General Election Dates Election: November 3 Absentee Ballot request deadline: October 27 Early Voting: Oct. 14 – Oct. 29
There is so much at stake in this election, from global warming and energy policy, to human rights and strengthening our democracy. It's not just the presidency – it's also about our local representatives, policies that affect our daily lives, and who controls the Senate. Every election is determined by the people who show up, so itis crucial that we vote in high numbers. Make sure your registration is up-to-date and View a sample ballot here to see what candidates will be on the ballot in your district for Senate, Congress, or local races. You may have a local referendum to vote on, so do a separate search for a sample ballot in your county or city in order to preview ordinances.
While you're at it, take a minute to protect mail-in voting by defending the Postal Service! Join the SierraRise campaign and write to your senators here.
Elections have consequences, and voting is one tool of many needed to create change. A better future and more livable planet is in reach if we all vote.
Political Updates
Record-setting early vote numbers across Tennessee. "Less than a week into early voting, more than a million people have voted in the state... There is around a 47 percent increase of in-person and absentee by-mail voters compared to 2016, and each county in the state has reported higher numbers. Read article - WBIR Staff - Oct. 21, 2020. Editor's Note: Keep voting, Tennessee!
The day the climate crisis finally became a debate topic. The moment came one hour and 13 minutes into the first 2020 presidential debate, when Fox News anchor Chris Wallace said, “I think the American people would like to hear about more substantial subjects—you know, I’d like to talk about climate change.” Read a reflection on the watershed moment by Sierra magazine editor, Jason Mark - Sept. 30, 2020.
EPA may violate courts with new rule extending life of unlined coal ash ponds. "The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will allow utilities to store toxic waste from coal in open, unlined pits — a move that may defy a court order requiring the agency to close certain types of so-called coal ash ponds that may be leaking contaminants into water ... Environmental groups have already pledged to sue over the Friday rule, which will allow unlined pits to continue operating so long as companies can demonstrate using groundwater monitoring data that the pond is unlikely to leak." Keep reading article by Rebecca Beitsch - The Hill - Oct. 16, 2020.
100 members of Congress are ready to THRIVE! We've reached a milestone in our efforts to pass the THRIVE Resolution: In just over a month, 100 members of Congress have signed onto this Green New Deal-aligned recovery plan to put 16 million people back to work building an economy that advances climate, economic, and racial justice. But we need at least 25 more cosponsors, and chances are at least one of your members of Congress still hasn't signed on. Help us reach 125 cosponsors!
Meet the climate justice influencers. In 2020, Instagram turned 10 years old. Of its 1 billion active users, 60% are under the age of 35 (Statista 2020). The estimated average amount of daily use is 28 minutes (Emarketer 2019). Read about the young influencers who are using their voice to spread environmentalism and envision a future that is intersectional and cares for all people. Read article by Madeleine Gregory - Sierra - Oct. 8, 2020.
"Intersectional environment is the future." Article by Hannah Peirera - The Sustainabilist - Aug. 26, 2020.
Tennessee News
Oak Ridge, Tennessee, site cleans up 75-year waste legacy. In the largest completed cleanup project in Department of Energy history, "the federal government has spent more than $4.5 billion to demolish what was once the largest building in the world and remove and remediate tons of radioactive and chemical wastes left by the World War II-era complex. In its place, Gov. Bill Lee said, he hopes the East Tennessee Technology Park will serve as an incubator for the next phase of development in Oak Ridge, including a general aviation airport, a national park with a history museum and a nature preserve." Read more by Dave Flessner - Times Free Press - Oct. 13, 2020.
The TVA’s slower pace toward renewable energy weakens Nashville’s future, report finds. "The report suggests Nashville and communities in seven southeast states could suffer economically if the TVA doesn’t speed up its energy transition...'There is no reason why TVA’s commitment to decrease greenhouse gas emissions should lag behind those of other utilities in other regions,' said Nashville-based George Nolan, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. 'At the very least, TVA should keep pace with its peers, and ideally TVA should be a national leader.'” Full story by James Bruggers - InsideClimateNews - Oct. 14, 2020.
Tennessee startup finding the best places in the sun to help battle global warming. "Clearloop, a startup company that former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen started with two of his former aides, determined that West Tennessee offered the best combination of affordable land for a solar array, maximum power generation from the sun and the most displacement of fossil fuel generation." Read full article by Dave Flessner -Times Free Press - Oct. 12, 2020.
"Volkswagen's 65-acre solar farm built by Silicon Ranch stretches to the north from its main buildings at the automotive factory campus. Bredesen, who started Silicon Ranch in 2011 and has quickly grown the company into one of the South's biggest builders of solar farms, added Clearloop to his business portfolio this year to aid smaller and startup companies find ways to use solar energy to cut their carbon footprint."Staff Photo by Tim Barber, Times Free Press.
Bull Run Neighbors Group Presses TVA for True Community Engagement
By Todd Waterman, Harvey Broome Group [edited]
In July, the Bull Run Neighbors grassroots community group boycotted TVA’s “Open House” because it allowed no live interaction. Rather, the event consisted of a one-way virtual placard and a video tour. The topic was repurposing the coal-ash-contaminated Bull Run Fossil Plant’s site after it closes in 2023. Some of us had publicly dubbed TVA’s rosy vision “Disneyland on a pile of poison.” In August, Bull Run Neighbors hosted its own richly-interactive community Zoom meeting to discuss TVA’s vision. TVA skipped it, but 55 people joined in, most calling on TVA to remove the millions of tons of coal ash it wants to cap and abandon in place, including a wet ash pond jutting into the reservoir from which thousands of locals drink.
The meeting was wrenching for activist Julie Bledsoe. Julie’s husband Ron and his two brothers, denied protection as Kingston cleanup workers, had long been sick. One, Doug, had died the night before. Julie angrily dismissed the assurances of Chuck Head, the TDEC official who had promised they’d protect Tennesseans from TVA’s coal ash: TDEC had “looked the other way” when Kingston workers were poisoned by coal ash.
Publicity from the meeting prompted TVA to make clarifications, which Bull Run Neighbors soon publicly accepted, that local drinking water intake tests had thus far only appeared to show unsafe coal ash contamination. But across the nation, as at Bull Run, 91% of coal ash sites are already contaminating groundwater. At TVA’s retired Allen Plant in Memphis, and by court order in Gallatin and throughout North Carolina, coal ash is being safely excavated.
On September 24, TVA hosted a second virtual Open House – this time adding an interactive, if amusingly bungled, Q&A. Perhaps they're learning that communication is a two-way street, and that one-way PR strategies can’t build public trust.
Bull Run and fusion reactor. Photo credit: Todd Waterman
More Newsy Stuff
View the oral history of Aaron Mair, first African-American president of the Sierra Club. Berkeley Library's Oral History Center contains a vast collection of interview transcripts with notable figures both living and past. It includes a section of Sierra Club individuals which you can browse for free. Check out Mair's oral history here (click View Transcript for full interview).
Prepare now for your pandemic winter. Your future self will thank you. "The pandemic means we're probably going to be spending even more time indoors, so it's a good time to get your mind, body, and home ready to hunker down."Read full article by Rachel Miller for Vice - Sept. 9, 2020.
7 socially distant Halloween ideas for families and kids in Tennessee. "Halloween might look different this year in some places, but that doesn’t mean kids have to miss out on the fun. First, consider the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for minimizing risks, which includes opting for events that are virtual, outdoor, shorter, smaller and as local as possible." Read more by Ashley Brantley - Oct. 1, 2020.
Enviro-couture. Inspired by everyday people fighting for the environment, the Sierra Club x Parks Project collection recently launched a line of apparel. With loungewear both comfy and cute, the collection underscores the importance of combating climate change through voting and expanding green energy. The Parks Project gives 10 percent of every purchase back to the Sierra Club! Shop the collection.
Aaron Mair is photographed at the Sierra Club's office in Albany, New York, November 2018. Source: “Aaron Mair: Sierra Club President 2015-2017, on Heritage, Stewardship, and Environmental Justice” conducted by Roger Eardley-Pryor in 2018, Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 2020.
Sierra Club Ex-Com Voting Begins
Vote electronically or by paper ballot before Dec. 15th
While you're in the spirit of voting, cast your ballot for Chapter and Group Ex-Com members! Sierra Club members should have recently received the Nov/Dec issue of the Tennes-Sierran which contains paper ballots and biographies of each candidate. Members can mail in their paper ballot (must be received no later than Dec. 15) or vote electronically. For detailed instructions, see our helpful voting guide (linked below) on the Chapter website, including an instructional video about how to submit a paper ballot by our very own News Team Managing Editor, Sinclaire Sparkman! Voting begins November 1st.
Important Note: The Sierra Club's Safety Management Team is requiring that we not hold in-person meetings until March 1, 2021. This means that the Winter Chapter Retreat formerly scheduled for Jan. 29-31 at Cedars of Lebanon State Park is canceled. The Chapter Ex-Com will meet virtually Jan. 30, 2021.
Transboundary Water Conflict and Cooperation. Hosted by UT Knoxville's Baker Center, this virtual forum will feature Dr. Sojeong Lee discussing water-related violence and conflict at various levels in the modern world. Event scheduled for Oct. 30 at 10:00-11:00 am ET. Use this Zoom link to participate.
HBG virtual program: Tales from the Wonderland Trail. You don’t want to miss this talk by Harvey Broome Group member Joan Tomlinson about her adventure on the "Blue Jay" trail. Register using this Campfire Link and you will be sent the connection information a week in advance. Event scheduled for Nov. 10th at 7:00 pm ET.
Lunch & Learn: Let's Go Zero Waste! Join Chattanooga nonprofit green|spaces for their monthly virtual Lunch & Learn. This month, it is all about reduce, reuse, recycle and going zero waste! Speakers include Ryan Bailey, VP of Finance and Operations at The Bailey Company, the first TRUE certified zero waste company in Tennessee, and Vaughn Cassidy, an Environmental Consultant with TDEC's Office of Policy and Sustainable Practices. Event scheduled for Wed. Nov. 11th at 12 pm ET / 11 am Central.Reserve your spot here.
Mini-documentary on TN's First Superfund Site. Watch Bard Cole's "Hollywood: Legacy of a Memphis Dump." The documentary is followed by panel discussion featuring Protect Our Aquifer's Jim Kovarik, University of Memphis’ Brian Waldron, Memphis City Councilwoman Michalyn Easter-Thomas, and Sierra Club’s Scott Banbury. Watch for free on Youtube (27 min watch).
CareNET meetings open to all. The CareNET group includes residents from Grainger, Greene, Hancock, and Hawkins counties. Next meetings will be held in Rogersville on November 5, December 3, and January 7 at 5:00 pm.
Special Features
Dear Eartha: Advice from an Eco-Guru
Dear Eartha,
I know that light pollution prevents most of the world from actually seeing the stars. Since we can’t see it for real, my 5-year-old son has a star-chart ceiling that replicates the night sky. I recently heard about “Dark Sky” places that exist in the world. What’s the benefit of this and how do I find out more? —Miss Dancing with the Real Stars
Dear Miss Dancing,
You’re so right that most of us never get to see those starry skies that I’m told are still up there. But guess what? We have our very own Dark Sky Park in Tennessee! An organization called the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) has designated Pickett State Park as a protected place for outdoor conservation that provides “good outdoor lighting” and “dark sky programs.” I wanted to know more, so I drove to Pickett CCC Memorial State Park in Pickett County, Tennessee, just north of Jamestown.
Pickett State Park is one of 130 certified International Dark Sky Places (IDSPs) in the world! While paddling our canoes on Arch Lake, I spoke to a woman who said she thought she’d have to travel to New Zealand to find a Dark Sky place. How fortunate that there is one in our own state! But what’s the benefit? According to IDA’s website, the negative effect of light upon ecosystems is related to plants’ and animals’ (humans too) dependence upon “Earth’s daily cycle of light and dark rhythms” which impact “reproduction, nourishment, sleep, protection from predators,” and nocturnal ecology. Artificial light disrupts everything from prey species using darkness as cover to amphibians’ nighttime croaking which is part of their breeding ritual.
A few specific ecosystems disrupted by light pollution include sea turtles, bird species, and insects’ “fatal attraction” to artificial light. Other trouble areas are outdoor light costs to communities through the impact of energy use. The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has published interesting studies on the degree to whether nighttime lighting actually increases safety.
But the bottom line for most of us is that we just want to see the stars! And the good news is there are many places to go – and lots of activist work to do to create a star-protected planet where we can view constellations in reality and not only planetariums. We sure have our work cut out for us, but in the meantime head to one of the Dark Sky places and enjoy the dark. Find them at DarkSky.org.
Happy gazing, Eartha
Dear Eartha is penned by Rita Bullinger. Got an environmental query for Eartha? Submit your question to "Dear Eartha" via Enews.SierraTN@gmail.com
Species Spotlight
This month's featured species is: Common winterberry (Ilex verticillata)
The female cultivar 'Berry Heavy' produces an abundance of bright red berries. Its suggested pollinator shrub is 'Jim Dandy.' Photo courtesy of Proven Winners.
Winterberry is a large, native shrub that is deciduous and likes fairly acidic soil. It showcases bright berries from early fall throughout the winter.
The fruit makes a great feast for birds, but be mindful about planting - these berries are poisonous for humans and pets.
In spring, the shrub grows small, cream-colored blossoms, each with a green ovule in the center. Winterberry hollies are dioecious - meaning each shrub is either male or female. Both types produce spring flowers, but only fertilized flowers on female shrubs produce berries.
Some fun names of cultivars include: Jim Dandy, Southern Gentleman, Sparkleberry, & Winter Gold.
Volunteer Opportunities
Defenders Program Volunteer
The Tennessee Chapter lobbyist represents our environmental interests and our lobbying program in the Tennessee State Legislature. His salary needs to be funded. We need someone to take over fundraising for the Sierra Club Defenders of Tennessee. The work is seasonal, light, and can all be done from home. If you have some facility for writing and are interested in the position, please contact Sherry Loller for more information at sherryloller@hotmail.com or 615-889-2968.
Paperless Delivery
Are you a Sierra member who has been receiving our bi-monthly print publication, the Tennes-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.
Contact Us
Do you have a program or speaker idea for your Group? An issue you're particularly passionate about? Do you have a story idea for the Tennes-Sierran or the e-newsletter? Let us know! Look through our past programs for inspiration.
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.
