| Photo by iStock.com/Sitthiphong |
| | | Georgia's Special Election | The presidential election may be over (Donald Trump’s refusal to concede notwithstanding), but control of the US Senate hangs in the balance, pending the results of two runoff elections in Georgia, the nation’s newest battleground state. Early voting starts December 14, and Special Election Day is January 5, 2021. The Sierra Club will be making phone calls in support of Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, whose races could determine the fate of President-Elect Biden’s ambitious green agenda.
Sign up now to call Georgia voters. |
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| Paid for by Sierra Club Independent Action and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. |
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| Photo by iStock.com/flySnow |
| | | Article | Upholding democracy is a crucial part of the fight to ensure that everyone in this country has clean air, clean water, and a sustainable, healthy climate. In spite of misinformation, threats of voter intimidation, and a global pandemic, voters turned out in record numbers to cast their ballots this year. "This election has shown us that no amount of corruption, lies, confusion, or threats of violence can stop our power," says Courtney Hight, director of the Sierra Club's Democracy Program.
"Our democracy cannot be undermined." |
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| Photo by AP Photo/Andrew Harnik |
| | | Michael Brune | We did it. With our movement partners, we’ve sent Joe Biden to the White House with a decisive mandate to address the climate crisis, build an inclusive economy, and repair our democracy so that everyone’s vote is counted.
Because everyone counts. |
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| Photo courtesy of Sierra Club Military Outdoors |
| | | Article | Between Georgia and Arizona becoming the nation’s newest battleground states, the Loser-in Chief’s refusal to concede, and a surging pandemic, it’s possible you missed the Senate’s passing of the Veterans COMPACT Act, a package of bills addressing veterans health and suicide prevention. One of those bills, the Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act, could have serious benefits for veterans struggling with service-related trauma.
Rob Vessels, a veteran and director of the Sierra Club’s Military Outdoors program, tells us how. |
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| | | Sierra Magazine | Whether we (or they) like it or not, the creatures with whom we share the planet are ineluctably tied to us—a fact laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus that causes the disease, SARS-CoV-2, almost certainly sprang from the commercial wildlife trade, a fact that forces us to acknowledge the relationship. We can exploit nature, but at some point there will be serious repercussions for our species as well.
Will we emerge from the pandemic with a newfound respect for nature? |
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| Photo by Jennifer Hubbell |
| | | Sierra Magazine | In parts of the Navajo Nation in Arizona, the legacy of uranium mining is a generation of widowed women. The uranium mines were abandoned more than 50 years ago, but many tribal members worry that the federal government might try to reopen them. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said earlier this year the COVID-19 pandemic “proved that the United States needs to take mining for uranium into its own hands,” and Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette released a plan to revive uranium mining as a matter of national security.
The uranium widows have other ideas. |
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| Illustration by Noah Denmon |
| | | Sierra Magazine | Philando Castile, shot and killed by a police officer after being stopped for a broken taillight. Sandra Bland, pulled over for failing to signal a lane change and subsequently found dead in her jail cell. Samuel DuBose, shot to death by a police officer who had stopped him for a missing front license plate. For Black Americans, minor traffic infractions can turn deadly.
That's why some advocates are calling for "traffic without traffic cops." |
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| | | Team Sierra | Lily Muhlbaum knew she wanted to spend her summer doing something exciting while giving back to causes she cares about. After the spring’s racial justice uprisings, the rising high school senior became increasingly concerned about environmental injustice and inequities in access to nature. Last summer Lily decided to hike the Long Trail in Vermont and raise money for the Sierra Club through Team Sierra. To date, she’s raised over $10,000.
Read about Lily’s Long Trail adventure. |
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| Photo by Samarys Seguinot-Medina |
| | | también en español | Samarys Seguinot-Medina, a Puerto Rican scientist living in Alaska, won a legal victory recently that will help protect Indigenous Alaskans from toxins found in flame retardants. “It’s a small victory, but it’s huge at the same time,” says Seguinot-Medina, who in 2006 cofounded the Sierra Club’s Puerto Rico Chapter.
"It gives you hope." |
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| | | Adopt a Wild Animal | This holiday season, consider purchasing a soft, cuddly plush as a symbolic adoption of a wild animal. Each donation will help support our work protecting wildlife, keeping our air and water free from pollution, and promoting a clean-energy future. Free shipping on all orders.
Order your favorite animal before it’s sold out. |
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| Photo by iStock.com/jferrer |
| | | Take Action | The Army Corps of Engineers has announced an unprecedented move to resurrect the destructive Yazoo Backwater Pumps in Mississippi’s South Delta, which would drain and destroy more than 200,000 acres of wetlands. These Mississippi wetlands are some of our nation’s richest habitat, supporting over 450 species of birds, fish and wildlife.
Tell the Army Corps to reject the Yazoo Pumps. |
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| Photo of Chevy Bolt courtesy of Chevrolet |
| | | Sierra Magazine | Thinking about buying an electric vehicle (EV) but worried about sticker shock? A used EV could be just the ticket. Because of the pandemic, many new models have been delayed and supplies are limited, making this a great time to purchase a used EV. Check out these models. |
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| Photo by iStock.com/LYagovy |
| | | Take Action | Industrial-scale fish farming—the marine version of concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs—is devastating wild populations of native fish species, as well as marine mammals. Non-native and genetically modified farmed fish inevitably escape their enclosures, fouling the waters and passing diseases and parasites onto native fish stocks. A new bill, S. 4723, would allow marine CAFOs to release a mix of antibiotics, noxious chemicals, fish pathogens, and untreated fecal waste. Appetizing, huh?
Urge your senators to vote no on industrial fish farms. |
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| | | Car Donation | Donating your old car, truck, boat, trailer, or motorcycle to the Sierra Club Foundation helps ensure that future generations will be able to breathe fresh air, drink clean water, and experience wild places. Our partners at CARS will pick up your vehicle from any location, no matter its condition, at no cost to you. Donate before the end of the year to be eligible for a 2020 tax deduction.
Call 855-337-4377 or visit us online today. |
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| At this writing, new cases of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death are at an all-time high and gaining momentum, with colder weather coming on. The virus continues to disproportionately affect low-income communities and communities of color, many of which are forced to live with high levels of pollution and inadequate access to healthcare. The fight for environmental justice cannot be separated from the fight for racial, social, and economic justice. |
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