Founded in San Francisco in 1892, The Sierra Club is an incredibly well established and influential national environmental grassroots organization. As of this year, it has 1.4 million members. The group is dedicated to protecting the planet and exploring nature, and implements this by supporting actions, hosting events and outings. The Sierra Club is also active in environmental litigation, and has been successful in clean air and water preservation efforts as well as fighting pollution from coal power plants. They often ally with the NRDC and EDF in such cases. The organization has several main initiatives: Beyond Oil and Coal, Beyond Natural Gas and Protecting America’s Waters, for which they attempt to close industry loopholes, expose risks and educate the public.
The Rochester regional Sierra Club, which is in the Atlantic Chapter of the Sierra Club, describes its purpose as, “to foster (within its territorial limits) the purposes of the Sierra Club, as stated in its bylaws: To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; 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 these objectives. The regional group deals with different local environmental issues. For instance, there are Zero Waste and Wetlands Committees, and the organization holds environmental forums with an annual one occurring around Earth Day. For more information or to get involved, join their mailing list and visit their website: http://newyork.sierraclub.org/rochester/.
Written by Leslie Wolf, Class of 2015
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