November 2024 update from Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter
November 25, 2024
Post-election thoughts from our Director
How are you doing?
Election month has been tough for many of us. The day after the election, a few of us staff and volunteers got together to process the results and be in community with one another. One of the things shared was this handful of smallish things we can do now to help us feel less powerless in this moment. I hope it might be helpful to you, too.
Send a message of love and support to someone you haven’t reached out to yet.
Donate to a local organization supporting LGBTQ+ youth, like Indiana Youth Group. This demographic is going to be one of those hurt most by the new administration.
Donate to - or volunteer with - an organization like Exodus Refugee Immigration. As we go into winter, they are often looking for donations of warm clothes and coats. Reach out to check their current needs.
Make a donation to a mental health mutual aid fund.Irvington Counseling Collective manages three: The Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), Trans & Non-Binary (TNB) Mental Wellness Fund, the Indiana Mental Health Clinicians Mental Wellness Fund, and the Mental Health Relief Fund. Many folks are struggling with their mental health right now and are unable to access therapy, so this is a great way to make a direct impact.
Make a plan to take care of yourself, each other, and your loved ones over the coming weeks - write it down. Include time in nature and rest time if you can. Writing it down helps us remember and be more intentional with self care, as these days and weeks are likely to go by in a whirlwind and it will be easy to burn out.
Below, you'll find a powerful rallying cry from our Director, Robyn, on how we take our movement forward. As they say, "In the weeks, months and years that lay ahead we will be a force for nature in protecting our communities and our planet. A good place to start is right here in Indiana."
Also in this issue: an update from the Beyond Coal Campaign, plus all our regular features - like photos from you, our readers - and much more!
Rebecca Dien-Johns
Chapter Coordinator.
The trail ahead: A Force for Nature
Lick Creek trail blockage we successfully navigated as a group on October 19, 2024. Working together we can navigate the obstacles of the incoming federal administration. Photo: Robyn Skuya-Boss.
Last week while celebrating a milestone achievement a friend stated “I can’t believe we’re eating ice cream outside in November without a jacket.” My heart sank at that moment. It was finally setting in for me that on November 5th Donald Trump was elected to be the next president. On my mind was the selection of Lee Zeldin to head up the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Also on my mind was the news on November 6th, when “Earth will exceed 1.5 Degrees Celsius of Warming this year” was the headline in the Scientific American.
It’s understandable that you might be experiencing a wide range of feelings in the wake of this year's election. Anger and frustration, fear and anxiety; these are powerful emotions that arise most powerfully within us at times of substantial consequence. Our climate is in crisis and there is no time to waste.
I hope that like me what you are feeling most of all several weeks out is a deeply rooted resolve. Hope after all, carries power in its own right. It helps us find the courage to stay in the day to day work of building up our democracy and civic life. The news is not all grim after all: I was heartened to read that in the first half of 2024 wind and solar together outproduced coal in the U.S. for the first time (Scientific American).
In the weeks, months and years that lay ahead we will be a force for nature in protecting our communities and our planet. We will oppose rollbacks of environmental protections at the EPA, protect our forests and the biodiversity nature depends upon, and lift up our voice to protect the communities we are part of, connected to and care about. A good place to start is right here in Indiana. With the Indiana legislative session approaching you can take action locally with our Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter community as we mobilize to meet the big polluter agenda. Register here for our Seeds of Democracy: Legislative Teams training on Monday, December 2 at 6:00 PM ET.
At Sierra Club when we head outdoors, we follow the trails with confidence that we will find our way out of the wilderness again. In the years to come we can find confidence by building the resilient community connections that, like the familiar pathways that guide us through the forest, will help us find our way forward to a more just and sustainable world.
Robyn Skuya-Boss
Chapter Director
Update from Beyond Coal Campaign
On November 1 Duke filed its abysmal 20-Year Energy Plan that extends coal burning at half of the Gibson Super Polluter through 2038, and guts its past renewable energy commitments. Duke also wasted no time in vowing to take advantage of potential Trump rollbacks on environmental regulations saying that “The pace of the energy transition could change.” and that the company would potentially burn even more coal at Gibson (Nov 7, 2024 - Duke Energy to Revisit Coal Plans If Trump Axes Pollution Rules). We will send a petition to your inbox soon so that you can oppose this polluting plan. In the meantime, we ask you to encourage your city leaders with climate and clean energy goals to file comments regarding Duke’s 20-Year Energy Plan with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission by January 30, 2025.
Contact Senior Organizer, Megan Anderson megan.anderson@sierraclub.org for assistance in contacting your city leaders.
Take-me-back Tuesday
Welcome to this regular feature, where we look back and share photos from our past.
This month we're travelling back to 2019, to a Heartlands Group hike at Yellowwood to Save our forests. This photo includes Sierra Club volunteer leaders, members, and former staff, including Lora & Kurt Kemp, Bowden Quinn, David Stewart, David Seastrom, and Heartlands Group leader Jesse Kirkham (in the blue t-shirt with the sign).
See our upcoming events and outings below to join us on the trail!
Heartlands Group hike, 2019. Photo supplied by Jesse Kirkham.
Spotted!
Sierra Club staff and volunteer leaders are passionate about getting out there and spreading the word about issues that matter to Hoosiers!
Our Chapter Director Robyn attended the Bloomington City Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov 20 regarding Duke Energy's 20 Year Energy Plan.
Duke customer Peg Hausman is pictured here speaking eloquently on how Duke's plan delays coal retirements, and scales back investments in renewable energy.
Carmel Green Initiative and the Carmel Clay Public Library are partnering to host another Green Gift Shop on Thursday December 5, 2024, 1:30 PM to 7:00 PM.
