Community Organizing, Coal Ash and Charging Stations Monday, February 24 at 7:00pm Unitarian Universalist Church of Chattanooga, 3224 Navajo Dr.
Kent Minault will talk about community organizing around the Bull Run TVA power plant coal ash ponds and working with the victims of the Kingston TVA coal ash spill cleanup. He will also speak on electric vehicle charging stations in Los Angeles and Knoxville and their relation to energy equity.
Kent started out acting, touring with the award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe. He joined the Diggers, organizing street rallies and serving daily free food in the park. They organized the first Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic, which has a descendent that continues to impact the community today. In the 70’s, Kent worked as an Actor/Organizer for the SF Art Commission, which led to an acting career where he worked with his union to defeat anti-union ballot measures.
He volunteered with the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. After a huge victory getting Los Angeles off coal, he joined the LA County Electric Bus Coalition and within a year got LA Metro to transition to electric buses by 2030. He organized three Electric Vehicle events in Watts and helped found the Watts Clean Air Committee, which installs rooftop solar and helps residents enter union apprenticeship programs. He’s organizing an EV event in East Knoxville in collaboration with SEEED, a prominent EJ organization.
Everyone is welcome to join us for supper prior to our program at 5:30 pm at Amigos Restaurant
March Outing: Brainerd Levee Sunday, March 22nd at 10:00am
The Brainerd Levee is all that separates Chattanooga from potential spring flooding by the South Chickamauga Creek. Join us while we hike the levee trail! This is an easy hike on a level trail. Be sure to bring water and dress for the weather.
Contact Marie Brown at 423-499-9691 or through email to sign up and get more information.
Interested in more Cherokee Group outings? Check out our outings page.
Where: Booker T. Washington State Park - Chattanooga, TN
What: Cherokee Group is hosting the Spring Chapter Retreat for 2020.
About the Park: The State Park is named is named in honor of the famous leader, Booker Taliaferro Washington. Born into slavery and freed by the age of nine, Washington fought throughout his life to earn a higher education. He is best known for serving as the former president of the Tuskegee Institute.
Situated on the shores of Chickamauga Lake, Booker T. Washington State Park was built largely by African-American units of the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was originally designated under segregation as one of two Tennessee State Parks for use by blacks (the other being T. O. Fuller State Park near Memphis) until discrimination in public accommodations in the United States was banned under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Retreat Information: The six Camp sleeping cabins each accommodate 16 people and were renovated in 2014. There is also a dining hall, bathhouse, pavilion and basketball court. There is a wide range of urban hiking and biking trails to explore in the area. The Park is 11 miles from downtown Chattanooga.
To find out more about this amazing State Park, visit their website.
The Climate Coalition Forum, of which Cherokee Group is a member, is making plans for an Earth Day rally for Climate Change Action on April 17 at 4pm at the TN Aquarium. Forum representatives have met with Chattanooga’s City Sustainability Director as they work to produce climate change and sustainability actions. The group is also addressing energy efficiency, regenerative agriculture, environmental justice, and diversity. If you are interested in participating, contact Barbara Kelly.
It’s the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and Chattanooga will celebrate at Eco-Field Day on April 19th at Miller Park from beginning at 11am. The festival atmosphere features eco-challenge field game competitions, live music, food trucks, vendors, and environmental information tables, including Cherokee Sierra’s. Find out more.
The annual EarthCare Workshop this year will feature “Container Gardening” on Saturday, March 28 from 9:30am-12:00pm at the Ascension Lutheran Church Community Hall. It’s free and includes a wonderful lunch, but you need to register through email or by calling 706-278-3979.
We are the Cherokee Group of the Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club, the world’s oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization. With over 3.5 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 for our families and our future. We speak for the trees!
Our mission is to Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet.
