Sarah Hodgdon, Guest Writer
Sarah Hodgdon is the Sierra Club Director of Conservation. She began her grassroots organizing career in 1993 with Green Corps, serving as Recruitment Director for the group from 1996 - 2000. With Green Corps, Sarah recruited and trained young environmental activists who have since become Executive Directors of organizations such as Greenpeace, MoveOn.org and Rock the Vote. She went on to become the Executive Director of Dogwood Alliance, a North Carolina based forest protection organization. While at Dogwood Alliance, Sarah oversaw a national campaign that persuaded Staples and Office Depot to increase their sales of recycled paper, resulting in the first expansion in production at recycled paper mills in over ten years.
Before being named as the Sierra Club's Director of Conservation, Sarah first served as the Club's Deputy Field Director in Richmond, VA, helping to manage 26 field offices with an emphasis on operations, finances, and fundraising. She quickly moved on to become the Director of Climate Campaign Operations, overseeing programs for the Climate Recovery Partnership (CRP), a set of initiatives that will help cut carbon emissions 80% by the year 2050. Sarah supervised the CRP's flagship campaign, Beyond Coal, which has helped defeat nearly 100 proposed coal-fired power plants and has been described in Rolling Stone as "the most successful campaign the environmental movement has seen in more than a decade." As a result of the Beyond Coal campaign, the U.S. Department of Energy has reduced its projections of future carbon emissions.
Sarah was named Director of Conservation for the Sierra Club in June, 2009. In her new capacity, she will advocate for the end of coal-fired electricity, support market growth for clean energy alternatives, push for economic sanctions against greenhouse gas-intense energy, encourage the nation's transition to a green transportation system, and install safeguards to protect habitats and communities against inevitable climate change.
Latest Stories from Sarah Hodgdon, Guest Writer
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NYC Puerto Rican Day Parade Inspires Volunteers
More on the inspiration created when Sierra Club Puerto Rico and Sierra Club NYC volunteers helped gather tons of recycling at Sunday's NYC Puerto Rican Day Parade.
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Women Must Be Heard in the Climate Change Debate
Women are more affected by climate disruption worldwide, so their voices must be heard.
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Veteran Gives Back Through Inner City Outings
Helping inner city kids see the outdoors is this veteran's favorite pasttime.
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Coal Pollution in North Omaha, Nebraska: "Kids Deserve Better Than This"
Residents in North Omaha want clean energy, not the coal pollution they're getting now.
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Finalize Tier 3 Tailpipe Standards -- For Our Kids, Our Health, and Our Future
New vehicle emission and fuel standards proposed by the EPa will reduce pollution, save gas, protect public health, and create jobs.
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Even Former Coal Miners Want to End Mountaintop Removal Mining
It's time to end this destructive practice, and Appalachian residents descended upon Washington, D.C., this week to demand action.
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Marathon Refinery Fire in Detroit Another Sign of Environmental Injustice
Last Saturday's Marathon Oil refinery explosion and fire was yet another dangerous, polluting event in a string of environmental injustices to plague the residents of the 48217 zip code in Detroit
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Mark Zuckerberg's PAC Aimed at Division, Not Coalition-Building
Reform and action should come about via a diverse coalition supporting measures that benefit everyone.
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Who's Your Pick to Win the Best Internship on Earth?
View videos from the ten finalists for the Sierra Club's Best Internship on Earth
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Tribal Activist's Clean-Energy Quest
A mother's fight to protect her children and her tribe
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Thousands Gathering at Climate and Clean Energy Events Nationwide
Americans want action on climate and clean energy - so they're gathering at events nationwide.
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Celebrating Five New National Monuments
Millions of Americans are applauding President Obama for naming five new National Monuments.
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Mississippi Utility Wants Public to Pay for Its Coal Boondoggle
MS Power wants the public to pay for massively over-budged Kemper coal plant...and it has national implications.
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Protecting the Arctic from Climate Disruption
Scientist George Divoky explains why Arctic changes due to climate disruption must be taken seriously.
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Americans Continue to Embrace and Push for Clean Energy
People are taking action to stop climate change. Now, it's time for action from President Obama, says the Sierra Club.
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Let's Permanently Protect Utah's Greater Canyonlands
Famed hiker Aron Ralston on why Utah's beautiful Greater Canyonlands deserve permanent protection.
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Sierra Club's Board of Directors Endorses Act of Peaceful Civil Disobedience
Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, explains why the non-profit will add civil disobedience to its roster of tactics in an effort to curtail the "global crisis unfolding before our eyes."
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A Tribute to a Friend and a Hero, Rebecca Tarbotton of RAN
As executive director of the Rainforest Action Network, Becky Tarbotton, who died last month, was whip-smart activist tireless advocate of the environment.
