Feb. 4 Open House Call with Allison Chin on Obama Climate and Clean Energy Legacy Campaign

Dear Sierra Club Leaders:

I will be hosting an open house conference call to provide an overview of the Obama Climate and Clean Energy Legacy Campaign on Monday, February 4 at 8:00 PM EST / 7:00 PM CST / 6:00 PM MST / 5:00 PM PST. 

Phone-in number: 1-866-501-6174
Conference code: 455-0000-1892
 
Learn how YOU can be a part of this campaign. Please join us!

We will devote some time at the end of the call to the February 17 Forward on Climate Rally in Washington, D.C. New Club Deputy National Program Director Michael Bosse will give an update and answer questions.
 
Michael Brune has already hosted calls with many chapters east of the Mississippi, many of which are sending buses to D.C. for the rally, and more calls are coming up this week and next. Though the calls are targeted to specific chapters, all are welcome to join. See the schedule here.

-- Allison

P.S. This is the first in a revival of the first-Monday-of-the-month President's Open House Call!

Bring on the Backlash

Here's Club President Robin Mann's recent Power to Change post on recent attacks on the Clean Water Act:

Everyone who relies on clean water for fishing and swimming, and indeed for all of the functions of water in our environment, should be outraged at the reckless and destructive vote in the U.S. House this week to cripple the Clean Water Act.  The Dirty Water Act all over again, only this time, unlike in 1995 when Newt Gingrich led the attack, there weren't even any hearings to examine the repercussions of savaging the nation's foundational clean water law.  The other big difference this time is that it is erstwhile pro-environment Democrat and Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Nick Rahall, acting at the behest of King Coal, who joined his Republican colleague Rep. Mica, darling of Florida's real estate developers, to lead the charge.  Shame on them and all the shills! 

And bless elder statesman Sherry Boehlert, former Republican Congressman from New York, for speaking out to decry the renewed assault on the Clean Water Act.  Rep. Boehlert, a strong supporter of clean water protection, led his fellow Republican moderates to join Democratic colleagues to thwart a veto-proof victory in the House for the Gingrich Dirty Water Act.  On Wednesday, Rep. Boehlert called for a repeat of 1995's public backlash, not just against this terrible new bill but the whole anti-environmental agenda.  His Huffpost Green piece concludes: 

"It's sad that we have to repeat all this now, with a new class of conservatives, filled with even more irrational exuberance, trying to undermine basic environmental protections, and led again by some senior members who should know better. But I hope the rest of the story is also repeated, with the scale and scope of the rollbacks waking up the public and leading to the tide being reversed."

Bring on the backlash!  Stand up for clean water!  No one should be spared who had the temerity, or rather timidity, to vote for this bill!   Take action to hold your legislator accountable or thank them for supporting clean water.    

Speaking of shills for developers, a serious blow was also dealt this week in Puerto Rico.  Gov. Fortuno issued a blatantly dishonest plan for the Northeast Ecological Corridor, billed as a conservation plan, but actually calling for fragmenting and developing parts of this ecological treasure and vital Leatherback turtle nesting area.  But we have the opportunity here, as well, to turn the situation around by showing solidarity with our Puerto Rican Chapter as they build the public backlash against the Governor's destructive ploy.  As Sierra Club organizer Camilla Feibelman reminded us, borrowing from Yogi Berra and Frank Jackalone, "It ain't over 'til it's over, and even then it ain't over!"  So let's all stand up for sea turtles and take action to help protect Puerto Rico's natural jewel.

And here's an action to take of a different sort:  answer the Nominating Committee's call to consider serving on the Sierra Club's Board of Directors, and be part of leading the organization forward.  The NomCom is looking for Club members who want to take on this exciting and challenging, and also rewarding and satisfying role, bringing their strategic and creative thinking to help guide the Club in maximizing our reach and impact in pursuit of the Club's mission.  The application information is here. The deadline to apply is July 31, 2011. 

Finally, I'd like to invite you to a very special upcoming Open House conference call about technology and activism. On Wednesday, July 27th, the Activist Network will host two panelists - Michael Brune, Sierra Club Executive Director, and Jared Duval, my fellow Board member and author of Next Generation Democracy: What the Open-Source Revolution Means for Power, Politics, and Change. It should be a very interesting discussion about the latest wave of activism, spurred by the Internet. RSVP and call-in details here.

Not on My Watch

Here's Club President Robin Mann's Power to Change blog post on how becoming a grandmother has changed how she looks at the world.

Not on My Watch

I just became a grandmother.

Elsie Ford Mann arrived early Sunday morning, weighing in at 7 pounds and 11 ounces. What a thrill to pay a quick visit to meet her and to see that all is well with her and her parents.

They are very much on my mind.  And suddenly the world looks different to me. 

The other day, before Elsie arrived, I had my temperature taken for a routine check-up. The nurse slid a sensor across my forehead. It made me think of the "more invasive" way they took your temperature when I was a baby, and how much our mid-20th century medical methods and instruments have changed. Elsie will be spared considerable discomfort and risks from having her temperature taken. There have been all kinds of advances that help Elsie's and other parents provide a safer environment for children born today.

But what about her exposure to toxins? I look at the biggest sources of mercury and other toxins that threaten my granddaughter — coal-fired power plants — and they are frozen in time. Today, there are plants spewing mercury and other airborne toxins just as they were when I was born, almost 60 years ago. There are ways to modify those plants to limit their pollution — improvements that could and should have been installed years ago — but the industry has managed to get them delayed. 

Better yet, there are new, cheaper cleaner energy sources that befit a modern society and won't poison the air and cause other serious environmental and health problems. To all you grandparents out there — and parents, too — I know we can do better. And I know that we need to band together to demand better from our public officials, because right now they are feeling a crush of pressure from a coal industry that wants to thwart the EPA and avoid pollution controls and buy time to maximize their profits. 

All together now: "Not on my watch!"

You can find out more about the dangers of mercury and how you can be tested (a lock of your hair is all it takes) in the Club's Stop Polluters campaign at sierraclub.org/stoppolluters.

Robin Mann
Sierra Club president, a.k.a. Elsie’s grandmother

(To comment, please go to Power to Change.)

P.S. I want to let you know about two upcoming Monday evening conference calls —

• March 28 (Monday) — Clubhouse Guided Tour
• April 4 (Monday) — Intro to Activist Network
• April 11 (Monday) — Guided Tour of New Features in Activist Network
  
  5 pm Pacific / 6 pm Mountain / 7 pm Central / 8 pm Eastern
  866-501-6174 — 1892-005#

P.P.S. Club members, you should have received your ballot for the board election. Please read the candidate statements and vote.

Letter from Austin

Here's the latest Power to Change blog from Robin Mann:

I'm heading to Austin this week for the Sierra Club board meeting, and I want to let you know about some opportunities and Club news: upcoming conference calls, including an Open House I'm hosting next Monday, lots of activity in our natural gas reform fight, plus the nomination committee is seeking new members.

(Note: You can also see (and comment on) this message in the Power to Change blog.)

Upcoming Conference Calls

• February 21 (Monday) — Open House with Robin Mann

5 pm Pacific / 6 pm Mountain / 7 pm Central / 8 pm Eastern
Call: 866-501-6174 — code: 1892-005#

Join me for an update from the board meeting in Austin. I'll leave plenty of time for questions.

I'll be joined by Amber Harris from CoolBiz Albuquerque, who I met at the recent Good Jobs Green Jobs Conference in Washington, D.C. She will share her experience with creating a local project reaching out to businesses to reduce their energy use and carbon emissions, a great model others may want to try. (We've uploaded two documents from CoolBiz Albuquerque on Clubhouse.)

• February 28 (Monday) — Energy Policy Amendments Discussion

5 pm Pacific / 6 pm Mountain / 7 pm Central / 8 pm Eastern
Call: 866-501-6174 — code: 1892-005#

Join Dave Scott, vice president for Conservation, Dick Fiddler, Task Force chair, and Bruce Hamilton, deputy executive director for discussion on proposed changes. Read the introduction and proposed amendments and submit your comments.

• March 1 (and every other Tuesday) — Energy Activists Call
5:30 pm Pacific / 6:30 pm Mountain / 7:30 pm Central / 8:30 pm Eastern
Call: 866-501-6174 — code: 2239223#

Sign up to be added to the Energy Activists email lists and get the most up-to date and time sensitive information on the Club's work on Capitol Hill on climate and energy issues.


• March 2 (Wednesday) — Resilient Habitats Campaign Monthly Call

5 pm Pacific / 6 pm Mountain / 7 pm Central / 8 pm Eastern

866-501-6174 — 2000 802 1892#

I also encourage you to sign up for ReNew, the Resilient Habitats newsletter, an excellent way to stay informed about our work to protect wildlife and wild places in the face of climate change and other threats.

Check the conference call schedule in Clubhouse for updates.

New Natural Gas Reform Staff, Plus Gasland House Parties

I'm pleased to welcome Deb Nardone as the Sierra Club's first national Natural Gas Reform Campaign Director. She will direct a national campaign aimed at getting the natural gas industry to fully protect our water, air, wildlife, open spaces, and communities. She comes to the Sierra Club from the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited and has been a leader in protecting watersheds throughout Pennsylvania from unsound development and industrial activity.

Based in State College, Pennsylvania, Nardone will oversee the Club's aggressive campaign to support strong federal and state safeguards against the threats posed by the natural gas industry and hydraulic fracturing, a.k.a. hydrofracking.

On a related note, the Hydrofracking Team is hosting more than 40 house parties screening the Oscar-nominated documentary Gasland. Sign up to attend or host a Gasland House Party, and/or join the Hydrofracking Team.

Seeking Applicants for Nominating Committee for 2012 Board Election

We have three vacancies on the Nominating Committee, one of the most important jobs in the Club, which selects a slate of at least seven nominated candidates for election to the Board of Directors every year. Serving on the "NomCom" involves a substantial commitment of time and attention, but it is also gratifying and enlightening work. Experienced leaders are encouraged to apply. 

Please supply the following information to me by February 28, 2011:

A. Statement of Intent: why you are inspired to serve in this capacity (150 words max)
B. Brief Bio (150 words max)
C. Summary of Sierra Club experience
D. Two references (including phone number and email address)

More information here.

Hope to "see" you at the Open House on Monday.

—Robin Mann, Sierra Club president

P.S. Sign the Petition to Protect our Health from Polluter Attacks!

Polluting corporations are working hard to derail EPA safeguards, putting their profits above our health. Be part of our new Stop Polluters Campaign — we are going to hand deliver a petition with 100,000 signatures to get the White House's attention. We need Obama to stand strong when it comes to our familiies' health.

Seeking Applicants for Nominating Committee for 2012 Board Election

Here's a note from Club President Robin Mann:

Qualified volunteers are invited and encouraged to apply for service on the Nominating Committee.  The Nominating Committee has one of the most important jobs in the Sierra Club, to determine a slate of at least seven nominated candidates for election to the Board each year. Serving on the "NomCom" involves a substantial commitment of time and attention, but it is also gratifying and enlightening work.  There are 3 vacancies on the Nom Com, to be filled by the end of March 2011.    The appointments are made by the President and confirmed by the Executive Committee.  

Key responsibilities of the committee include:

(1) Plan and conduct outreach to volunteer leaders through multiple channels to cultivate interest in service on the Board of Directors, and encourage qualified  candidates to apply.  Much of the work is delegated amongst committee members and managed through email and conference calls. The bulk of the workload occurs from July through November.

(2) Become familiar with the functioning of the Board and the nature of the work performed by directors.  Identify particular strengths and skills to look for in Board candidates.

(3) Conduct discrete but thorough checks of every applicant.

(4) Attend three face-to-face meetings (during the May, September, and November Board meetings).
 
(5) Work as a team to select the best slate of candidates for nomination.


Essential skills, knowledge, and abilities for committee members:

(1)  Have a basic understanding of, and a readiness to learn more about,  Club structure, tradition, and general organizational operation.  Additionally, familiarity with current and recent issues before the Board is desirable;

(2) Be, or become, knowledgeable about the applicable election Bylaws, Standing Rules and Guidelines that govern the responsibilities of the NomCom;

(3) Work with a high level of confidentiality and engender trust within the committee -- due to the sensitive nature of evaluating candidates, this quality is of paramount  importance;

(3) Be knowledgeable about the NomCom schedule and be willing to spend extra hours at the critical times, responding quickly and efficiently and completing assigned tasks promptly.

NomCom members cannot be Board candidates.

Continuing NomCom members are Tom Neff, Marilyn Wall, Juliana Williams and Jill Workman (chair).


Please supply the following information to President Robin Mann by FEBRUARY 28, 2011:

A.  Statement of Intent: why you are inspired to serve in this capacity (150 words max)
B.  Brief Bio (150 words max)
C.  Summary of Sierra Club experience
D.  Two references (including phone number and email address)

Contact: Robin Mann at [email protected] -- please use subject line "NomCom application"

Copenhagen — One Very Long Day

Here's Allison Chin's Power to Change blog post from Copenhagen:

I spent most of the past 230 hours in Copenhagen, as part of the Sierra Club delegation to the COP15 — the United Nations Climate Change Conference. This adds up to 10 days, but in practice, it was more like one very long day with intermittent naps. And I probably got more sleep than many.  

Sierra Club Delegates to COP15

Officially, there were 49 of us, including 18 members of the Sierra Student Coalition. Additional Sierra Club leaders attended who were credentialed through other organizations. (We have lots of information about the process for selecting delegates and the corresponding responsibilities before, during, and after attendance at COP15 available on Clubhouse.)

Daily Briefings

There was too much going on to stay away from the Bella Center, the conference site on the edge of Copenhagen, longer than needed to recharge. For the Club delegation, a typical day consisted of several briefings from Climate Action Network-International, USCAN (the U.S. block of CAN), and the Sierra Club. The student arm had additional briefings for youth. CAN is a global network of over 450 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the Sierra Club, from more than 80 countries working to promote government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels. Every other evening Jonathan Pershing, the U.S. State Department Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change, gave a briefing for U.S. NGOs.  Kudos to Sierra Club D.C. staff, who received a shout out at the first of these briefings.   

The purpose of the briefings ranged from sharing updates on the "state of play" to strategizing how and when to influence the next steps of the informal negotiations process. Information sharing occured all day (and night) long via email.  At 11 p.m. one evening I gave up waiting for one working group to convene (and learned that it had finally reconvened at 4:45 the following morning!). You may have heard the talks at COP15 characterized as a roller coaster and, indeed, the situation often went from better to worse and back again several times throughout the day.

Here's Fred Heutte (right), illustrious head of the Club delegation, with Frank Lorberbaum from the Missouri Chapter.

Here are delegates multi-tasking — certainly they’re all listening to Fred, too! — during one of our daily briefings.

Working Groups, Educational Sessions, and Creative Messaging

Throughout the day there were multiple programs running in parallel at the conference center — working groups focused on specific issues, educational sessions, information booths, side events and exhibits, and any number of ways to get your message out.

Glen Besa (Virginia Chapter Director), Polar Bear, and Joan Saxe (Maine Chapter).

Time to pay the bill!

Impromptu Meetings

Anywhere you could assemble could be a meeting place. A queue (and there were a lot of them) was a really good excuse to talk with your neighbors and find out what brought them to COP15.

...on the floor between booths

...atop a bench in the main hallway.

100,000 Participate in Climate Rally and March on Dec 12

Joan Saxe surrounded by  Friends of the Earth international delegates.

The march ended with a candle light vigil at the Bella Center.

Anxiously Waiting

Worldwide interest in COP15 led to accreditation of supposedly 45,000 delegates. Logistics for managing this crowd became overwhelmed and led to limited access (for NGOs beginning on Dec 15 the Bella Center has a maximum capacity for 15,000). The Club delegation had to coordinate shared access, which worked fine on the 15th.  On the 16th, this fell apart when demonstrations inside and outside the Bella Center resulted in further restricted access. Maybe it was just as well that I headed home on the 16th, but it was also hard to leave the team.  

Like so many others, I am anxiously awaiting the outcome of these last couple days of negotiations. You can follow some of this on live webcast. 

Chapter Funding Changes

As you likely know, continuing declines in unrestricted contributions to the Sierra Club have, over the past two years, resulted in down-sizing of national staff and major changes in the way our conservation work is funded and implemented.

In 2010 these funding shifts will also impact chapters. In 2010, the chapter funding allocation formula will again be calculated as a percentage of net membership revenue as it was prior to 2007. As net membership revenues have declined, the chapter funding allocation pool will shrink by approximately 40-50% from 2008 levels. Keep in mind that the national allocation to chapters just a percentage of a chapter's overall funds; for many chapters less than 30% of their budget. Still, a 40-50% reduction to 30% of a chapter's budget is nevertheless significant.

The overall Sierra Club financial situation was reviewed with the Board of Directors and Council of Club Leaders during the September Annual  Meeting. Two conference calls have been scheduled to help grassroots leaders who were not at the annual meeting review these data:

• Wednesday, Nov. 4 — 3 pm Pacific / 4 pm Mountain / 5 pm Central / 6 pm Eastern
• Thursday, Nov. 5 — 5 pm Pacific / 6 pm Mountain / 7 pm Central / 8 pm Eastern

In anticipation of a dramatic decrease in the chapter funding allocation pool, the Board of Directors (BoD) initiated a process in July 2008 to consider changes to the allocation formula. Two task forces have wrestled with this task.

As a chapter leader these changes are going to require difficult decisions in the weeks and months to come. To help you understand the changes, why they are happening and how they might shape your chapter’s choices, we’ve set up a new web page on Clubhouse.

http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/administration/chapter-funding/changes-2009-2010/default.aspx

This web page is divided into three sections.

1. Chapter Funding Allocation — This section addresses changes in the chapter funding allocation process.
2. Chapter Fundraising Support Task Force — This section address work happening right now on a Board established task force to identify ways to better supper chapters’ own fundraising efforts.
3. Climate Recovery Partnership — This section addresses the work that the national Sierra Club is doing to combat climate change, how chapters can engage in that effort, and steps the CRP campaigns are taking to provide funding to targeted chapters to help win.

As you will note, this is still very much a work in progress. All of these sections are incomplete – reflecting the fact that many decisions are yet to be made. Please bookmark this page and check back regularly for updates.

There are many unanswered questions, including "How will this smaller allocation pool be distributed to chapters?" and "How can chapters increase their own fundraising efforts to help mitigate the impact of these cuts?" and "How will the restricted funding raised for the Climate Recovery Partnership campaigns impact chapters?"

Finally, the work that chapters do is at the heart of the Sierra Club’s strength and efficacy. These funding changes are painful for everyone involved. It’s the hope that sharing this information as completely as possible, even before final decisions are made, will help you and your chapter to make the best decisions possible in a difficult time.

Revised Interim Policy on "Thons" and Similar Activities

Here's a note from Club President Allison Chin and the Board about the revised "thon" policy and new "Thon" Review Team:

To: Sierra Club Leaders (Volunteers and Staff)
From: Board of Directors (BoD)

The BoD adopted the following "Revised Interim Policy regarding "Thons" and Similar Activities" at its meeting last week. Thanks to the Finance and Risk Management Committee for raising the concern and to Club leaders who provided constructive feedback on how best to move this forward for the organization.

Pursuant to the board meeting and as directed by the policy, on October 1, 2009, Carl Pope and I appointed the following volunteers and staff to the Interim "Thon" Review Team: Shari Morfin (Chair, Director of Risk Management), Dave Simon (Director of Outdoor Activities), Richard Thomas (Sierra Nevada Group, Mother Lode Chapter), and Phil Wheeler (Finance and Risk Management Advisory Committee).

Next steps include appointment of a task force comprised of about 6-8 members, up to 3-4 each of volunteers and staff, by the BoD ExCom and Executive Director, respectively. A charge for the task force needs to be drafted. My conversations with a dozen or so club leaders who provided feedback on the initial interim policy identified experienced and willing prospects for this task force. We will strive to get the task force launched within the next couple weeks.

You can see the policy here.
Questions? Contact Allison Chin

I Went to Camp

[Here's the most recent Power to Change post from Club President Allison Chin, about her visits to three different Club camps.You can sign up to get this by email here.]

—

I had “up close and personal” experiences with three fabulous Sierra Club Programs earlier this month.

Operation Purple Camp

August kicked off with a visit to one of the Operation Purple Camps with Brittany McKee, Sierra Club Representative for the National Military Family Program. At this particular camp in Pennsylvania, there were 90 youth, 7 to 15 years old. In 2009 there were 64 Operation Purple Camps and after the first two years of this program, we have helped to provide outdoor experiences for 23,000 military family members!

Here are some photos from camp:

(1) Campers untangling themselves from a human knot

(2) Me with kids and camp staff

(3) Kids climb in the obstacle course

Sierra Student Coalition Shindig

Next stop was the Sierra Student Coalition Shindig, at Catoctin Mountain Park in Maryland. This was their annual leadership forum where a new executive committee is seated and youth activists from many high schools, college campuses and recent graduates gather to celebrate our victories, strategize, prioritize, and set the goals and direction of the organization. The week is filled with leadership skills trainings, planning sessions, visioning exercises, and informative issue panels from guest speakers. It takes stamina to survive a Shindig, with daily schedules that run from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. (that’s an “early” end of day). Randy Downs attended a Sprog (SSC training) earlier in the summer and volunteered as chef for Shindig, creating delicious vegetarian meals for 110 hungry activists. At Shindig, everything is “optional” but nobody wants to miss anything!

(1) SSC Power

(2) Small Group Breakout Session

(3) “Trust” comes in all forms

(4)  It takes a lot of pizzas to feed 110 hungry activists

Clair Tappaan Lodge Gala Celebration

There was a splendid turnout last weekend for the 75th anniversary of the Sierra Club’s Clair Tappaan Lodge and 85th anniversary of Hutchinson Lodge. Multiple generations of loyal visitors showed up to enjoy hikes, music, arts & craft workshops, great fellowship and, of course, raise funds. Special guests included Milton Hildebrand, who helped build the lodge in the early 1930s! The first CTL Music Festival was held on Sunday, which featured four local ensembles and brought in new visitors from the neighborhood. Hats off to the CTL committee and staff for a glorious celebration!

(1) Clair Tappaan Lodge

(2)  Milton Hildebrand

(3)  The Lost Quartet

Explore Your Passion in New Sierra Club Networks

Are you the type who wants to crawl in a cave when you hear the term “social networking”? What if a single network could help you explore your passion – whether it’s finding great trails to hike or turning the tide on climate change?

I want to invite you to take a peek at Sierra Club Online Communities, our new "network of networks" that includes:

           Sierra Club Trails: trails.sierraclub.org
           Climate Crossroads: climatecrossroads.sierraclub.org
           Sierra Student Coalition: ssc.sierraclub.org

Now, I'm for protecting the planet as much as anyone, but as someone who came into the Sierra Club as an Inner City Outings leader, I have a special place in my heart for the "enjoy and enjoy" part of our "explore, enjoy, and protect" motto. So I'm especially excited to invite you to explore our new online community -- Sierra Club Trails. Check out the gorgeous home page:

 

To help you learn how to use Sierra Club Trails, Climate Crossroads, and the Sierra Student Coalition networks, we started a series of web tours as part of the Tuesday Conference Calls.

Earlier this week, some of our leaders got up-close-and-personal with an introduction to the Climate Crossroads site. The upcoming conference call on May 19 will be dedicated to touring you around Sierra Club Trails, a community dedicated to all things outdoors.

You can explore Sierra Club Trails on your own, of course, or join us for a guided tour next Tuesday. So grab your boots, bike, or boat and RSVP here.

[Also posted in Power to Change. You can sign up to get this by email here.]