HBG April Program
Tuesday, April 9, 7:00pm, Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike.
WHAT: Backcountry Travel and Camping by Dogsled by Ken Edge
Over the past decade, Ken Edge has traveled to some remote areas that are only accessible in winter by snowmobile or dogsled. He has participated in many week-long expeditions that include Alaska, Yukon Territory. Manitoba to Hudson Bay, Svalbard, Lapland in Sweden, and Minnesota. Come and listen while Ken show what it is like to visit remote wilderness areas during winter when the days are short with sub zero temperatures. Learn about the dogs, sleds, and mushing. Find out what it is like living and traveling (mushing) with sled dogs.
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Bigger and Better: Conservation Education Day (CED) 2019
by Todd Waterman, Harvey Broome Group
More than fifty of us showed up for CED 2019 from all over the state to lobby our legislators, making this what Jeffrey Barrie of Tennessee Environmental Council called “one of the greatest Conservation Education Days in recent memory!” This time several of us came from HBG, including Tennessee Chair and first-time lobbyist Mac Post.
New Sierra Club Tennessee Chapter Environmental Chair Bill Moll and Betsy Garber organized both the lobbying and the training the night before, coordinating with the Tennessee Environmental Council and Tennessee Conservation Voters.
We advocated in four areas:
We argued against SB 308/HB 377 prohibiting opt-out utility bill round-up programs like KUB’s, which typically have 85%-participation, which fund cost-effective low-income energy efficiency programs by rounding up utility bills to full dollar amounts. Only opt-in programs would be allowed, which typically have 5-10%-participation . But WE GOT A WIN: an amendment saves existing programs and allows new ones through 2020.
We opposed SB 916/HB 259, which would eliminate current TDEC water quality requirements for road projects.
We recommended further study of SB 923/HB 219 permitting gasification and pyrolysis - air-polluting incineration technologies with poorly understood environmental and legal complexities.
We advocated for further openness and access. We commended the General Assembly for improving timely access to bill amendments - something Scott Banbury and Brian Paddock have sorely needed. We backed SB 1073/HB 593 requiring TDEC hearings be held outside of normal business hours, and Resolution SJR192 endorsing federal legislation requiring all TVA Board meetings be public.
We also supported SB 0079/HB 0130 permitting municipal utilities to partner to provide internet access outside their service areas, including now poorly-served rural areas.
For detailed updates, see Scott Banbury’s Legislative Calendar.
Our lawmakers were generally welcoming and attentive, and often supportive. I lobbied six lawmakers, twice as many as last year. I’m looking forward to next year's CED wins - and to lobbying my lawmakers when they’re home.
ANOTHER WIN: HB 156/SB 264, an ALEC/oil and gas industry bill would still make it a felony to interfere with oil and gas distribution as at Standing Rock, but we and our organizations would no longer be felons for merely supporting such actions.
Thirty-five of the 2019 CED Team!
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Please sign the
Ready for 100 Petition
“Ready for 100” is a nationwide Sierra Club initiative to get U.S. Cities to commit to 100% renewable energy sources by 2050. If you’re not familiar with the initiative, check here: https://www.sierraclub.org/ready-for-100.
Harvey Broome Group’s Ready for 100 initiative has collected 332 petitions that support deployment of solar energy locally. The goals of this initiative are to promote clean energy, environmental justice and energy efficiency by gaining support from the City of Knoxville government. If you are interested in supporting these goals, please sign the petition, which you can download from: https://bit.ly/2FhlzrI.
Please return your signed petition to: janatclimatechange@gmail.com.
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Newsflash
Report: Water near Memphis coal ash dump ranked among worst in the country for arsenic contamination
"Memphis' Sand aquifer is sitting below one of the most polluted coal ash landfills in the country, and levels of arsenic found in the nearby groundwater are 350 times higher than what is considered safe, according to a study by the Environmental Integrity Project.” You’ll want to read this article by Micaela Watts in the Memphis Commercial Appeal. This is a nationwide problem, according to analyses reported by CNN and EarthJustice.
Scenes from the Disaster at Kingston Coal Ash Storage.
Municipal vs. State Regulation of Single Use Plastics in Tennessee - why we should care
"A surprise amendment to a state bill would make it illegal for municipalities to regulate, prohibit or charge a fee for many single-use plastic items that have polluted Tennessee waterways at an alarming rate."
(Editor’s analysis: This proposal is rationalized by saying that statewide standards or auxiliary devices - bags, cups, bottles, straws, to-go boxes, delivery packaging, etc. - would be easier to implement and follow. What we need to ask is what level of “standards" would the Tennessee legislature and executive branch support. If such standards would be very weak, one can argue that it’s best to let local governments have the authority to set local standards. Indeed, the bill is supported by the beverage industry, retail industry and small business groups, who, it might be argued, see that such regulation should be minimal.) Read the article by Mark Pace of the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Also see the Memphis Business Journal. Most recently in the Times Free Press. TAKE ACTION AND SEND YOUR MESSAGE TO YOUR SENATOR AND REPRESENTATIVE.
 Third Creek Greenway after high water.
Noteworthy corporate sustainability measure taken by Walmart on plastic waste reduction goals. See https://bit.ly/2u4iOUr and https://bit.ly/2EB2tg3. See summary of global efforts at: https://bit.ly/2VTkImA.
Sweeping federal conservation act provides protection for Tennessee land, water
According to Michael Butler, CEO of the Tennessee Wildlife Federation: "At the heart of the Natural Resources Management Act is the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is one of America's most essential federal conservation programs.” See the February 26th article in the Times Free Press by Mark Pace. Please note that the Sierra Club was one of the environmental organizations that pushed hard for this legislation! See this Feb. 27 announcement.
Tennesseans argue: "Protecting mileage and pollution standards is a moral imperative”
Nita Wright and Paul Slentz, Guest Columnists - Commercial Appeal - Feb. 24, 2019. "Right now, the federal government is working on a misguided rollback of clean car standards that reduce harmful pollution and make our vehicles more efficient and cost less to drive." Read about it in the Commercial Appeal.
Biologists say EPA rollbacks could harm endangered species in Chattanooga
February 22nd, 2019 article by Mark Pace -Times Free Press.
Sierra Club position on Trump’s “Wall” outlined online at https://bit.ly/2Utm1s5. It includes a short video: https://bit.ly/2F5cv9a.
Electric cars could change everything for drivers, UT experts say
Article by Jim Gaines, Knoxville News Sentinel, Feb. 18, 2019.
Environmental Group recommends that Memphis Light Gas and Water Division should generate its own electrical power or put it out for bid – ending or altering its 80-year relationship with the Tennessee Valley Authority. See Daily Memphian article of 2/18/2-19.
Current Sierra Club initiatives as seen by Sierra Club President Loren Blackford, in a message (dated 2/15/2019) to the Sierra Club Council of Club Leaders (CCL):
• Legal action to hold polluters and corrupt leaders accountable;
• Progress protecting precious places like the Arctic Refuge;
• Victories against dirty pipelines;
• Cities, towns & states rejecting dirty fuels & committing to 100% clean energy;
• Continued wins against coal;
• The launch of the Green New Deal;
• And so much more!
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Food and "Planetary Boundaries"
By Joan Tomlinson, Harvey Broome Group
There is a win-win opportunity when we adopt healthy diets, pay attention to how our food is raised or grown, and reduce food waste. We greatly benefit with better health, and Earth greatly benefits when agricultural pressures are eased, helping with global water usage and even climate change. Adopting a healthy diet can be a fun challenge, it is something I can do to be more Earth-friendly, and it feels great to be doing my part to help protect this mesmerizingly beautiful planet on which we live. Also, I’ll have more healthy energy for - well perhaps - hiking. Who doesn’t like win-win? For more information, read this Daily Climate article
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An Armadillo ‘Ah-ha’ moment
By Paul Elert
Have you ever seen an armadillo? I have. But not where I expected. My wife and I were driving up to Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area to go hiking and not surprisingly we passed some road kill. But as we approached it I said “is that an armadillo? No, it can’t be, we don’t have them here in East Tennessee. They live much further south.” Well, not any more.
We hear about the effects of Climate Change all the time but we don’t always see clear indicators that it’s happening in our back yard. But this, to me, was an in your face example of what’s going on. It sure made me wonder what other creatures and plants are moving north. So I did a little research and found out that last March the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) videoed a 7 foot alligator at the Wolf River Wild Life Management Area (WMA) in Fayette County, which is near Memphis. It is apparently only one of several confirmed alligator sightings in Southwest Tennessee. I for one don’t want to live in a Floridian environment, I like the climate of Tennessee just the way it is/was.
I decided after that armadillo ‘ah-ha’ moment that I needed to figure out how I could help fix the problem, and recently I found out that there is now a bi-partisan bill that has been introduced in congress that can help address the unwanted effects of climate change and help the economy at the same time. It’s H.R.763 - Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2019. I hope people talk to their government representatives about making the Bill happen because I for one don’t want armadillos in my backyard. Or any other creatures that don’t belong here either!
(editor’s note: Lest you think this is just anecdotal and doesn’t rate your attention, read these two articles: Armadillo Moves North Across a Warmer North America and The armadillo in my backyard: How climate change leads to species displacement.)
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UT Watershed Symposium
When: Tuesday, March 26, 2019 1PM - 5 PM
Where:UT Mossman Building Rm 102, 1303 Cumberland Ave
Parking: Free street parking, paid visitor parking at White Avenue Garage
This year's theme is "Protecting and Restoring Tennessee's Waterways with Watershed Management Plans." There is great career potential for students in a variety of fields that contribute to watershed management plans. Engineers, information technology specialists, ecologists, communication specialists, community leaders, planners, and farmers, have a stake in having clean water resources.
Come learn about how state-level programs create solutions for communities hoping to improve water quality in local creeks and rivers and about how students are preparing for a career in watershed management.
Click here for more information and free registration
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Sing for the Climate
Tennessee Interfaith Power & Light and friends are organizing a June 29 (2-5 pm) concert at the Tennessee Amphitheater at World’s Fair Park. Singer-Songwriter Maggie Longmire is booking musicians for this free concert. It’ll be good: Maggie organized Louie Bluie for years. The objective is to create momentum for a forum within which a growing number of community groups may work together “to move through the challenges of climate change." More details may be found at http://climateknoxville.org. Organizations that wish to table and/or help sponsor the event are invited to contact Louise Gorenflo, climateknox@gmail.com. (More info to come in our May & June newsletters.)
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Other Events
Wed 3/27/19, 12:00-1:00 PM. Books Sandwiched In: Cure for Catastrophe: How We Can Stop Manufacturing Natural Disasters, by Robert Muir-Wood. Book review and discussion with Kelsey Ellis. East Tennessee History Center, 601 South Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902 (Sponsored by Friends of the Knox County Public Library; more info here: https://bit.ly/2TIrqz1.)
Tues 4/2/19, 6 pm - 8 pm, Claxton Community Bull Run Closure Meeting. Claxton Community Center, 1071 Edgemoor Road, Claxton, TN, 37716 (drive past and behind the playground to the Center) Hosted by Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment (SOCM) and Partner Organizations.
 Bull Run coal ash ponds (lower right, photo courtesy Southern Environmental Law Center
Sat 4/20/19, 10 AM- 5 PM, EarthFest 2019. Knoxville Botanical Gardens & Arboretum. Come to have fun, learn something, and celebrate Knoxville’s Earth Day in a beautiful setting. More info at: http://www.knox-earthfest.org.
Todd Waterman maintains a google doc that has the latest information and events related to climate activism.
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HBG/Chapter Events
Spring Chapter Retreat, May 3-5, 2019, Fall Creek Falls State Park
Put it on your calendar! Our Quarterly Chapter Retreats are a great way to get to know people from across the state that share a common goal of exploring, enjoying and protecting our environment. It’s also a great opportunity to learn the about conservation issues in Tennessee. See details here: https://bit.ly/2X5PjyF.
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HELP THE HARVEY BROOME GROUP
PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT
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Can't donate now? Sign up for Kroger Community Rewards. Kroger donates a portion of what you spend to the Harvey Broome Group as long as you designate HBG as your preferred charity.
Here's how:
1. Go to the Kroger Community Rewards web page
2. Register (or Sign In if you already have an account.)
3. Enroll in Community Rewards (or Edit if you're already enrolled.)
4. Enter HBG's Community Rewards Number 27874.
That's it. Swipe your Kroger Card when you shop and know that you're helping protect your environment.
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Who We Are
Founded by legendary conservationist John Muir in 1892, the Sierra Club is now the nation's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization -- with more than two million members and supporters. Our successes range from protecting millions of acres of wilderness to helping pass the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act. More recently, we've made history by leading the charge to move away from the dirty fossil fuels that cause climate disruption and toward a clean energy economy.
The Harvey Broome Group (HBG) is one of five Sierra Club Groups within the Tennessee Chapter. HBG is based in Knoxville and serves 18 surrounding counties. HBG's namesake, Harvey Broome, was a Knoxvillian who was a founding member of the Wilderness Society and played a key role in the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Visit our website.
Join HBG.
Donate.(click the Donate button on the HBG home page)
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