COVID-19 Update: Sierra Club has decided to extend the Sierra Club’s current Covid response plans through May 31, 2022.The plan allows for limited in-person gatherings. Groups may hold events such as ExComm meetings and tabling with the approval of the Chapter chair. Certain larger gatherings may occur with approval by Sierra Club safety staff.Read full statement here on Campfire.
Tennessee News
Pay to park: Sweeping changes in the Great Smoky Mountains. "A new program called 'Park It Forward' would charge visitors to park and generate around $10-15 million per year... Despite being the most visited national park in the country with 14.1 million tourists in the last year, the Smokies’ budget has remained relatively flat. From 2011 to 2021, it hovered around $19-20 million as park visitation grew by 57%. Read more by Elizabeth Sims - WBIR - Apr. 9. 2022. The Park is taking public comments on the proposed Smokies Parking Tag, camping fee, and day-use facility rate changes from April 6 through May 7, either online or via postal mail. You can submit online comments here (On the left menu bar, select “Open for Comment”, open the Proposed Smokies Fee Program Changes for 2023 folder, and click on the green “Comment Now” button.)
TVA teams up with Ontario Power to pursue small modular reactors. "The agreement allows TVA and the Ontario, Canada, utility to coordinate their explorations into the design, licensing, construction and operation of the GE Hitachi BWRX design for standardized reactors...'The overriding concern is that TVA is still desperately trying to get new nuclear on board when they could be deploying far more renewable energy.. and for far less money than pursuing a pie-in-the-sky nuclear project that they have already decided to spend $200 million on without getting a single watt of electricity from,' said Don Safer." (Don Safer is Chair of the Sierra Club's Know Nuclear Committee and a leader in the Tennessee Environmental Council.) Read more by Dave Flessner - Chattanooga Times Free Press - April 19, 2022.
New video raises questions on whether Middle Point Landfill is doing enough to combat odor. "Exclusive video obtained by NewsChannel 5 Investigates shows how gases escape the Middle Point Landfill in Rutherford County. Some say those gases are making the notorious odor that's plagued the landfill for years even worse." Read more by Levi Ismail - WTVF News Channel 5 - April 14, 2022.
STUDENT ARTISTS: The Knoxville Citizens Climate Lobby/Education sponsored an art contest for middle and high schoolers. Above are the First, Second, and Third prize winners from among 26 wrenching entries. In photos edited from those submitted by the artists, from left are, First Prize, Mira Rizk's "Melting," submitted printed on several different colors; Second Prize, Ibrahim Asik's "Separated"; and Third Prize, Kaylee Flanary's "Sad Penguin." The Harvey Broome Group donated $275 of the $500 in prizes.
Environmental Updates
Clean Up TVA Coalition launch! "Dozens of organizations in the Tennessee Valley came together today to launch the Clean Up TVA Coalition, demanding immediate action from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to cut carbon emissions and transition to a fossil-fuel-free and just energy future by 2030." Read press release here - Sierra Club - April 5, 2022.
Biden restores climate to landmark environmental law, reversing Trump. "A new rule requires agencies to analyze the climate impacts of proposed highways, pipelines and other projects, and gives local communities more input." Read more by Lisa Friedman - The New York Times - April 19, 2022.
How harmful are the average American's greenhouse gas emissions? Abstract:"It has sometimes been claimed (usually without evidence) that the harm caused by an individual's participation in a greenhouse-gas-intensive economy is negligible. Using data from several contemporary sources, this paper attempts to estimate the harm done by an average American. This estimate is crude, and further refinements are surely needed. But the upshot is that the average American is responsible, through his/her greenhouse gas emissions, for the suffering and/or deaths of one or two future people." John Nolt, retiring Climate Ethics professor at UT Knoxville, gave a "Last Lecture" on April 18, 2022 (photo below). Read John Nolt's 2011 paper here.
"Meat the Future" documentary takes viewers to the meat-growing lab. "In Meat the Future, streaming on most major platforms starting this week, we meet a team of scientists led by cardiac surgeon and regenerative medicine researcher Dr. Uma Valeti, as they sally forth on the quest to produce cultivated meat—typically referred to as “lab-grown,” “in vitro,” or “cell-cultured” meat—at an affordable cost" (90 minute film). Read more by Maya Richard-Craven - Sierra - April 7, 2022.
WATCH: IPCC warns Earth is 'firmly on track toward an unlivable world.' “Temperatures on Earth will shoot past a key danger point unless greenhouse gas emissions fall faster than countries have committed, the world's top body of climate scientists said Monday, warning of the consequences of inaction but also noting hopeful signs of progress." U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres' powerful speech begins at 03:45. By Frank Jordans and Seth Borenstein, Associated Press - PBS News Hour - April 4, 2022.
Fire, fog, floods: Scientists probe climate-change impacts in Smokies. "Climate change is expected to make it easier for invasive species like needle ants to upset the delicate balance of this temperate rainforest full of rare plants and animals...Early results reflect some of the same big-picture outcomes highlighted in new reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Rising heat and extreme weather are driving species to higher latitudes and elevations, pushing many to the limits of their ability to adapt." Read more by S. Heather Duncan - Hellbender Press.
Pink Dogwood blossom in Chattanooga, Tenn. Photo by Laura Becker, April 2022.
Health & Justice
Kingston coal ash workers' case swings on two upcoming court rulings. "The first and most consequential ruling will be whether Jacobs Engineering, the Tennessee Valley Authority contractor that led the cleanup from the 2008 spill, is immune from lawsuits. A federal appeals court will make that decision. The second, with potential long-term ramifications for suits related to coal ash, is in front of the Tennessee Supreme Court, which is considering whether to classify coal ash as silica and mixed dust. If it does, and the court also decides the Tennessee Silica Claims Priorities Act applies to this case, the number of people allowed to sue will almost certainly be reduced because their cases will not meet the statute’s requirements. The two decisions together are likely to have a far-reaching effect on how the legal system handles coal ash cases across the country." Read more by Anila Yoganathan - Knoxville News Sentinel - April 14, 2022.
Memphis may have the sweetest water in the world, but toxic waste could ruin it all – a comic. "Across a cluster of low-income, mostly Black neighborhoods, toxic waste sites risk contaminating an aquifer and endangering the lives of residents with noxious emissions." Check out this beautifully illustrated piece by Austyn Gaffney and Martha Park - The Guardian - April 11, 2022.
EPA Releases Equity Action Plan Alongside Federal Partners to Advance Environmental Justice and Civil Rights. "Today, the Environmental Protection Agency published its Equity Action Plan to fulfill President Biden’s Executive Order (EO) 13985 directing EPA, along with other federal agencies, to assess whether underserved communities and their members face systemic barriers in accessing benefits and opportunities through the federal government. This Equity Action Plan is a critical part of EPA’s efforts to break through those barriers and advance equity and justice across our efforts to ensure clean water, air, and land for all communities." Read the Equity Action Plan here.
Krewe de Cattywampus Parade. Summary by Julie Elfin:On Saturday, March 26th, dozens of passionate artists and activists gathered in Knoxville’s Old City for the Krewe de Cattywampus Parade. The handmade puppets centered on the theme of “Our Wildest Dreams.” For the Harvey Broome Group members and allies forming the parade’s environmentalist contingent, dreams for the future included locally generated renewable energy that works for the people of the Tennessee Valley. This photo (below) showcases the wonderful creativity of the puppet makers and the joy of coming together to imagine and advocate for a better world. More photos and updates from the Cattywampus Puppet Council.
Several folks collaborated on the Jeff Lyash puppet (left); Jennifer Alldredge carried a Sun Goddess borrowed from Cattywampus; Marty Pierce made the two windsocks; Jesse Noble and Nikki Luk made big and little solar panels; Jennifer did a wind generator; others made signs and pitched in everywhere. Photo: Todd Waterman.
“Clean Up TVA” Takes Off
by Todd Waterman, Harvey Broome Group
In an April 5th press conference, the Clean Up TVA Coalition, many months in the making, publicly emerged as a formidably-united, thirteen-member partnership of groups “working to propel TVA into a just, equitable, and fossil-fuel-free energy future by 2030.” TVA has been broadly criticized for planning new natural gas plants at a time when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Energy Agency, and most scientists and economists agree we must immediately end new fossil fuel investments or face irreversible, catastrophic climate impacts. According to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, “Investing in new fossil fuels infrastructure is moral and economic madness. Such investments will soon be stranded assets — a blot on the landscape and a blight on investment portfolios. But, it doesn’t have to be this way.”
Sierra Club and the Beyond Coal Campaign (BCC) have played a large role in forging the new coalition. Clean Up TVA's press release quotes Amy Kelly, Tennessee BCC Representative, saying, “TVA needs to step up its energy efficiency and renewable energy offerings, so our power provider isn’t a tagalong but a leader in the 21st century. It must reverse course and champion a new age for public power, centered on transparency, democracy, equity, and clean energy.” Learn more and sign on at cleanuptva.org.
Events
Statewide environmental events listed in order of occurrence:
KUB Community Solar Groundbreaking on Friday, April 29 at 3:30 - 5:00 PM ET. “KUB is constructing Knoxville's first community solar array, in partnership with TVA and the City of Knoxville...Community Solar programs allow community members to voluntarily participate in solar projects through subscription to solar shares. Programs like these are a great way for customers who may be unable to invest in solar panels at their homes or businesses to support renewable energy.” Location:3131 Morris Ave, Knoxville, TN 37921. Learn more at www.kub.org/communitysolar.
May 1st is International Workers Day! International Workers Day began in 1889 as a commemoration of the fight for an 8 hour workday. During the Haymarket Affair of 1886, labor activists in Chicago were wrongfully executed after a violent clash with police. Many years later, President Grover Cleveland designated an official holiday, Labor Day, to honor workers. Uneasy with the socialist origins of the cause, Cleveland designated Labor Day to be in September, and not May 1st. You can explore the primary documents of leftist political and social movements in 19th and 20th century America with PRISM ( Political & Rights Issues & Social Movements), a collaborative digitization project of Florida Atlantic University and University of Central Florida libraries and special collections departments. Browse the collection here.
May Chapter ExCom meeting will be Saturday, May 7 at 10 AM CT/ 11 AM ET.
The Smokies ATBI: A 24-year exploration of the biodiversity of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. "Discover Life in America’s Director of Science & Research, Will Kuhn, will describe the massive project that's helped discover more than 11,000 species in the nation's most-visited national park: the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory. He'll talk about why the Smokies region has such an incredible diversity of life, how park visitors like you can be part of the discovery process, and also some of his favorite finds. Virtual event on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, 7:00-8:30 PM ET. Please RSVP through this Campfire Event Link .
Grow your digital communications skills! Cherokee Group (Chattanooga area) Sierra Club is looking for a volunteer to help with our monthly newsletter and website! If you are interested in getting more involved and would like more information, please reach out to Alyssa Matas.
Special Features
Dear Eartha: Advice from an Eco-Guru
Dear Eartha, I noticed that the Sierra Club is once again rallying to “Halt the Plastic Crisis.” I wonder if you could update us on what progress has been made, if any, and what I can do to take personal action in ways small and more significant? —Concerned about Plastics
Dear Concerned,
You’re right; plastic proliferation is a huge concern. The Sierra Club writes that plastic is in our water, our air, and in our food. Plastics may contain hundreds or thousands of chemicals, as many as 80% “unknown,” and people are consuming microplastics in food at a rate of up to 11,000 particles/year. Despite one’s best efforts to eat healthily, we are all eating petrochemicals that can kill.
There are many animal victims of plastic pollution: sea turtles (of the seven species, three are critically endangered), seabirds (80% may have plastic in their stomachs; it is killing them), dolphins (autopsied dolphin in Florida revealed a balloon and two plastic bags as cause of death), whales (the bigger the animal, the more plastic found in its body), and seals (strangled by plastic waste around their necks) (SierraClub.org/EndPlasticsNow)
The Sierra Club is pushing an aggressive campaign now to begin solving this crisis. Along with 600 partners and communities, here are a few policy actions the SC is pushing:
Replacing single-use plastic items with reusable products
Denying permits to new plastic-producing facilities, infrastructure, and exports
Getting corporate polluters to pay
Rejecting false solutions that pass the cleanup onto the consumer
Exposing and suing companies that falsely claim their products are recyclable
Updating federal standards to eliminate pollution from plastic facilities
Stopping the subsidizing of plastic producers
I recently received a flier about the 'Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act of 2021' along with a petition to Chuck Schumer. Reaching out to our representatives and donating to organizations are both very important actions to take. I also reached out to my cohousing community to see what they are doing about plastics. Here are some more personal steps from my friends at Germantown Commons Cohousing in Nashville:
Bring reusable bags for shopping and groceries; use bar soap rather than those plastic hand soap pump dispensers; buy bulk and recycle smaller containers for ease of use; refuse plastic straws and utensils at restaurants; bring your own to-go containers for leftovers when dining out; do not buy anything packaged in #6 recyclable plastic (Kroger pastries, for example); keep a set of reusable utensils in your purse, car, or at work; buy reusable glasses for your summer BBQs. You can easily thrift cups or utensils that you wash and reuse, forever!
So dear Concerned, we can do this – together! Every action counts. Eartha
**Let me know how you are avoiding the use of plastic in your daily life or supporting policy change. I’ll print your suggestions as they come in. And I’m still interested in your 'What Matters Now' thoughts!
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: Tulip-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)
The tulip-poplar tree is native to the eastern US and Canada. Despite its name, it is actually a member of the magnolia family.
One of the tallest eastern hardwoods trees (60-150 ft), the tulip-poplar has a long history of being harvested for its wood. Its tree trunk is long and straight with a diameter up to 6 feet. The logs are prime for log-cabin building, furniture, or paper pulp. Indigenous peoples used them to make dugout canoes.
The tulip-poplar has showy flowers which bloom in early summer May-June. The flowers are yellowish green and cup-shaped with an orange border at the base of each petal. It's easy to miss the flowers though, which live high up in the tree and can be obscured by branches.
The tulip-poplar is the state tree of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana.
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
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The views expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Sierra Club.
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.
