Maybe I should have entitled this piece after the Talking Heads song “Once in a Lifetime” with the famous lyrics of “You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?” (https://youtu.be/I1wg1DNHbNU) But we’re not going to ruminate on the insanity of what’s already happened but look forward to our mutual future. So instead, click on this url, https://youtu.be/VuAZTWGfQTs and listen…
The end of the summer and fall were extremely busy for me. Thus, I failed to publish a report of the September Annual Sierra Club meeting. Therefore, I am going to do a twofer now and provide an overview of both the September and November meetings. This is not the report that I had anticipated prior to November 8th. We…
First Meeting of the Sierra Club Board of Directors at the New Oakland Headquarters May 14, 2016 Every May the Sierra Club Board of Directors says good bye to Directors who’s terms have expired and welcome new Directors who have been elected or reelected. We also choose our Officers (Executive Committee) and other leadership positions. In addition, we hold…
Sierra Club Board of Directors Meeting February 27, 2016 in Los Angeles Introduction. The just concluded meeting featured some interesting and historic moments punctuated with various noteworthy events. We started with an inspiring gathering together with the Sierra Club Foundation at which we were greeted to LA by none other than the mayor of LA, Eric Garcetti. It is amazing…
There are now nine states (18%) with either with no coal fired power plants left in state (or never had any plants) – RI, VT, ME, ID, CA – or phasing out: OR, WA, MA and now NY. With the NY State announcement below we are over 50% of the way home in seeing all the coal fired power plants in the…
2016 Candidate On Line Forum Questionnaire 1. The mission of the Sierra Club is “to explore, enjoy and protect the planet. To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources; to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out…
In case you somehow missed it, President Obama on Friday denied the permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline ending 7 years of uncertainty. Below are links to two videos. First is his 9 minute statement and the second is a shorter video from the Sierra Club thanking him. I have discussed this controversy with many of you over the years…
The following article points out that no matter how successful the negotiations are in Paris in December, they will be totally insufficient to limit the impacts a warming climate will have on civilization to a tolerable level. But progress is progress. It is very significant that there is beginning to be a worldwide consensus that we must make commitments to…
Sierra Club Board Meeting Notes September 10 – 12, 2015 San Francisco It has been a very busy several months for both the Sierra Club and me personally. This spring and fall I spent a large amount of time with my family mostly traveling and enjoying the summer outdoors. The Georgia coast, Martha’s Vineyard, fishing in the Ontario wilderness, backpacking…
Over the summer I’ve taken some time off from writing while paddling, fishing and backpacking. During this time a great deal has occurred that present an interesting picture of multiple trends that are interacting. This is causing increased alarm and hope at the same time. Below is a listing of some recent developments and news. Much of this you may have…