March 2006
Welcome to e-Sierra
The email newsletter of the Sierra Club North Star ChapterMarch 2006 - Issue 45
Click your issue!
- Mercury Action Alert
- Victoria's Dirty Secret
- Even a Martian can see our environmental problems
- Get your hands dirty!
- Got old boots?
- Why won't the media listen?
- In the Thick of It - A Life in the Sierra Club
Mercury Action Alert
The legislature is going at it! There are a number of proposals to deal with mercury reduction. Some are good. Some are bad. Please send a note to your legislator today calling on them to pass the strongest mercury reduction initiative. Let them know that you want dirty coal plants to decrease mercury pollution 90% by 2009 and you don't want a bunch of loopholes! Go to http://northstar.sierraclubaction.org/takeaction.asp?aaid=1793 and take less than a minute to send your message today!!!
Victoria's Dirty Secret
Last fall, North Star Chapter volunteers visited 11 Victoria's Secret stores. We don't know if they did any shopping, but we do know that they all delivered protest letters to store managers. The lingerie chain has a terrible record of gobbling up old forests to print its millions of catalogs-and foregoing opportunities to use recycled paper. This April 11 is the Victoria's Dirty Secret Day of Action. Sign the petition, sign up for materials and get ideas at http://www.victoriasdirtysecret.net/section.php?id=4.
Even a Martian can see our environmental problems
Come to the Special Places Workshop on March 25, sponsored by the Forests Committee, where we will train volunteers to explore and report about places nominated for protection in our Special Places Campaign. Training includes a Google Earth flying tour of special places we're trying to protect on Superior National Forest and state forests. http://northstar.sierraclub.org/activities/events/2006/20060325.html
Google Earth is a new program that allows us to swoop over roadless areas and zoom in on your own neighborhood with animated aerial photos. Sierra Club is using Google Earth to highlight the hundreds of thousands of acres of national forest land the Bush administration is proposing auctioning off. Go to http://sierraclubplus.org/forests/maps/ (high-speed internet recommended).
Get your hands dirty!
Pilot Knob Service Project Outing, Saturday, March 25, 9:00am. It's buckthorn busting time! Help restore the newly protected 8 acres of historic Pilot Knob, at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. Experts will be on hand to discuss the cultural significance of the site and how restoration work is being accomplished. For more info go to http://northstar.sierraclub.org/activities/outings/2006/200603.html#20060325
Got old boots?
Minnesota Inner City Outings and REI are partnering to host a Boot Drive. We're looking for gently worn hiking or winter boots in youth and small adult sizes to outfit the kids that participate in this incredible program. Got boots to donate? Drop them off at the Bloomington REI store or contact Nick at . More info on ICO at http://www.sierraclub.org/ico/northstar/.
Why won't the media listen?
Public relations can play an invaluable role in our on-going environmental efforts. But what really is PR and how can you use it? During this upcoming workshop, we will discuss: the value of PR, what is viewed as "newsworthy" and alternatives to the media, as well as offer practical ways to get started. We will also go over the importance of cultivating relationships with your local media and building media lists. Presenter: Sierra Club member, Kathy Gerhardt, a former TV reporter and now PR professional with Carlson Companies. Possible additional guest presenter: Bob McNaney, KSTP-TV. Thursday, April 13 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Food and beverages will be provided.
In the Thick of It - A Life in the Sierra Club
Michael McCloskey spent 40 years in the Sierra Club, rising to become its Executive Director and one of the most effective environmental advocates of the 20th Century. Mike directed lobbying efforts to successfully pass more than 100 pieces of environmental legislation, including the establishment of national parks and wilderness areas. You can hear him talk about the inside struggles to protect our environment, and read from his new biography on Friday, March 31 at 7:30pm. For details see go to: http://northstar.sierraclub.org/activities/events/2006/20060331.html or call the Sierra Club office at 612-659-9124.
Calendar of Events at
http://northstar.sierraclub.org
For More Calendar Information or for Interesting Submissions Contact: .