Every Day Matters

Sometimes it's easy to forget that our Club is, as the dictionary says, "an association of persons." To highlight the persons who compose the Sierra Club, we asked for -- and received -- real-life stories from hundreds of Sierra Club members and friends about what they were doing on August 6, 2005 that related to their interest in the environment.

Some were kayaking, climbing, or caving. Others were writing to politicians, weeding out invasive plant species, or maintaining a hiking trail. Still others were basking in the sun on the deck of a cabin, preparing a sumptuous meal from their own organic garden, or building a barn out of recycled lumber. One guy even proposed marriage!

Discover how Every Day Matters, in the words of people just like you, and add your own voice.

Wave Goodbye to Summer?

Remember when summer was the time to jump in the car and head to the beach? With gas prices topping $3 a gallon in some parts of the country, it's probably time for beach boys and girls to trade in their "woodie" station wagon -- or at least take another look at our gas-saving tips and MPG Calculator.


But what if there are no beaches left to drive, bike, hike, or ride the bus to? America's coastlines have largely been left alone by the oil and gas industries -- until now. Make no mistake, though, America's beaches are at risk as the oil and gas industry is closer than ever before to lifting the drilling moratorium that has protected our coastlines from destruction. Watch "Drills: The Return of Offshore Oil & Gas Drilling" to see what summer could like if we don't stop them now.

Update: Exxpose Exxon Boycott Campaign

Every year, the destruction caused by the drilling, production, and use of oil and gasoline gets worse... but instead of advocating changes that would decrease our reliance on oil, the petroleum industry is looking instead to drill for more crude -- no matter the location, no matter how damaging.

Of all of the Big Oil companies, Exxon is the worst -- leading lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. to open the pristine Arctic Refuge in Alaska for drilling, failing to keep its promise to pay for the extreme damage that resulted from the Exxon Valdez spill in Prince William Sound, and gouging consumers at the gas pump, while reaping record high profits -- over $25.3 billion in 2004 -- money that is paying for junk science designed to stop and stall action on global warming.

This needs to stop.

Join our boycott of the ExxonMobil Corporation by helping us to "Exxpose Exxon" -- our campaign to force ExxonMobil to reverse its anti-environmental policies -- policies which exploit our natural environment and the pocketbooks of the American public.

Here's what you can do:

Sign the petition to the Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, Lee Raymond, expressing your outrage at this company's irresponsible actions and pledge to participate in this boycott.

And second, make an urgent donation supporting the Sierra Club and its efforts in organizing this campaign, as well as our other work to preserve our environment and natural treasures.

Your action today is critical -- unless we "Exxpose" Exxon's disgraceful environmental record, we can not expect to achieve our goal -- to force Exxon to change its policies and practices and become a responsible business -- or even to admit that there is a problem.

Judge Roberts. Unanswered Questions.

The Sierra Club and other organizations have expressed concern about the Bush administration's refusal to release documents relating to 16 cases that Supreme Court nominee Judge John G. Roberts, Jr was involved with as Principal Deputy Solicitor General. Two of the cases concern whether the Constitution allows citizens to enforce the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and other laws that protect the health and safety of communities. Another case asks whether the government must pay people if it restricts how they can use their land. Knowing the position of Judge Roberts on these important constitutional issues is vital to completing a full picture of his record on the environment.

To learn more about the Roberts nomination and the Sierra Club's concerns, visit our Environmental Law website.

View previous editions of the Sierra Club Insider at the Insider Archives.

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