Austin Sierra Club Meetings and Local Projects

The Austin Sierra Club has several committees of interest for members to participate in and are outlined below. If interested in joining a committee or if you have any questions, please contact austinsierraclub@gmail.com.

Conservation Committee

This Committee Actively engages with community groups on local projects & political topics, directing input to city council & involved corporations.

Meetings: Third Wednesday of each month virtually.

Political Committee:

We’re active in local environmental political activism year-round, especially during election seasons. The committee is looking for folks interested in volunteering for a number of phone banking, block walking, and letter writing opportunities to help endorse candidates, showcase the Sierra Club, and get the best candidates elected!

Climate Crisis Committee:

This committee addresses energy, equity, education, plastics, and politics in Austin. We are now on a path to global warming of more than double the 1.5-degree Celsius, or 2.7-degrees Fahrenheit limit. 1.5°C is not some random statistic. 1.5°C indicates the point at which climate impacts will become increasingly harmful for people and all life, on the entire planet. To limit global warming to around 1.5°C (2.7°F), global greenhouse gas emissions would have to peak before 2025 at the latest and be reduced by 43 percent by 2030. The warmest year to date was 2016. There is a >90% chance that one of the next 5 years will surpass that record.

Meetings: First Tuesday of each month 7 p.m.: https://www.meetup.com/Austin-Sierra-Club-Outings/

CliCC Tabling Team:

Represent the Sierra Club ATX for this group. It also includes heading up booths at local events such as MLK Day and Earth Day ATX.

Tabling events: Second Saturday of each month at the Downtown Farmers Market 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. 22 Guadalupe St., Austin, TX 78701

CliCC Gulf Coast - Climate Action Team:

A coalition fighting ongoing environmental damage, facility regulatory failures, the permitting, building and expansion of oil, gas & LNG facilities, in environmental justice communities.

Gulf coast CAT organizes, petitions, demonstrates, acts.

Meetings: every other Monday at noon. Contact for virtual meeting link.

The Plastic Reduction Project

This committee is an extension of another local non-profit, the Plastic Reduction Project. We’re committed to reducing plastic production, consumption, and waste as much as possible by working with brand owners, retailers and consumers towards better  plastic-related choices.  Some initiatives include:

Restaurant Rescue: Free Consultations

“If we can help you make more money by going green, will you sit with us?”

•  We take a dollars-and-cents approach

•  Gain access City support programs

•  Small changes can make a big difference

•  Help in calculating expected P&L

•  Actionable, pragmatic recommendations

•  Sounding board for ideas

•  Recognition for doing right by the planet

Interested? Schedule an appointment online at:

 https://www.plasticreductionproject.org/restaurant-rescue

PlasticScore app which is creates a local database on plastics used by type, in local restaurants, for informed restaurant choices by individuals and city government. This began after a city wide effort identified food packaging as the #1 plastic pollution locally.

Download the app: PlasticScore - find out more about getting setup on the app here.

Meetings: Second Friday of each month Register here: https://www.plasticreductionproject.org/events

Outings Program

The Austin Sierra Club (local branch of the Sierra Club) holds outings for outdoor activities: hiking, camping, biking, backpacking, kayaking, community service projects, and more. These include local one-day events to greenbelts and natural areas, weekend trips to state parks, as well as longer trips to national parks.

Smoking is not allowed at our events.  Check with the Leader to see if pets are allowed.

Although it's not necessary for participation in our events, we encourage you to join the Sierra Club (in addition to the Meetup group), and support our efforts to protect the environment.

Explore Sierra Club Outings & Trips:  https://www.meetup.com/austin-sierra-club-outings/

Social Media Committee

Shares Austin Sierra Club activities and local environmental news, actions and tips. Committee members are passionate about storytelling and community-building.

Meetings: Virtually every other Monday 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. (contact for meeting link)