COVID-19 Update: Sierra Club National’s current COVID safety guidance extends through August 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 more about reopening guidelines here.
Tennessee News
Tennessee Supreme Court hears arguments over Kingston coal ash illnesses in workers. "With workers twice rejecting settlement offers and federal court judges shooting down multiple appeals, Jacobs Engineering Inc., on Wednesday turned to the Tennessee Supreme Court in an attempt to escape financial responsibility for its role in the alleged poisoning of the Kingston coal ash disaster workforce...Jacobs in 2020 offered the workers $10 million if they would agree to vacate the 2018 verdict, destroy all records on Jacobs’ conduct in the clean up and never again speak about what happened to them. Workers refused...The Tennessee Lookout has learned the firm again pitched a settlement offer to the workers earlier this year. They turned it down, too...It could be months before the state’s high court issues a ruling. Once the court rules, the case will return to U.S. District Judge Tom Varlan for further proceedings." Read more by Jamie Satterfield - Tennessee Lookout - June 1, 2022.
TVA ahead of most utilities on decarbonization but not keeping pace for future with some neighbors. "The Tennessee Valley Authority led most utilities in decarbonizing its electricity generation in the past decade, but a new study suggests the federal utility will likely move slower than many of its neighbors in the future in cutting greenhouse gases linked with global warming. In a 31-page assessment of the utilities' pollution and carbon emissions, released Thursday, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy chided TVA for trading one fossil fuel for another and for failing to take enough steps to meet President Joe Biden's call for a carbon-free utility industry by 2035." Read more by Dave Flessner - Times Free Press - June 23, 2022.
Dickson County fuel terminal: Appeals court affirms earlier court decision. "A state appeals court judge affirmed last year’s judicial decision that Dickson County government open meeting laws were not violated and a large fuel terminal – now under construction in the county – was properly defined by the county as a “warehouse.” A group of county citizens who reside near the Titan Partners terminal, which is expected to draw about 100 tanker trucks per day, filed multiple appeals after a judge ruled against them last year." Read more by Chris Gadd - Nashville Tennessean - June 2, 2022.
Reactions mixed on proposed landfill for low level hazardous waste. "Several Oak Ridge City Council members and others recently gathered at the Pollard Auditorium to give their views on an upcoming U.S. Department of Energy landfill project..." Read more by Benjamin Pounds - Oakridger - May 31, 2022.
BattleField Farm fights food disparity. On June 14, the Harvey Broome Group enjoyed a presentation at BattleField Farm & Gardens. The mission of the farm, founded by Reverend Chris Battle in 2019, is to fight food insecurity in East Knoxville and to build a better community through food. The farm grows a variety of produce and also accepts food scraps from residents and restaurants through the Knoxville Compost Pilot Project which began in February 2022. Learn more about BattleField Farm & Gardens here.
Chris Battle leans over a colorful stack of tires at BattleField Farm in East Knoxville. The bottom tire says "Ubuntu," which is an African humanist concept that conveys deep interconnectedness. It has many translations, but it's sometimes described using the phrase “I am, because you are.” "Ubuntu is that nebulous concept of common humanity, oneness: humanity, you and me both” (AFNConference .org). Photo used with permission by Chris Battle.
Environmental Updates
Take Action! Coal-fired power plants are major contributors to our air pollution and climate problems. But while some states have gone completely coal-free, pollution from coal plants travel hundreds of miles across state lines. That's why the EPA has proposed an improved "Good Neighbor" plan, but it will only be as strong as we demand it to be.Send in a personalized comment to EPA today, telling them why you demand action on air pollution.
Officials warn certain populations not to eat fish from three Middle Tennessee reservoirs. "The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation announced several precautionary fish consumption advisories Monday because of various health concerns, including elevated mercury levels. The locations are: Cheatham Reservoir in Davidson County, Center Hill Reservoir in Dekalb and Putnam County, and Dale Hollow Reservoir in Clay, Pickett, and Overton Counties." Read more by Meghan Mangrum - Nashville Tennessean - June 20, 2022.
East Tennessee sustainable packaging manufacturer gets $200 million boost. "Genera Energy Inc., a non-wood agricultural pulp and sustainable packaging company based in Vonore have been acquired by private equity firm Ara Partners for an undisclosed sum. East Tennessee packaging manufacturer gets a $200 million boost. The firm committed an additional $200 million to support the expansion of Genera locally and across the country to address a growing demand for sustainable packaging." Read more by Silas Sloan - Knoxville News Sentinel - June 23, 2022.
Mayor of Nashville prefers converting coal plant to solar energy. "Nashville city leaders formally opposed the Tennessee Valley Authority’s plans for a new natural gas plant in Stewart County this week. Mayor John Cooper submitted a letter to the public utility late Thursday calling instead for an investment in renewable energy. “Any plan that would establish a new gas pipeline or conscript Nashville into decades of carbon polluting methane is unacceptable,” Cooper wrote in the letter. “The city of Nashville calls on TVA to serve as a leader in addressing the existential threat of climate change.” Read more by Caroline Eggers - WPLN - June 9, 2022.
The costs of inaction — pay me now or pay me later. "Apart from one catastrophic cold wave in Texas, it was warm-season-type threats — from tornadoes to wildfires — that caused most of the weather havoc across the contiguous United States during 2021. According to NOAA, the year produced $20 billion weather disasters, the second highest in inflation-adjusted data going back to 1980. The total cost of 2021’s billion-dollar weather disasters, $145 billion, was the third highest on record. The five-year average reached an inflation adjusted high of $153 billion a year." Read more by Dave Hrivnak - Kingsport Times - June 14, 2022.
Smokestacks at Bull Run Fossil Plant, which TVA plans to close "no later than 2023." Photo: Todd Waterman.
Health & Justice
Sierra Club supports reproductive justice. "In an extreme decision, the Supreme Court has just overturned Roe v. Wade, turning the clock back decades for reproductive justice and leaving abortion rights up to states. The Sierra Club seeks to ensure that all people have the right to live in healthy and safe communities with access to clean air, clean water, and healthcare -- including abortion. Together, we can help deepen the movement for a livable planet, and a democracy that works for everyone. We're turning our anger into action. Together we say: We won't go back!"Find a local rally here or donate to support abortion access here.
Hundreds rally in downtown Knoxville to protest Supreme Court decision and abortion ban. "Hundreds of abortion rights protesters converged on downtown Knoxville's Krutch Park on Friday evening in the wake of the historic Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The Bans Off Our Bodies rally took over a popular park adjacent to Market Square and then turned into a march up and down Gay Street, which was blocked off for the USA Cycling Criterium Race. "We just want to make our voices heard," said Rachel Smith, who attended the protest with a friend. "Not everyone in every red state agrees with the decisions being made." Read more by Liz Kellar - Knoxville News Sentinel - June 24, 2022.
Manhattan Project radiation lingers in Oak Ridge. Critics want more info on a new landfill. "Sierra Club and others have long opposed the DOE’s plans for the EMDF toxic and radioactive waste landfill in the Oak Ridge Reservation. “Pulling contaminated buildings down and burying the material without adequate waste characterization and separation and without proper assessment of future risks is how you make a Superfund site, not how you clean one up,” said renowned retired TDEC groundwater contamination expert Sid Jones in 2019." Read more by Vincent Gabrielle - Knoxville News Sentinel - May 15, 2022.
20 Million Acres of U.S. Cropland May Be Contaminated by PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’. “Almost all Americans have PFAS in their blood, reported EWG. Since the chemicals don’t break down naturally, they often end up in the sewer system. Now, a new EWG report estimates that around 20 million acres of U.S. cropland could be contaminated by sewage sludge tainted by these forever chemicals...‘We don’t know the full scope of the contamination problem created by PFAS in sludge, and we may never know, because EPA has not made it a priority for states and local governments to track, test and report on,’ said legislative policy director at EWG Scott Faber, as The Guardian reported.” Read more by Christen Hemingway Janes - EcoWatch - May 9, 2022.
Diverse crowd of mostly women protestors holding colorful signs in support of bodily autonomy at the Knoxville Ban Off Our Bodies rally on June 24, 2022. Photo: Todd Waterman.
Fundraising Corner
By Mac Post
So Many Ways to Support the Tennessee Chapter
We know that you appreciate the work that our local Sierra Club members are doing since you are reading this newsletter. To continue and hopefully expand our work we need your help.
Our Chapter’s annual budget is around $100,000. The national Sierra Club provides only around 30% of this. The remainder is up to the Chapter to provide through local fundraising. This is the reason you get those pesky fundraising letters in the mail a few times a year. Thanks to all of you that generously respond to those letters. But did you know there are many more ways you can financially support the Tennessee Chapter? There is now a new place on our Chapter’s website that summarizes these and provides convenient links. Check out the new donation link here.
In addition to the usual Donate link you can securely use with your credit card, you will find these additional options:
So take a look and see if there is some new way of supporting the Chapter (or your Group) that interests you and help us work together for a better environment for all Tennesseans.
What Will Your Legacy Be?
There is no greater commitment to nature, the environment, and environmental justice for the future than to name the Tennessee Chapter, or any of its member groups, as a beneficiary in your will or trust. The legacy you create now can continue, in your name, with a tax-free bequest to the Tennessee Chapter through the Sierra Club Foundation. For more information on how to accomplish this, including sample request language templates see the Planned Giving page.
If you have named the Sierra Club Tennessee Chapter as a beneficiary or would like more information, reach out to our staff – Gift Planning Department, gift.planning@sierraclub.org, 800-932-4270.
60th Anniversary of Wilderness Act
by Vicky Hoover
The sixtieth anniversary of the Wilderness Act that established America’s National Wilderness Preservation System is just around the corner in 2024! Wait a minute: didn’t we just celebrate the fiftieth?
Our gala events in 2014 may seems like “just” past, but it’s eight years later, and on September 3, 2022 we hail the 58th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson’s signing the Wilderness Act. That gives us just over a year to prepare for the big six-oh. How will we take advantage of public attention to a big round number-anniversary to get the word out broadly on how vital wilderness protection for wild nature is?
During 2014, for the 50th, many Chapters conducted outings in honor of wilderness, held joint events with one or more federal wilderness-managing agencies, or with in-state wilderness organizations, and wrote up descriptions of trips to wilderness areas in their state. They got speakers to talk of the history of wilderness.
The six states that have no federal wilderness can promote their wild natural places—in many cases state lands. The Maryland Chapter has done especially well in assuring their wild state lands get managed as protectively as federal wilderness. States without federal wilderness can also schedule hikes into neighboring states with wilderness.
Now we have ten more years to reflect how far we have come since 1964—the original Act brought into being 54 wilderness areas in 13 states—places that had already been administratively protected by the Forest Service. But administrative protection was temporary and haphazard, and defenders of wildlands saw that a national law was needed to protect wild, natural land from development—by law.
New awareness that preserving nature can combat the climate crisis and fight the world’s species extinction crisis gives us even more reason to fight to protect nature—in our national 30 by 30 campaign. Let’s start by celebrating what we have achieved! Today, our country has 803 wilderness areas in 44 states plus Puerto Rico—with stewardship by all four federal land agencies. Plenty of reason to celebrate—and to work for even more.
To join the Sierra Club’s nationwide effort in YOUR chapter, contact Vicky Hoover, Wildlands Team Sixtieth co-coordinator, vicky.hoover@sierraclub.org.
Black Bear cub hugging a tree trunk. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, CC PDM 1.0.jpg
Events
Statewide environmental events listed in order of occurrence:
JULY 5TH: Registration deadline for August primaries! The deadline to register for the August primary elections is July 5. Visit GoVoteTN.gov to register!
Presentation by Jack Wilbern: Designing for Community. Wilbern is Architect and Resident of Blueberry Hill Cohousing in Vienna, VA. "If you have an interest in living closer to the land, having access to local food grown for flavor and nutrition rather than shelf-life, and having neighbors you trust and enjoy spending time with, this presentation and future community may really interest you!" Free event on July 8th at Nashville Food Project in Nashville, TN. Please register at Burns Village & Farm for additional details.
Second Annual 'EVs in the Smokies' on July 9th, 10am-4pm. "The Knoxville Electric Vehicle Association (KEVA) and Drive Electric Tennessee (DET) are excited to announce the second annual EVs In The Smokies event on July 9, 2022, at the Townsend Visitors Center in Townsend, Tennessee." Learn more here.
Middle Tennessee Group (MTG) Program -- Sheeco: A Sustainability Company. Join MTG on July 14 at 7:00 pm CST for a presentation with Diana Andrew at Radnor Lake. The event will be preceded by an optional hike at 5:30. Meet at Walter Criley Visitors’ Center at Radnor Lake next to the Otter Creek west parking lot off Granny White Pike. Advanced registration is required, and attendance limited. Register here.
Save the Date: Tennessee River Basin Conference in Knoxville, TN on August 24-25, 2022. "We are excited to have you join us to network, share information, and celebrate success in the conservation of aquatic life in the most biologically diverse region in our nation, the Tennessee River Basin!" Learn more here.
Volunteer Opportunity
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
Good afternoon, Eartha, This year my neighbors behind and across the street from me started growing dead evergreen lawns. At the beginning of spring this year, I noticed that lawn company truck tankers were dousing my neighbors’ lawns with what I think were weed killers and pesticides. I have lived here for 16 years and every spring I look forward to seeing all types of butterflies, frogs, and turtles in my yard. So far this year (June 20th) I have seen only one yellow butterfly, just a few frogs, and no turtles. Very sad. Will the butterflies ever come back in this neighborhood? —Yozefu Rugina, Hixson, TN
Dear Yozefu,
Thanks for asking this question; I learned a lot in my research and what I found out is the tip of the iceberg of pesticide use, laws, regulations, and unregulated proliferation. Pesticides, according to Oxford Language online, are substances used for destroying insects or other organisms harmful to cultivated plants or animals. The three main types of pesticides are fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides.
Most of us know the name Agent Orange (dioxin), an herbicide sprayed from American military planes over Vietnam (1962-1971) to kill the jungle grass that Tim O’Brien described so graphically in The Things They Carried. It took a long time and much protest to get this herbicide off the market, but finally in 1980 the EPA banned the production and use of dioxin (Rebecca Harrington, Business Insider 2016). However, herbicides considered dangerous to human and animal life are still produced and widely used in the United States (epa.gov). Greg Seaman, Eartheasy founder, wrote, “In the US, over 4.5 billion pounds of pesticides are used each year, with 75% used in agriculture and 25% in homes and gardens. The prevalence and widespread use of pesticides has increased our exposure to a variety of chemicals, while the long-term health implications are still being studied” (Eartheasy).
Yozefu, during our phone conversation, you mentioned the name of the Hixson, Tenn. lawn company used by your neighbors. I called that lawn company to ask what general insecticides and herbicides are used in the spraying of lawns. After being put on hold and transferred multiple times, I was told they couldn’t really answer my question. The representative stressed his inability to give me even a general herbicide name. He referred me to a national franchise.
So, I called the national franchise. At this point I was beginning to feel like Erin Brockovich. I spoke to a representative who also told me he “can’t comment” on any possible herbicides used by his company. I pressed for just a general herbicide that his company uses in lawn care. Again, he said, “I don’t know the situation and I can’t make any comment. I really cannot comment on this.” He referred me to the State of Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
I scouted around and came up with some information from the Harvard School of Public Health that links the neonicotinoid (there are a few of them) insecticides to the collapse of honeybee colonies (2014). Of the 4.5 billion pounds of pesticide cited above, “100 million pounds of pesticides are used each year by US homeowners and gardeners” (for comparison, 19 million gallons of various “rainbow” herbicides were sprayed over Vietnam). Chemicals drift to contaminate indoor air, sort of like that smoking section in airplanes back in the day. The Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) reports this finding: “Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention measure pesticides and other chemicals in the bodies of Americans every few years. In the most recent study, CDC tested for 212 chemicals, including 44 pesticides — and found most of them. DDT breakdown products were found in more than 85 percent of Americans tested, though the chemical hasn’t been widely used here since 1972” (PANNA.org).
The common herbicide glyphosate (RoundUp) developed by Monsanto has not been banned by the EPA, but its production is set to be discontinued by Bayer (who acquired Monsanto in 2018) by 2023. Glyphosate is the most widely used pesticide in the U.S. (National Pesticide Information Center ). “In one report from California scientists and the World Health Organization, 43 of 45 oat-based products tested had [glyphosate]. Popular breakfast foods like Quaker Old Fashioned Oats and Cheerios had above-average levels. It’s also in grain and bean products like pasta, buckwheat, barley, kidney beans, and chickpeas” (webmd.com). While Bayer plans to discontinue its use, there are other companies still making glyphosate.
I'm figuring, Yozefu, that whatever was sprayed by the truckful onto your neighbors’ lawns may have had a deleterious effect upon the lifeblood of the fauna and flora you have been used to seeing each spring in your neighborhood. Yep, this is very sad. Good thing we are activists connected to a network of activists!
Thank you for educating me, my friend. Yours till the Rockies crumble, Eartha
Don't forget: you can still share your opinion of 'What Matters Now.' Send your brief passage of about 100 words to the Sierra E-News Editor [Enews.sierratn@gmail.com], and keep submitting your environmental questions and comments as usual!
Reader Yozefu Rugina submitted this photo depicting "A refugee from America's obsession with dead evergreen lawns." Can you spot the little frog in the photo?
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: Celosia (Celosia argentea cristata)
Celosia (Chief Mix) blooms in Chattanooga, Tenn., purchased from local Crabtree Farms. Celosia prefers to grow in the ground rather than containers, but this hapless gardener did not know any better. Photo: Allie Stafford.
Celosia is a member of the amaranth family. Its name comes from the Greek word for “burning” due to the bright red, flame-shaped blooms of some celosia plants (plumed type).
There are three types of Celosia based on the structure of the flower: plumed, wheat and cockscomb. Plumed has flame-shaped blooms, wheat has blooms that resemble wheat, and cockscomb has blooms that have many folds and looks rather "brainy" (pictured above).
When the plant is young, Celosia leaves are edible and taste a bit like spinach; however after blooming the flavor turns much more bitter.
Celosia makes beautiful cutting flowers, and drying the blooms is a great and easy way to enjoy their vibrant color for months or years to come!
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. Submit your suggestion here!
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.
