Chickasaw Group
Despite COVID, the Chickasaw Group has been quite active. We attended a remembrance of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill 10 years ago. Later that same week our regular program meetings highlighted Earth Day +50.
We hosted a forum on the future of energy in June and in September had an excellent program on dams and their effect on river systems. Its focus was on Patagonia and it almost felt like a virtual outing. We also had a program on the election, and in November one on electric cars. Our conservation committee has also been active, working on issues such as the Byhalia Pipeline and the potential Memphis Light, Gas and Water’s severance from Tennessee Valley Authority.
Harvey Broome Group
The production of “Tennessee on the Rise!” — a candidate support video for HBG-endorsed candidates in this year’s election — geared HBG up for using video in more of its work, resulting in the HBG YouTube page. Check out the videos, including a conversation between Sam McKenzie and David Hayes offering an insightful take on the to-do list for Black leadership, on the HBG YouTube page at https://bit.ly/HBG-YouTube. HBG is also focused on The City Council Movement, a campaign to put representatives of Knoxville’s low-income communities of color on the city council. To strengthen HBG’s connection with this group, political chair Kent Minault attended two sessions of the People’s Assembly last month, both examining attitudes about safety.
Middle Tennessee Group
Middle Tennessee Group has been busy with numerous environmental concerns including working to pass low-income weatherization resolution to adopt a Nashville Electric Service automatic round-up enrollment program that will fund low income energy efficiency improvements, and supporting a Pilot Sustainability Education Project that involves school-age children in minimizing waste and maximizing sustainability. Our popular monthly Program Presentations have featured Aaron Deter-Wolf speaking on the fascinating ongoing study of the mound bottom Tennessee and State Archaeological Area and Tennessee State Park Naturalist Randy Hedgepath. Covid has increased our creativity in hosting interactive gatherings and we have some great events on the horizon!
Dan Joranko has recently served on the Energy and Climate Committee of the Mayor’s Sustainability Advisory Council. He also convenes the Climate Nashville coalition, of which the MTG group is a member. One recent successful campaign was the Metro Council Ordinance which updated Nashville’s Energy Efficiency Building Standards.
Cherokee Group
The Cherokee Group is looking forward to the new year and a new United States president, who we hope will swiftly bring back the many environmental protections that have been lost and immediately address the climate crisis. With our also-newly-elected ExCom members ready to join the old hands, we will continue our work locally on climate issues, responding to TVA when necessary, and monitoring (as well as objecting to when needed) the interstate highway and stadium construction in the midst of the South Chickamauga Creek wetlands. We will also be reaching out to Chattanooga’s new mayor (who will be elected in March) to see that the city’s environmental standards continue and expand. Speaking of elections, our members helped work on Marquita Bradshaw’s U.S. Senate campaign and she did well in Hamilton County. We salute her courage and drive to bring light to environmental concerns to every single county in our state. We are proud to have a Sierran like Marquita. We are working to improve our outreach at our current online meetings, but we’d sure like to be able to be back in person. Until then, save your fourth Mondays at 7 pm eastern and come Zoom with us — we always have something interesting.