It is important for a conservation organization like the Sierra Club to focus on specific issues. By having national, state and local entities working in conjunction, we can best attack local and regional issues with our grassroots activism. You can energize our efforts! If you would like to be involved with any campaign – contact the person listed and find out how!
Mining in Wisconsin
The company Gogebic Taconite (GTAC) recently purchased the mineral rights for a vast area in northwestern Wisconsin– 21,000 acres along 22 miles of the beautiful Penokee Range in Ashland and Iron Counties. GTAC is now proposing to build the largest mine our state has ever seen (it would initially be 4 1/2 miles long, 1/3 mile wide and 900 feet deep) to extract taconite, a type of low-grade iron ore. Local Native American tribes in the region are gravely concerned as other Great Lakes Taconite mines have all been found to have serious, on-going air and water quality problems. Despite these obvious issues, the Walker Administration has been aggressively working to roll back Wisconsin’s current strong environmental regulations to fast-track this mine. What can you do?
- Visit the Wisconsin State Sierra Club website to learn more about the proposed mine, the bill currently underway in the State Legislature and to stay up to date as this fast-moving issue evolves.
- Read the blog post written by Mining Impact Coalition President Dave Blouin on The Sierra Club Position on the Gogebic Mine
Moving Beyond Coal!
We’ve made great progress getting coal removed in state owned power plants, including Charter St in Madison. Now with the major Bloomberg grant the Sierra Club received, we’ll be ramping up our efforts to shut down old coal plants here in Wisconsin. This is your opportunity to help us eliminate 30% of the coal in Wisconsin by 2020 and get us onto clean energy solutions including efficiency measures and renewable energy. Want to get involved? Contact Don Ferber today!
Recycling Away from Home (RAH)
We have too much waste – or materials we treat as such and that ends up in landfills. Our volunteers collect recyclables and trash separately at three east side summer neighborhood festivals (Waterfront Fest, Orton Park , and the Willy St Fair) for the City to collect. With your help, we’ll not only continue, but expand these efforts through composting and other means to reduce the current amount of material that is currently being treated as waste and goes to the landfill.
We are looking for volunteers to help coordinate or collect bags at events, and also implement more significant waste reduction options at events, or perhaps create city or county policies on added waste reduction. So many opportunities! Visit www.madisonrah.org to learn more about this project, then contact Lacinda Athen to get involved!
Madison Inner City Outings
Madison Inner City Outings is not a conservation campaign as much as an outreach program of the Sierra Club. ICO offers hiking and camping trips, boating and skiing outings, and other outdoor adventures to underprivileged youth in the Madison area. We work with Partner Groups and certified Volunteer Leaders to offer outdoor learning experiences for our kids. Visit www.madisonico.org to learn more, then contact Ron Haeger to get involved!
Mpowering Madison
Mpowering Madison is an effort by the City to get citizens and businesses to take the Cool Cities pledge and reduce their greenhouse gases. Working with other Sierrans, you can help get others signed up to reduce their carbon footprint through Sierra, neighborhood teams, or other means. For more information, contact Seth Nowak at coop_seth@yahoo.com.
Healthy Lawns Team
If you’re concerned about what’s going on outside your house, then the Healthy Lawns Team may just be the place for you. With all the lawn services that purport to keep your lawn healthy, are they keeping you, your kids and your pets healthy as well? Contact Claire Gervais at cmgerva@gmail.com or go to www.healthylawnteam.org to learn more about getting involved with this effort.
Wisconsin State Conservation Issues
For a great up-to-date list of various hot issues, we encourage you to visit the Wisconsin John Muir Chapter Sierra Club’s Action page.
The John Muir Chapter, which encompasses nine groups and serves the entire state of Wisconsin, works on a wide variety of issues ranging from logging to air pollution to groundwater protection. For current information on statewide issues, see our web site at wisconsin.sierraclub.org.
To learn the John Muir Chapter’s position on current legislation that affects YOU, right here in Wisconsin, visit our Legislative Tracker. Then remember to Take Action by contacting your elected officials today!
National Sierra Club Conservation Issues
Each year the Sierra Club leadership selects specific issues on which to focus our efforts. For details on any of these campaigns, please see the national web site www.sierraclub.org
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