News and events of the Middle Tennessee Group of the Sierra Club
August 2020 Newsletter
Current Situation
Due to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic situation, we are sensitive to our constituents during this challenging crisis. . . . As a result, cancellations of Sierra Club events have been extended to August 31 but we anticipate that the cancellations may extend beyond August 31, depending on conditions. Meetings and programs are being held virtually when possible.
Let’s Get (Back) with the Program!
Join us on August 13th for the next program featuring two certified Permaculture Designers, Anna Carella and Marie Campbell, presenting, “Introduction to Permaculture”. To see more information about the program and to register, visit the following link on the Middle TN Group website: Permaculture Program.
The Middle Tennessee Group is excited to continue with our monthly programs! We have found online programs to be virtually the best way to stay both physically distant and connected. Monthly programs connect us with hometown environmental heroes and provide a social and informative experience for our Sierra Club community.
Join us on Zoom at 7 PM – 8 PM CT the second Thursday of every month for a program in the comfort of your own home, we can’t wait to see you! Invite others who may be interested! Upon completing your registration, you will receive a confirmation email with the Zoom link.
Introduction to Permaculture
August 13, 2020
Permaculture is an approach to designing relationships as ecosystems by prioritizing the wisdom of natural processes and recreating communities that restore our relationship to the earth and with each other. Its ethics and principles outline ways to mimic values and patterns observed in the natural world such as mutuality, reciprocity, and interdependence.
Upcoming Programs
Save the dates for our upcoming programs:
September 10: Karen McIntyre, West Meade Elementary School librarian, will give a presentation, “West Meade Outdoor & Sustainability Education”. Karen will explain how the seeds of a vegetable garden and allowing students to experience the outdoors bloomed into a zero-waste model for Metro Davidson County Schools. This includes a compost initiative and food redistribution that reduces landfill waste!
October 8: Randy Hedgepath, Tennessee State Naturalist, will present “Wildlife Watching”. Tour good places to see birds and other wildlife across Middle Tennessee, with an emphasis on state parks and natural areas. Learn new places to go and what you might see there!
If you were interested in our past programs but found the drive and time of day made it difficult for you, we welcome you to join the virtual programs. We send you a link before the program so you can login from your computer or iPad or phone. And you get a front row seat!
FYI: We will return to our regular meeting place at Radnor Lake, when possible. Right now, the space is limited through the end of the year. We will continue with online program meetings until then. The good news is it’s an easy commute and you may attend whether you are local or not! Keep up-to-date and find past talks on the Middle Tennessee Group website: Middle TN Sierra Website
In Memorium
Nancy McFadden, Urban Environmentalist
By Rita Bullinger
The Sierra Club Tennessee mourns the loss of Nancy Gunderson McFadden who passed away March 28, 2020, in Nashville, Tennessee. Nancy was an active member of the Sierra Club’s Middle Tennessee Group Executive Committee.
Nancy was a person of deep spiritual convictions, kind and straightforward; a special education teacher and ardent advocate for environmental and social justice who worked to make the world a better place. Known for her passion and knowledge, Nancy weighed in on issues pertaining to health care, pesticide misuse, and coal ash. She was also a skillful coalition builder, remembered for her enthusiasm and inclusiveness . As an environmental activist, in the 1980s, Nancy did all the development and filing work required for the environmental organization Bring Urban Recycling to Nashville Today (BURNT) to qualify as a 501(c)3 non-profit. BURNT was the lead organization advocating for Nashville to shut down its downtown incinerator and institute recycling programs.
Later, Nancy initiated and led a successful campaign to convince Metro Nashville Public Schools to adopt integrated pest management (IPM) practices in order to minimize the use of toxic pesticides in schools and classrooms while also reducing pest infestations. The effort involved bringing in nationally recognized experts to train Metro staff in the practice of IPM. After its success in the schools, Metro Nashville adopted this practice for all their public buildings.
Working with SC and the Tennessee Environmental Council (TEC), she also successfully advocated at the Tennessee State Legislature for the rights of localities to retain local control over pesticides. For all these efforts TEC awarded Nancy the Environmental Health Advocate Award in 1994.
Those of us who knew Nancy remember her as an avid reader and researcher of issues that impacted the environment and people’s health. She regularly shared these resources with the members of the Tennessee Chapter Sierra Club via their internal communications tools. “Members looked forward to receiving and reading her informative posts,” recalls Gary Bowers, Chapter Communications Coordinator. “Her acuity and acumen for this communication was highly valued and will be greatly missed.”
The Middle Tennessee Group welcomed her recent addition to the Tennessee Executive Committee and appreciated her activity in areas and issues that were her passion.
In the words of Rita Harris, Sierra Club National Board Member, “I remember Nancy vividly. She was dedicated and very knowledgeable about integrated pest management and I recall her pushing the concept in the Memphis City School system. I’m so sorry to hear about her passing.”
Nancy is survived by her husband of 46 years, Jack McFadden, their daughter, son, and two grandchildren.
AddUp
Interested in adding your support for environmental campaigns around the USA? You can find information about our campaigns on our AddUp website. Read about each of them.
Your support is more important than ever in these difficult times. Add your signature to support those that are important to you. Your signature will be added to messages to your representatives and you will have the opportunity to share the campaign on your social media account.
MIDDLE TN GROUP ISSUES
AND BUSINESS MEETING
Monday, August 17, 2020, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
During the Covid-19 pandemic our monthly business meetings are being held virtually rather than in person.
You may be interested in attending our meetings to meet our leaders and learn more of what we do, but we know Nashville is a long drive at an inconvenient time of day for many of you. This may be an opportunity for you to visit our meeting from your phone or computer. The meeting is held via Zoom and you must register at least 24 hours in advance to get login information.
Sierra Club has suspended all Outings during the Corona Virus pandemic. Watch for announcements on our websites and Chapter Newsletter for information when those resume.
We are the Middle Tennessee 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.
