-741-2001). The Protect My Care Physicians’ Petition sends messages to Gov. Lee and Lieut. Gov. Randy McNally.
New York Times Opinion: "Trump Wants to ‘Reopen America.’ Here’s What Happens if We Do." By Nicholas Kristof and Stuart A. Thompson, March 25, 2020.
If you must venture out during COVID-19, here's how to do it: Outdoor Social Distancing 101. "How does one go outside yet at the same time completely avoid people? Recommendations from experts are clear: Avoid any crowds and keep the adventure as small and hyper-local as possible. That means exercising common sense and courtesy—tools supposedly emphasized by this new practice of social distancing.Read more
Ride out the coronavirus in your backyard, not the backcountry. "...Public health officials and elected leaders say the best practice is to hike locally. But in the past week, visitors have also overrun beaches as well as city, county, and state parks. This has, in turn, spurred closures of some local parks." Read more
Stuck at home? Visit these 5 national parks online. If you’re cooped up at home alone, or already getting sick of your kids or your partner, "The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks” is a satisfying escape. Whether you spend 5 minutes on the site or an hour, it’s an important reminder that the world is still beautiful and wonderful and weird, even in uncertain times. Each tour begins with a video introducing the viewer to the park and to your ranger guide. Then a series of highly interactive 360-degree videos immerse you in noteworthy spots while the ranger explains the area’s natural history. Read more
Learn about birds! Four digital tools to help birders learn, locate, ID, and connect. Here’s everything you need to learn about, identify, and locate birds this spring—and how to connect with fellow birders too. The best part is, all 4 of the following birding tools are available at your fingertips. Read more
Although our legislature failed to acknowledge the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the Sierra Club has compiled a series of essays and photos to look back on the power of this grassroots effort. We asked activists, authors, and organizers to share their remembrances of the original Earth Day and their aspirations for what Earth Day might become—I think you’ll be surprised by what they offered. Sierra Club members can read the articles digitally in Sierra Magazine.
2020 Interim Tennessee Legislative Report. "This was a very abbreviated session. It would have been short anyhow due to it being an election year, but it was cut even shorter due to the COVID-19 virus. The General Assembly recessed on March 19 and is scheduled to return for unfinished business on June 1. We won some and lost some, but we didn’t let anything terribly bad get by us." Keep reading Scott Banbury's Interim Report on the TN Chapter's Blog.
Virtual Public Meetings Present Challenge. "One of the great challenges to public participation that has arisen with the spread of the COVID 19 virus, and subsequent restrictions on group assemblies, is how to conduct essential public business without meeting face to face in groups of more than 10 people. Since most governing bodies include more than 10 officials, Governor Lee issued Executive Order No. 16 which encourages state agencies and boards, as well as local governments, to conduct meetings online, without abandoning the principles of Open Government. The Murfreesboro Daily News Journal recently covered the approaches that several local governments have taken to conform to the Governor’s order." Read more By Scott Banbury on the TN Chapter's blog.
League of Conservation Voters Releases 2019 National Scorecard. "The League of Conservation Voters released the 2019 National Environmental Scorecard this week. Since 1970, the Scorecard has been the primary yardstick for evaluating the environmental records of members of Congress and is comprised of key congressional votes on climate change, energy, public health, public lands, wildlife conservation and democracy. The 2019 Scorecard is available for download here, in Spanish here, and online at scorecard.lcv.org."
Georgia is leading in solar job growth; Tennessee is lagging behind. “Georgia is finding its place in the sun, leading all states last year in the growth rate of solar jobs, according to the National Solar Jobs Census prepared by the Solar Foundation. Georgia added a net 1,102 solar jobs during 2019, boosting the state's solar-related employment to 4,798 jobs. But while solar jobs grew nearly 30% last year in Georgia — and 2.3% nationwide — employment in the solar industry declined in 16 states, including Tennessee, the study shows." Article by Dave Flessner for the Times Free Press, Feb. 29, 2020.
OPINION: The Restore Our Parks Act is vital to Smokies, local economy.“N ews of a record-breaking number of visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is something business owners like us should celebrate. In 2019 the park had 12.5 million visitors. That’s an increase of more than a million from the previous year. Those visitors travel through our towns, spend money at local restaurants and hotels and inject millions of dollars into our economy… However, as the Smokies have become more popular, the National Park Service has struggled to keep pace with the wear and tear caused by all those tourists.” Read more from Ian and Charity Rutter- Guest columnists - Knox News - March 10, 2020.
Byhalia Connection pipeline plan sparks intense reactions. “Representatives of the proposed Byhalia Connection pipeline have spent recent months assuring landowners, environmentalists, elected officials and the public they’ll go above and beyond federal standards for building and operating the pipeline...The Sierra Club regards the pipeline as unnecessary and a threat to the environment, said Scott Banbury, conservation program coordinator." Read more by Wayne Risher - Daily Memphian - March 2, 2020.
How Death and Disaster Followed the Shale Gas Boom in Appalachia. "In the past decade, fracking has contributed to the deaths of more than a thousand people and the emission of more than a thousand tons of carbon dioxide in the Appalachian Basin. The Marcellus Shale formation is a rich source of natural gas extracted by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in the Appalachian region." Article by Ritoban Mukherjee in Eos, 101published on Feb. 27, 2020.
Tennessee submits request asking EPA to end vehicle emissions testing in Hamilton, four other counties. “The effort to end mandatory vehicle emissions testing programs in Hamilton County and four Middle Tennessee counties took a major step this week after state officials submitted scientific documents to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in hopes of winning approval... Scott Banbury with the Sierra Club's Tennessee Chapter said if Tennessee's request is approved, it could create problems for Hamilton, Rutherford and the other counties." F ull article by Andy Sher -Times Free Press - Feb. 28th, 2020.
Students from South Knoxville schools caught salamanders as part of a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. Knoxville.
You should already have received your ballot in the mail for the 2020 Sierra Club Board election. All ballots - online or mailed - must be received by noon EDT, Wednesday, April 22. The TN Chapter recommends a vote for the following candidates for the Sierra Club’s Board of Directors:
Ramon Cruz
Rita Harris
Igor Tregub
Sierra Club rules require a 5% participation for a valid Board election, so please participate! See your ballot for how to vote. If you can’t find your ballot envelope or email, check your Spam or Promotions folder. Ballots were delivered by either postal service mail or via email in early March. While electronic ballots are quickly delivered, snail mail can take 2 to 3 weeks.
If by early April you have not received your ballot and election packet, please contact Huda Fashho in the Member Care Office in Oakland, CA at (415) 977-5587 or huda.fashho@sierraclub.org.
Events
TN Chapter Spring Retreat Canceled
by Mac Post, TN Chapter Chair [edited]
Amidst the ongoing circumstances surrounding COVID-19 and with guidance from Sierra Club operations, we have decided to cancel our Spring Retreat, which was to be held in May at Booker T. Washington State Park. This was a difficult decision to make, but is what we believe to be the most responsible course given the uncertainty we are navigating. For the next few months protecting our families, communities, and ourselves is the highest priority and we have a social responsibility to be good actors.
Please join us for our next TN Chapter retreat October 23-25, 2020 at Pickett CCC Memorial State Park. This will be a fun filled retreat with hikes, youth activities, and outings leader trainings at a great time to enjoy autumn in the Cumberland Mountains!
Southeast Climate Conference Rescheduled
August 22-23, 2020 Knoxville, TN
The Citizen’s Climate Lobby’s Southeast Climate Conference in Knoxville has been rescheduled for August 22-23, 2020. It was originally scheduled for March 28-29. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for additional reminders.
Dear Eartha, As coronavirus infection numbers shoot up, I’m feeling fear and dread creeping into my brain. I’m online most of the day with work and kids’ assignments. Can you offer some ways to ground myself offline, in real time during the COVID-19 pandemic? –Back to Nature Wannabe
Dear B2N Wannabe, Absolutely, I’ve got you! Remember, we are in this together. These are eerie times. Doing natural acts will produce grounding, peaceful feelings immediately. All of these are also kid friendly.
If you have house plants, get close to them. Bring them to your kitchen to really nurture them: prune dead leaves, water, & repot if rootbound. Let them hang out in the kitchen sink. Soak up the natural energy and green vitality of your houseplants, then return them to their spots around the house.
Be in the present moment with nature, no earbuds or music, if only for 20 minutes. If you have yard space or containers on a patio, get your hands into more dirt. Pull weeds, plant flowers or herbs – it is spring after all! Feel the breeze against your skin and sun on your face. Take a walk and stop along the way to stand under a shower of cherry or apple blossom confetti and smell the fragrance in the air. Or walk briskly noticing your amazing body pulsing, lifting, pushing as your breath quickens. Just being outdoors can be incredibly peaceful if you listen to yourself.
Bake or cookdelicious healthy food from scratch. The Bon Appetit, NYTimes, and Martha Stewart sites are a few of my favorites. If baking stresses you out, try the No Knead Bread recipe or another easy classic, like chocolate chip cookies or French toast. The idea is to be in the present moment nurturing yourself and your loved ones through the joy of slow cooking.
Make something creative with your hands, like embroidery, Soul Collaging (google it!), or knitting, needlepoint, or crochet. Perhaps put on soothing music and practice breathing & staying in the moment with your activity.
Play with your pets! Get out that laser pen for your kitty or roll around with your dog. Have you ever noticed when you sit on the floor to meditate that your pets come around to be with you? You may not want them to – Watch out! Don’t knock over my candle! – yet they want to be with you on their level.
While you’re on the ground, practice restorative yoga – go slowly, listen to your body and your breath. What are they telling you to do? Maybe just lying on your mat or rug listening to the traffic or the neighbor's wind-chimes or the purr of the dishwasher can all be incredibly restorative. Notice what you hear and breathe into that sound. No need to change anything. Nowhere to go, nothing to do, no one to be.
Stay safe. Hope these ideas help. Eartha
Got an environmental query for Eartha? Submit your question to "Dear Eartha" via Enews.SierraTN@gmail.com
"‘Kay’s Appalachian Mist’ is among the flowering dogwood cultivars developed and released by UT Institute of Agriculture researchers. It's resistant to powdery mildew and features beautiful white flowers event on young trees." Photo by A. Windham, courtesy UTIA.
The delightful Dogwood is eager to bloom once Spring arrives. This small, native tree sports showy flowers in white or pink. Mature trees can grow up to 15 m tall.
While the fruit of flowering dogwood is poisonous to humans, it is valuable food for wildlife due to the high calcium and fat content. A variety of birds and animals eat the seeds, while beaver, rabbits, and deer browse the leaves & sprouts.
In the late 1940s, a magazine writer visiting from New York wrote that Knoxville was the “ugliest city” he had ever visited in America. In response, Knoxvillians planted scores of Dogwoods in the city and created 80 miles of walking trails. Each spring, Knoxville now celebrates this tree which helped beautify the city with the Dogwood Arts Festival that incorporates arts, music, and nature. (This year’s event is indefinitely postponed, so go ahead and enjoy the Dogwoods in bloom at your own convenience!)
The Sierra Club TN chapter needs someone to take over fundraising for the Sierra Club Defenders of Tennessee, our lobbying program for the Tennessee State Legislature. We have a lobbyist who represents us, and his salary needs to be funded. The work can all be done from home. If you are interested in the position, please contact Sherry Loller and she will email you information about what the work entails. You can contact Sherry at sherryloller@hotmail.com at 615-889-2968.
Got digital skills to share?
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 while working with great people and gaining skills.
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, open this form to make your request.
Who We Are
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.
