Get your calendar out. May is jam-packed with important events, actions, and educational programs. Read on for some of the highlights and check out our events calendar for a full list of the exciting events in May.
Rally for a Coal-Free Community
It is time for Madison to pave the way and become a coal-free community. Right now, our “community energy company” MGE is 63% coal-powered. This impacts the air quality for all Wisconsinites and exacerbates climate change. Our energy is having a direct negative health impact on the families, and especially the children, living near the coal plants in Oak Creek and Portage. Join us on May 12, the weekend before MGE’s annual shareholders’ meeting, for a family-friendly rally to stand up for kids, climate and health!
***A Rally for a Coal Free Community: For Kids, Climate and Health***
When: Saturday, May 12 from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Teach-In: 2:00 - 2:45 pm in the Youth Room, Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center, 953 Jenifer St, Madison, WI 53703
(Maximum capacity of 50, first come first serve. There will be activities in the park for any overflow attendees.)
Rally: 3:00 - 4:00 pm starting at McPike Park (AKA Central Park), 202 S Ingersoll St, Madison, WI 53703
RSVP Here
Rally to Save the JobsLines Buses
Three years ago, the Milwaukee County Transit System JobLines, routes 6 and 61, were created to connect residents in neighborhoods in Milwaukee to a multitude of job opportunities in Waukesha County.
Every day, more than 1,000 riders rely on the JobLines to get them to work at more than 150 employers throughout Waukesha and Washington Counties. But at the close of 2018, funding for the project will be exhausted, and it could be the end of the line for the JobLines!
JobLines — Milwaukee County Transit System’s (MCTS) bus routes 6 and 61 — is a joint initiative among MCTS, BHCW (Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin) and MICAH (Milwaukee Inner-city Congregations Allied for Hope), connecting Milwaukee residents with suburban job opportunities.
Losing the JobLines Would Be a Loss for Everyone. If you can't attend the rally, take action here.
RSVP Here
8th Annual Hands Across the Sand
(Events in Janesville and Racine) Hands Across the Sands started in 2010 after the BP Oil Spill as a call to protect our important waters from the threats of oil spills.
Hands Across the Sand- Janesville
11:00–11:45: Picnic in Library Park, just south of Hedberg Public Library at 316 S. Main St. in Janesville, WI. Bring your own lunch and something to sit on. Lawn games, hoola hoops, musical instruments welcome!
11:45: Line up along the riverfront and hold hands for photos and video.
12:00: Press conference and speeches
This event focuses on the dangers to the Rock River and Janesville posed by the proposed Enbridge tar sands Line 66. This event occurs at the same time at the Block Line 3 Party in Minnesota. We'll be standing in solidarity with them as well.
This event is co-sponsored by Rock County Wisconsin Safe Energy (WiSE) Alliance and 350-Madison
RSVP to the Facebook event here
Hands Across the Sand-Racine
We will gather at Racine's North Beach Oasis.
There will be a short presentation on the state of clean energy and the International Hands Across the Sand event.
We will then head to the lakeshore to join hands in a symbolic chain of solidarity.
Sat, May 19, 2018 10:30 AM
North Beach Oasis
1955 Michigan Blvd, Racine, WI
This event is organized by the Sierra Club-Southeast Gateway Group
RSVP Here
Learn about Great Waters Group Nearby Nature Program
David Thomas, co-chair of Nearby Nature Project Steering Committee and the Great Waters Group were awarded a grant from the Sierra Club Foundation to hire a community organizer to bring young residents in Milwaukee's 30th Street Corridor & Lincoln Creek Parkway to local green space. The primary purpose is to organize environmental outings in urban natural spaces for children of color and others who live in the inner city.
** Nearby Nature is an equity and inclusion project of the Sierra Club that is starting in 2018, in only six cities in the US, including Milwaukee. Please join us in this venture. **
Several experts and community activists will talk about the history and present struggles of the environmental movement to address issues of equity, justice and inclusion. We will provide an update on the Nearby Nature project, to develop outings and activities in central city neighborhoods impacted by poverty and racial injustice, particularly in the 30th Street Corridor and Lincoln Creek Greenway.
Mon, May 21, 2018 6:30 PM
Wauwatosa Public Library, Firefly Room, first floor
RSVP Here
Of course, this is just a few events and projects of all the work happening across the state. There are ongoing campaigns to call on our utilities to go coal-free, local work to get to 100% clean energy in our cities, like Eau Claire just announced, and much, much more. Contact your local group or Elizabeth Ward at elizabeth.ward@sierraclub.org to find out what's happening in your community.