Hundreds Speak Out In Support of EPA Global Warming Rule

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:22:50 GMT

Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope (left) testifies at the Arlington EPA hearing as API's Howard Feldman looks on.
This week we saw some amazing public action as part of the two Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearings on its proposed tailoring rule, which we call the "Big Polluters" rule. Right now only a handful of pollution sources, including coal-fired power plants, are responsible for more than half of all of the global warming pollution in the United States. Cleaning these up is a large step towards stopping global warming, so EPA is proposing a new rule to start cleaning up these Big Polluters under the Clean Air Act. By targeting the worst offenders, the Big Polluters rule is an important step that will cut global warming pollution while still helping our economy grow.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

You Be the Judge: Which 'Orange' is Best?

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:44:32 GMT

Photo by Adrian Cotter Over the past two weeks, photographers of all abilities have been submitting entries to a new monthly contest on Sierra Club Trails. The theme of "Orange" has drawn a crazy array of images -- from sunsets, butterflies, fall leaves, to kayaks, cows and centipedes. Now the community is voting for the People's Choice Award winner, and the winner of the Grand Prize -- a Canon G-11 digital camera. You're invited to help us find the winner. You're also welcome to participate in next month's photo contest. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Coal Country: Enter to Win the Book, Sign Up to See a Sneak Preview

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:04:14 GMT

My hope is this superb documentary will shock Americans and create a surge of urgency that stops the atrocity of mountain top removal coal mining immediately. -- Ashley Judd I know it doesn't work as literally as this, but what would you do if you knew that ancient mountains were being destroyed and communities torn apart every time you turned on a light in your home, or flipped the switch on your sound system, or heated up water for tea? There are a few more steps in the mining-to-lightswitch process, of course, but this is basically the story of mountaintop-removal mining. I want to invite you to attend a sneak-peek screening of a stunning new film on the subject, called Coal Country , and also to sign up to win one of ten free copies of the film's companion book, Coal Country: Rising Up Against Mountaintop Removal , published by Sierra Club Books. Keep reading...... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Your Treat: Save Money by Slaying Energy Vampires

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:01:46 GMT

Energy vampire. Image credit:PeopleJam I'm not one to dress up for Halloween, but I like to find creative ways to get on board with the spooky spirit of the holiday. If you're an energy activist like me, I think you'll enjoy these ideas: Energy Vampires When you sleep, when you eat, while you're hard at work, vampires lurk in the depths of your home. From morning to night they are sucking you dry. It is called vampire power and to you it is wasted money. Energy vampires are the devices that use electricity even when they are turned off - like your home entertainment system, which can cost you up to $75 per year in vampire energy. Together energy vampires can account for up to 20 percent of your electric bill. Give your neighbors a treat this Halloween and let them know they can improve their home's energy savings by identifying and unplugging energy vampires. Just download this PDF, print copies, and include them with the treats you hand out, or place them strategically (in the bathroom, maybe?) at any Halloween parties you choose to haunt.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Trick Or Treat With A Caulk Gun

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:28:51 GMT

U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman makes a home more energy efficient. Image credit:U.S. Department of Energy Digital Photo Archive. You might think next week's major holiday is Halloween, but 'round the Sierra Club offices we're a bit nerdier. You see, we're excited about Friday, October 30th: National Weatherization Day. On National Weatherization Day, created by the U.S. Department of Energy, cities will be hosting events to highlight services and organizations that help people to make their homes more energy efficient. Across the country, federal recovery funds are helping people weatherize their homes for winter, creating jobs, and reducing energy waste. It all relates to Halloween on a number of levels, really. Think about how many energy "vampires" there are in your home or office (devices that still suck energy even when not on), or think about how much less scary your energy bills can be if you weatherize your home. Did you know that the average family can save $350 a year on their utility bills after a retrofit? So it makes sense to us to tie the two holidays together.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

"Coal" Is A Dirty Word In Troubling New Documentary

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:26:40 GMT

Image credit: Photo of mountaintop removal coal mining at Kayford Mine, West Virginia. 2006 B. Mark Schmerling, courtesy Sierra Club Library A new award-winning film premiering on Planet Green on November 14 will change the way you think about coal. It will make you sick -- it might also make you cry -- to see entire mountaintops blown apart to reach the coal inside. This practice has destroyed folks' lives and sparked a civil war among residents of Appalachia -- all so we can turn our lights on at night.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Coal Is Too Dirty - Even for College

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:09:23 GMT

Video credit:Sierra Club That's the new ad for our Campuses Beyond Coal campaign, which is targeting universities and colleges and working with college students to kick coal off campus. Over the past several years there's been an uproar from students coast-to-coast who are building the clean energy future right on their campuses. These students are ready to be done with coal - and it's no surprise the call to action is coming from this particular generation.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Six Super-Tips for National Park Visitors

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:10:57 GMT

Abyss Pool, West Thumb Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Jim Peaco. Those of us who have been exploring national parks all our lives know the tricks for organizing a great stay: how to bypass that heinously long line of RVs at the entrance station, score a coveted campsite, and save money on gas and gear. We expect there will be a lot of first-time visitors after PBS airs the new Ken Burns documentary, The National Parks: America's Best Idea, premiering this Sunday. So here are six of the tips we've compiled to help them out. Click here to see our full list of tips, as well as many other outstanding suggestions from our readers. And whether you're a long-time lover of these treasures or are newly inspired to become one, we hope you'll join our "100,000 Champions of National Parks" campaign -- just sign your name and favorite national park, and we'll enter you in a drawing for a trip for two to San Francisco and Yosemite National Park. Tip #1 follows... ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Interior Dept Sees Need for Global Warming Strategy

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 11:01:28 GMT

Wild Fire in California Forest in Fall of 2007. Image credit:Assurance Group We cheered earlier this week when Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced the first-ever department-wide coordinated strategy to address the impacts of climate change on the public lands, wildlife, coasts, and ecosystems managed by his agency. It's a fantastic plan and a nice coincidence because it comes right before our major Sunday event: Sierra Club activists from around the country are hosting more than 750 parties to watch a preview of the new Ken Burns documentary series, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea." The full documentary airs on PBS on Sept. 27th. (You'll remember we encouraged you to host a party only a few weeks ago)... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Show Off Your Farmers Market

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 09:51:23 GMT

New farmers' market at Broad and South streets in Philadelphia PA. Image credit:SouthPhillyReview, by Steve Langdon) If you believe in the importance of eating locally produced food and you're a devotee of farmers markets, then you should know about a new project we've got going on in the Sierra Club's new online community, Climate Crossroads. It's called the Fans of Farmers Markets, and we're looking for photos to include in a new Farmers Market Photomap of the U.S. The next time you hit your local market, grab some shots of anything from photogenic fruit to funky bags to favorite farmers. We'll highlight the best pics in a special slideshow and include everyone's contributions on the photomap.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Throw A Ken Burns House Party With A Sneak-Preview DVD

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:45:26 GMT

American Elk, competing for status on roadside. Image credit:Los Alamos National Lab. I don't run across many people who doubt climate change is happening. I do, however, meet folks who --while they know that glaciers are melting at a scary pace -- are unaware that global warming is already affecting the world's wildlife, and that there's evidence to prove it. That's why the Sierra Club sees an educational opportunity in the upcoming Ken Burns documentary series, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," which premieres on PBS on Sunday, September 27. We're organizing house parties around the country a week before the premiere, on Sunday, September 20, and providing hosts with a free sneak-preview DVD of the series, so they and their guests can take action to protect wildlife and wild places from climate change.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Here Come the Tar Sands

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 11:37:49 GMT

Proposed Tar Sands Pipeline and Refinery Network, excerpted from original. Image credit:Oil Sands Truth.org We were surprised and disappointed last week when we heard that the State Department issued approval for a controversial pipeline designed to carry the dirtiest oil on Earth from Canada into the United States. The State Department decision will allow construction of Enbridge Energy's Alberta Clipper pipeline, which will carry tar sands oil from Canada into the United States. Tar sands oil is extremely dirty--It not only creates 3-5 times the greenhouse gases as conventional oil, it's production has destroyed giant swaths of boreal forest and its toxic tailings ponds kill migrating birds.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Greenest Colleges: Did Your School Make the Grade?

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 12:30:19 GMT

Image credit:SIerra Club. For the third year in a row my organization's magazine, SIERRA, did what amounts to a senior thesis by researching and reporting which colleges and universities get an A (or an F) for their eco-friendliness. We call it the "Cool Schools" issue of the magazine, and it was unveiled this week. I'm going to let SIERRA Lifestyle Editor Avital Binshtock take it away from here:

While the good folks at U.S. News and World Report ascribe certain measurements of prestige to their college rankings, we rated schools based on what matters most to us, and what two-thirds of college applicants say matters to them too: how green a campus is. The honors go to . . .

... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Hurricane Katrina Four Years Later: Greening the Crescent City

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:22:28 GMT

Organizer Darryl Malek-Wiley. Image credit:Sierra Club Next Saturday, August 29th, marks four years since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. The Sierra Club has been actively involved in many facets of the recovery (from exposing the toxic FEMA trailers, to helping restore wetlands, and more) - and this week brought some good news for those wanting a comprehensive look at the green recovery in New Orleans. The devastation of Hurricane Katrina has provided the city of New Orleans with a unique opportunity to develop a national model for rebuilding green - and there are many, many projects under way.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Show Big Coal How It's Done: Sierra Club's 'Liar Liar -- Pants on Fire' Campaign

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:45:45 GMT

Image: Sierra Club's Liar Liar--Pants on Fire Campaign

Environmental issues are usually treated pretty seriously -- as they should be; we're facing some serious problems -- but that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun, from time to time, with the otherwise oh-so-serious issue of astroturfing -- the business of faking grassroots activism. Meet our "Liar Liar--Pants on Fire" campaign. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Video: Taking on the Financial Side of Coal

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:22:06 GMT

This week the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign launched a new initiative targeting JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon. This is part of our coal campaign's push to look not just at the coal companies themselves, but those who are enabling them to pollute. I wanted to learn more, so I interviewed Mark Kresowik, the Corporate Accountability Representative for our Beyond Coal Campaign. Kresowik says targeting financial companies is central to stopping coal altogether.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Making the Most of Your Clunker Cash

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:27:38 GMT

Rusty Chrysler. Image credit:AllPar Update: Top 10 Most Fuel Efficient Cars to Buy with "Cash for Clunkers" Money You've probably seen the onslaught of car dealership TV commercials promising you endless benefits from the new government Cash for Clunkers program (or Car Allowance Rebate System - CARS). The dealers have set out all their signs and wacky personalities and inflatable monkeys - all to get you to trade in your clunker for a better car right now. I've spent some time discussing CARS with Ann Mesnikoff, head of the Sierra Club's Green Transportation Campaign, and she's really got this program down. The truth, Mesnikoff says, is that the Cash for Clunkers program is only as good as we consumers allow it to be. "The environmental success of this all depends on the choices we make," she said.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Ten Dirty Things About Big King Coal

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 16:54:28 GMT

Mountain top removal vista. Image credit:Reverse Energy We like the buzz we've been hearing since President Obama took office- that we can create jobs and curb climate change by turning toward clean-energy solutions. Any way you look at it, that means moving away from coal, which is dirty from beginning to end of its life cycle, and threatens our health and our environment. King Coal must clean up its old, dirty plants-no exemptions, no bailouts, and no special treatment. Here are ten quick things you should know about coal. Read -em, and then sign our petition.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Check It Out: Our Trails Wiki For Hiking, Biking, Boating!

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:36:47 GMT

Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Utah. Image credit: Josh Myers, winner of National Parks Photo Contest on Trails. It seemed like a good idea. Now we know it was a great idea: an online community with a trails wiki as its centerpiece. Introducing Sierra Club Trails. The response to our recent beta launch has been met with excellent reviews from bloggers and reporters in the outdoors and green lifestyle genre. Here's how it works:... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Speak Up for Energy Independence Day

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:00:19 GMT

Assembly Room, Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where in 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed; and, in 1787, the U.S. Constitution was drafted. Image credit:Flockr, Dailyville photostream. Excerpted. Perhaps that title is becoming common from those of us who've been fighting for clean energy for the U.S. instead of the same old dirty fossil fuels, but as chants of "Drill, baby, drill!" continue to emanate from some corners, we must stick with it. We've hit summer's stride - It's time for the 4th of July holiday weekend, people are traveling, and gas prices are rising. The dirty energy crowd is keeping up with its same old dirty business - calling for the same old energy sources that pollute our planet. Clean energy creates jobs, boosts the economy and lowers our global warming pollution. That's why we're using this Independence Day weekend to wish the U.S. a happy birthday and tell our decision-makers that the best gift our country can get is a clean energy economy.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

On Pulling Weeds With Salazar - Outside Jobs Versus Flipping Burgers

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:29:20 GMT

US Department of Interior, Secretary Ken Salazar, with members of the Youth Conservation Corps. Image credit:Jackie Ostfeld, Sierra Club staff. This scares me: Kids get outside 50% less today than they did 20 years ago, and if they're not being taught to explore, enjoy, and protect wilderness and wildlife habitat - then who will take that on 20 years from now? Who will fight for protections in courtrooms and Congress? Turns out that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is bothered by this situation, too. That's why on Monday, when the Obama administration - led by the First Lady - rolled out United We Serve, Salazar set up an event involving members of the Youth Conservation Corps, Student Conservation Association, NPS employees, and Virginia's first lady Anne Holton.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Help Stop Three More Bad Energy Decisions

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:35:12 GMT

Reasons not to pipe more tar-sand oil to the USA. While our country is finally beginning to move down the path towards a clean-energy economy, some continue to slip dirtier - often hazardous - fuel into our mix, pipeline by pipeline, refinery by refinery, permit by permit. The result is devastating - sometimes on a very local level, and always in the context of the need to curb climate change. Two bad decisions in the past week make this painfully evident. Treehugger readers are newshounds, so I'm guessing you remember the hundreds of families affected by the devastating coal ash spill near Harriman, Tenn., last December. The question for you now is: Do you know what hazardous waste is being stored near your community?... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Chevron, Sierra Club Go Mano-a-Mano

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:06:15 GMT

Chevron + Sierra Club: A Few Jabs, And A Surprise If you haven't yet watched the video clip of Friday night's matchup between Chevron CEO David O'Reilly and Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope, then watch it now, because it's an oil leader versus environmentalist moment that won't soon be forgotten. The exchange occurred during a debate in San Francisco, where about 500 people crowded into a hotel ballroom with Wall Street Journal deputy managing editor Alan Murray moderated the event. You can check out various reports in the San Francisco Chronicle, Reuters, and the Sierra Club's Scrapbook blog. You can also hear the entire debate on Sierra Club Radio. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

We'd Like a Little More Muscle, Please

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:35:29 GMT

Image credit:Flickr, Jusup'Biceps Logo November 2007, by "Gass2002" I'm thinking today about three guys I know about who run their electric cars on batteries powered by solar panels on the roofs of their houses. I'm thinking about my friend's cousin whose wind power company is going great guns. I'm thinking about Leo Gerard, president of United Steelworkers, and how upon gazing up at wind turbine in Cleveland that was made of 26 tons of steel, immediately began mentally calculating how many manufacturing jobs that equalled. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Sierra Club Book Give-Away: Bike Touring

Fri, 29 May 2009 09:30:16 GMT

A lot of us commute by bicycle and feel strongly about using two-wheeled transportation instead of the car whenever we can. But bikes are for fun, too, and in that spirit Sierra Club Books just published the second edition of Bike Touring, by Raymond Bride. The original edition, published in 1979, introduced tens of thousands of riders to the joys of bicycle travel and quickly became the go-to reference for bike-touring enthusiasts. My colleagues at Sierra Club Books here in San Francisco let me know that they're eager for TreeHugger readers to check it out, so we worked out a deal: The first 20 people who sign up here will receive a free copy. If you sign up and don't get a copy, or want to skip the giveaway and just buy it, you can get a 25% discount if you do it before Sunday, May 31, at midnight Pacific time. Just click here and use the code HUGBIKE. (That "hug" part lets us know you're a Treehugger reader.)... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Crowds Turn Out For EPA Global Warming Hearings

Sat, 23 May 2009 11:45:34 GMT

Rally at EPA climate hearing in Seattle, WA. Image credit:Dan Ritzman. This week the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held two hearings to take public comment on its finding that global-warming pollutants endanger public health and can be regulated by the Clean Air Act. We had plenty of people at both hearings - Monday's was in Arlington, VA, and Thursday's was in Seattle, WA. When the EPA announced that it would hold these o hearings on its endangerment finding, the Sierra Club decided to use this opportunity to demonstrate strong public support for fast, scientifically-based, and substantial actions on climate change. We turned to our volunteers, coalition partners and staff throughout the country to lead that effort.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Obama And Clean Cars: One For The History Books

Tue, 19 May 2009 15:00:03 GMT

Mileage sticker from older model Dodge Dakota. Image credit:EastPlaza . TreeHugger "business & politics" blogger Brian Merchant sparked a great discussion yesterday when he wrote about the Obama administration's proposed new fuel-economy standards to be announced today. This is one for the history books, folks. The Sierra Club and others have tackled this issue in so many ways, over so many years, it's hard to recount all the letter-writing campaigns, rallies, court hearings, phone-banks, flyers, and other tactics to get what we're getting today: the first national tailpipe standard for global-warming emissions. Today's good news also involves new vehicle fuel economy standards - check out this blurb from the fact sheet given to today's attendees of the White House announcement ceremony (we have several folks there):... Read the full story on TreeHugger

We've Got Obama's Back on Climate Change

Fri, 15 May 2009 10:17:29 GMT

EPA Potomac Yard Conference Center, Arlington, VA Image credit:BuildingGreen.com It was good news for Earthlings when the Environmental Protection Agency recently ruled that carbon dioxide and other global warming pollutants endanger public health and therefore must be regulated by the Clean Air Act. It was a bold and necessary first step toward tackling climate change, and proof that President Obama and his administration get the big picture when it comes to a clean energy future. The EPA ruling isn't a done-deal, however, so I want to suggest three things you can do to make it so, and to support Obama in what will be a series of climate-change related decisions in the coming year... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Making Homes More Energy Efficient Together

Thu, 07 May 2009 07:08:58 GMT

Prescott speaking with one of the homeowners. Image credit:Heather Moyer My colleague Heather Moyer recently spent the day with a crew of volunteers who weatherized the home of a low-income senior couple in Baltimore. I want to share her story and find out whether any Treehugger readers have volunteered in a similar way. I also want to make you aware of the Rebuilding Together organization, which leads projects like this around the country-possibly near you-so you can see about getting involved.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

One for Mom, One for Mother Earth

Tue, 05 May 2009 11:18:36 GMT

Gray wolf and cubs. Image credit:Larry Allan, copyright 2006. There's always talk around Earth Day about how you should "love your mother" -- and that means Mother Earth. But in case you're the type who doesn't keep track of things, you'd better be prepared to love your real mother come May 10, which is Mother's Day. At the risk of shamelessly promoting something that helps my organization do its good work, I want to let you know about a gift idea that we've been getting a great response to, because it's fun, meaningful -- and helps protect wild places. And hey, we've got a special deal going for Mother's Day.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Recent Posts by TreeHugger's Greg Haegele of Sierra Club