$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.