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Population Report Spring 2002 Printer-friendly version of this page Let’s Get Active! Population Activists | Earth Day | Activism Beyond our Borders | Recruitments and Reminders Spring has been a season of action for Sierra Club's Global Population and Environment Program. Our activists have been working hard to spread the word and get involved with both local and national population events. From our annual March Training to Earth Day activities, activists were raising their voices and making a difference! Remember to contact the Global Population and Environment Program with details about your events, presentations and other gatherings. Share photographs and creative ideas. We encourage new activists to reach out and let us know about the great work you are doing. Contact Sarah Fairchild at 202.675.2396 or sarah.fairchild@sierraclub.org to let her know about what is happening where you are or to plan a population event. March 9-11th 2002: Population Activists in Washington, DC Sierra Club's Global Population and Environment Program, Population Connection/ZPG and National Wildlife Federation collaborated on what was thought to be the best Population Activist Training yet! With over 150 activists participating from across the country, the weekend was filled with exceptional presentations, participation and all around positive energy. Activists were briefed on how to talk about population and international family planning in the present political climate and how to talk about voluntary family planning issues when meeting with decision-makers. Participants attended workshops, brainstormed on new ideas and made new connections with other population activists. Presenters included representatives from USAID, UNFPA, the State Department and a myriad of non-profit organizations working on population and environment issues not only in Washington, DC, but also around the world. Kellie Goudreau and Clayton McCracken Jim and Janet Hufnagel and Laura Kelnhofer Click here to see more pics of this event Tulane University - "Love Your Body-Love Your Campus" April 5, 2002 Planned Parenthood Global Partners and Planned Parenthood of Louisiana and the Mississippi Delta invited the Global Population and Environment Program to participate in a pre-Earth Day event on the campus of Tulane University. It was a spring celebration organized by Planned Parenthood and Tulane students, to raise political activism and awareness of women's health, human rights and the environment on campus. There were approximately 200 students, faculty and others who attended this outdoor event. Sarah Fairchild, Program Assistant for Sierra Club's International Program, tabled and spoke along side Global Partners and a variety of local professionals in the academic, political and women's health fields. Students signed up for Global Population and Environment updates and resources, expressing interest in taking action on our issues. What a fantastic way to get out there and celebrate Earth Day early! Earth Day 2002: Population Activists Celebrate Earth Day Sierra Club Style- By Taking Action! Georgia Chapter Population Issue Leader, Robert Gaskins Georgia The Sierra Club Georgia Group had a successful turn out for their Earth Day tabling event at Emory University. Todd Daniel and other energetic volunteers handed out materials and literature, met enthusiastic students and answered many questions. The face to face interaction with folks was a great way to spread the word and awaken the campus to population and environment issues. Georgia population activists were busy after Earth Day too! The Georgia Chapter Population Issue Team was one of several sponsors who hosted a statewide population conference on May 18 in Covington, GA. The day-long event drew nearly 30 attendees from around the state and covered everything from Washington politics to coalition building. Georgia Chapter Population Issue Leader Robert Gaskins led a discussion on how individuals can live more sustainability. New Hampshire Students from Antioch Graduate School and Keene High School celebrated Earth Day with a wonderful animal puppet parade in downtown Keene. There were bands and speakers, tabling and fun had by all. Volunteers staffed the Sierra Club table, braving the afternoon wind and the rain. Kay Delanoy, a dedicated Global Population and Environment Program mentor, distributed population materials. Let's hope that next year the weather doesn't rain on the New Hampshire group's parade! New York Environmentalists, students and families flocked to the Buffalo State College Earth Day Celebration. There were 60 different tables in the big athletic arena, including information form Audubon, NWF, Population Connection/ZPG and Sierra Club! Jim Hufnagel, Population Chair of the Niagara Group, engaged the crowd by sharing his expertise not only on the connection between population and energy consumption, but also on the controversial topic of the Bush Administration withholding money from UNFPA. Keep on spreading the word Jim! Jim Utter of S.U.N.Y at Purchase, Werner Fornos, Kathy Schwarz and George Klein The Population committee of the Lower Hudson Group sponsored an Earth Day lecture featuring Werner Fornos, President of the Population Institute in Washington, DC. He spoke on the issue of worldwide population growth and how it contributes to the degradation of the planet. The lecture was co-sponsored by the Environmental Science Program at the State University of New York. Earlier this spring, the Lower Hudson Group sponsored an essay contest for high school students in Westchester and Rockland Counties regarding the topic of population growth. They challenged students to thoughtfully address and write about population issues. The winners of this contest were announced at the Earth Day event. Ohio Ohio Earth Day 2002 was celebrated at the zoo in Cleveland. The Northeast Ohio Group set up five tables, one with Population-Environment Committee materials and information. Alan Kuper and other volunteers were hard at work getting folks to sign petitions for President Bush to release the $34 million for UNFPA. There were 120 signatures collected and many people interested in the creative presentations and games that were displayed. Congratulations to all of those volunteers who pitched in and did an excellent job in getting folks in Cleveland to take action! Oregon The Columbia Group Sierra Club Population Committee tabled at an Earth Day Expo at the Oregon Zoo. Ramona Rex and other activists were in the field presenting the "Living within Limits" program to three high school science classes. Earth Day activities reached quite a diverse audience in Oregon this year! Wisconsin Wisconsin activists were in full force, raising awareness of population and environmental issues. The Earth Day event was interdenominational, held in the basement of the Presbyterian Church in Stevens Point, WI. There were 120-150 attendees! Global Population and Environment Committee member Ned Grossnickle and his wife shared information on population and global warming, while group chair Rich Wentzel handed out general Sierra Club materials. Activism Beyond Our Borders Global Population and Environment Intern Travels to South Africa By Sarah Chipps, Global Population and Environment Intern, Winter-Spring 2002 Through American University's Washington Semester program in International Environment and Development, I interned with the Global Population and Environment Program at the Sierra Club from January-April 2002. Part of my semester program was a three-week field study trip to South Africa, where we met with local community-based and non-governmental organizations. During the first portion of our trip, we were in the Limpopo Province (formerly the Northern Province), where we worked in small groups on development and environment projects. My group went to Indermark, a community of about 10,000 people, to work at a créche (daycare). Several years ago, Frederica, my host mother, looked in her community to determine what their needs were. She started the créche with other women in the community; currently, about five women volunteer at the center, caring for over 90 children ages 6 months-five years. The three other students from my program and I led the children in songs, games, and mini-English lessons. The mothers of these children are mainly teenage women and pay 36 Rand a month (roughly $3.50). The créche allows these mothers to work during the day. Closely related to the créche is a women's income generating project, also started by some of the same individuals. The women sew school uniforms and other clothing items, crochet, quilt tablecloths, create flowerpots, bead necklaces, and make candles. Their main market is the local community, which allows them to at least generate some household income. Near the end of our trip, my small group and I had the opportunity to shadow a nurse, Doerieyah Reynolds, at a community health clinic in Masiphumelele (near Cape Town) for the day. We experienced all aspects of a day in the life of a community health clinic: calling in patients, holding sick babies, observing HIV tests, counting hemoglobin levels, and watching the line of patients never end. It was clear that this community desperately needed more funding for HIV prevention and family planning programs. Overall, I began to see more clearly the realities of family's lives in both rural and urban South Africa. While there are endless frustrations, lack of capacity and development, and an urgent need for jobs, people still live their lives, full of both sadness and joy. We met with women and men who have dedicated their limited resources to improving their community, which was a source of inspiration for me to take back home. Recruitments and Reminders: Hey population activists, if you want to get more involved and help inspire future activists, please consider the Global Population and Environment Mentor Program. For those of you who are interested in becoming a population mentor or want to know what being a mentor is all about, please contact Todd Daniel at todddan@earthlink.net or look on our website at http://www.sierraclub.org/population/activist_resources/mentors.asp Summer is just around the corner. Here is an important date to remember! July 11th is World Population Day. Organize events and spread the word! For more information about this year's World Population Day go to http://www.unfpa.org/modules/wpd02/index.htm Back to Spring 2002 Population Report Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club