Retiring Coal Plants, 5 Easy Ways to Clean Energy, Good News on Fuel Efficiency, Inner City Outings Hereos

On Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 4:32 PM, Sierra Club Insider <insider@sierraclub.org> wrote:

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August 2, 2011: In This Issue º Take a Hike and Go to Prison? º 3 Deals for Muir Fans º Inner City Outings Heroes º Green Your Photography º The Worst Bill Ever  Share: EXPLORE Discover Something New Want to explore remote areas rarely seen by humans? Embark on a rugged wilderness backpacking trip. Eager to return from vacation feeling like you changed more than your tan lines? Join us on a fun and affordable volunteer vacation. Hungry to discover exotic, foreign lands? Let us whisk you away on one of many international journeys spanning the globe. Visit our homepage for a full list of trips, including international, lodge, kayak, and plenty more. And be sure to sign up for the Explorer newsletter for monthly updates on new and featured trips from Sierra Club Outings! Photo: Andy Johnson TODAY'S GREEN TIP Green Your Photography: Go Digital While film cameras have a certain nostalgic charm, it really is time to switch to digital. Film cameras produce more waste, thanks to the water, electricity, and hazardous chemicals needed for film development. More tips | Subscribe! ENJOY Three Deals for Muir Fans 1. Thanks to everyone who entered our John Muir T-shirt contest on Facebook. We had some very happy winners. Still want one? Check here! 2. Get an $8 discount on the DVD of the John Muir in the New World documentary this month by using the code SIERRA11 at checkout. 3. Listen to John Muir's My First Summer in the Sierra in a new audio book (25% savings on digital download or CDs this month if you use the code SIERRA). ON THE RADIO 1) Actor and director Harry Shearer on his documentary The Big Uneasy, which tells the real story of why New Orleans flooded during Hurricane Katrina 2) Kate Harrison, CEO of GreenBrideGuide.com, talks about trends in green weddings and a new green gift registry. Listen | Subscribe PROTECT The Worst Bill Ever Congress is considering a "slash-and-burn" appropriations bill that is the worst legislative attack on the environment we have ever seen. Tell your representative to defend America's legacy. Five Easy Ways to Get Clean Energy Love the idea of a clean-energy future but not sure what you can do about it personally? Here are five easy ways that regular folks can help move America toward a clean-energy  future right now. From our rooftops to our cars to our retirement accounts -- we've got the tools to create a cleaner, safer, healthier world. $50 Million to End the Coal Era Last week, the Sierra Club announced a partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies that will effectively retire one-third of the nation's aging coal fleet by 2020 and replace it with clean energy. The partnership includes a $50 million commitment over four years to the Beyond Coal Campaign that will fuel the Sierra Club's effort to clean the air, end the coal era, and accelerate the transition to cleaner, cost-effective energy sources. Read the op-ed on "Why America Must Get Off Coal," by Michael Brune, the Sierra Club's executive director, and Michael R. Bloomberg, businessman, environmentalist, and mayor of New York City. Take a Hike and Go to Prison? In July 2009, Sarah Shourd went hiking in Iraqi Kurdistan's Ahmed Awa mountains with her fiancé, Shane Bauer, and her friend, Josh Fattal. After accidentally crossing into Iran, they were arrested and charged with espionage. Sarah was detained in solitary confinement for 410 days before being released for health reasons. Josh and Shane have now been in prison for more than two years, in spite of international efforts to get them released. Later this week, an Iranian court is expected to finally rule on their case. Sarah sat down with Sierra magazine to explain how a hike into the wilderness turned into a Kafkaesque nightmare. Good News on Fuel Efficiency Last Friday, President Obama announced a proposal for strong fuel-efficiency and carbon-pollution standards for cars and trucks of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 -- an important step toward ending our dependence on oil. Together we sent nearly 300,000 messages to President Obama, the EPA, and the Department of Transportation in support of strong standards -- showing that reducing oil dependence and carbon pollution through better fuel efficiency is a high priority for Americans. Now let's thank the Obama administration and ask them to make sure that the proposed rule stays strong and free of loopholes. Inner City Outings Heroes Every kid deserves a chance to get outdoors. Each year, the Sierra Club's Inner City Outings program, which has 50 volunteer-run groups throughout the U.S., helps approximately 14,000 urban youth enjoy the outdoors safely and responsibly. To make the program's more than 800 trips happen takes a lot of great volunteers. Two of the most dedicated are Boston's Anne Monnelly Carroll and Chicago's Colin Tysoe, who each were honored with Sierra Club volunteer awards for their contributions. Congratulations to them both! Endangered Species Safe for Now, But... With overwhelming bipartisan support, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to preserve funding for the Endangered Species Act last week. The vote killed a measure added to the budget bill that would have prevented new listings under the ESA and the protection of key wildlife areas. Unfortunately, that measure was just one of nearly 40 anti-environmental riders that have been attached to the budget bill that would affect everything from clean water to fuel economy. Looks like it'll be a long, hot summer... From White House to Whitewater Rafting "The Best Internship on Earth" requires spending the summer video-blogging on different Sierra Club outings sponsored by our Inner City Outings, Building Bridges to the Outdoors, and Volunteer Vacations programs. Kokei Otosi's most recent adventures crisscrossed the country, from rock climbing on the White House Lawn to whitewater rafting down the American River. See what you're missing when you stay inside in the latest video posts from the Best Internship on Earth.

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