Earth Month - The Great Invitation!

Look out! We are coming to a town near you! April is in full swing at the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter and that means we are celebrating with members and volunteers in communities all across Indiana.

As the newest member of our staff team, this month has been such a treat! I have met SO MANY of you throughout Earth Month! And I have had the joy of meeting you in your communities. I have spent the last few months watching and listening to some of you passionately advocate for your communities via zoom at our weekly Seeds of Democracy Community Lobbyist series. And spent time with others at the Indiana Statehouse fighting for your favorite patch of woods facing the threat of development, or against a mammoth corporation’s commitment to burning fossil fuels that harm our air and water when renewables that could replace them exist. Sierra Club members and volunteers do not back down. While on the road, I have met proud members and volunteers, from young students to folks who joined in the 1960’s.

We have dubbed this month the “Great Invitation.” We want to introduce new communities and potential volunteers and members to the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter, and reconnect with volunteers and members who have not been active recently to  invite them to check out what we are up to this year. 2025 is a big year for us, not only because the environment is under unprecedented attack but because this year marks 50 years of the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter! I have been thinking a lot about those founding Hoosier Chapter members who got together in 1975 and formed this community and the many members who have sustained it since. Their work throughout the years has ensured that 50 years later we have the organizational foundation and infrastructure to take on the many issues that our communities face today.

A large yellow rain barrel on a table with the words Be a bug buddy. Help our planet thrive. Let's protect the Earth and keep our bugs alive.
One of the entries in the NWI Earth Day Event Rain Barrel Contest entrants. There were over a dozen barrels painted by elementary, middle, and high school students from across northwest Indiana. Photo: Colleen Curtin.

Last weekend, we kicked Earth Month off with events in Evansville and Valparaiso. There were over 1,200 folks celebrating Earth Day with us at the NWI Earth Day Celebration; it was such a cool experience! 

Two people stood either side of a blue and white furry animal mascot. They are both smiling. The person on the left is wearing a green top and blue jeans, and the person on the right is wearing a green dress with purple and white flowers. There is a building behind them and trees and blue sky.
Lora Kemp, volunteer leader, and Colleen Curtin, Outreach Coordinator, pose with Indiana State University's mascot, Sycamore Sam, at the ISU Earth Day Celebration on April 16th 2025. 

Last week, we headed to Terre Haute and spent a gorgeous, sunny day celebrating alongside hundreds of students already committed to pursuing degrees from education to environmental science to share their love for the outdoors with others. 

A person in a green t-shirt with the words Sierra Club organizer stood next to a person dressed as a very hairy mascot with a blue t-shirt. The mascot is holding a sign for a Sierra Club Beyond Coal campaign with a QR code, and the person in the green t-shirt is holding a sign saying to oppose Indiana senate bill 1007
Beyond Coal Organizer Nicole ran into Big Foot at the Wesselman Woods Earth Day event this past Saturday. Both had a wonderful time talking about what the Sierra Club is doing to protect Hoosier's health, environment, and climate. Photo: Jerry Rairdon

Over the weekend, we met you in Bloomington at Switchyard Park and in Evansville at one of our favorite places to visit, Wesselman Woods. 

Folks tabling outdoors at a park with a paved area. Some of the tables have seats around them. Near the foreground two people are talking near the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter table which has a white tablecloth with the name and logo on it. The sky is blue and there are trees in the background, some of which are bare and some of which have green leaves.
Megan, Senior Organizer with Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, shares information about energy issues in Indiana with an ISU student. Photo: Colleen Curtin.

It has been busy but invigorating! You cannot help but feel encouraged when you spend time talking to one of the brilliant young students who make their way to our tables with their hopes for the future or veteran members who have been dedicated to this movement for decades.

If you would like to meet us this month, you can find us at one of these magnificent community events. Connect, reconnect, join an outing, committee, volunteer team, or project that speaks to you and take action with us!

Sat    4/19/25      10:00am CT     Wesselman Woods Earth Day Event in Evansville
Sat    4/19/25      12:00pm ET     Bloomington Earth Day at Switchyard Park
Tue   4/22/25      10:00am ET     Memorial Hospital Earth Day Event in Jasper
Tue    4/22/25     12:00pm ET     Tabling at Purdue University Earth Day
Wed   4/23/25     10:00am ET     Trail 19 Hoosier National Forest Hike
Thu    4/24/25     4:00 pm ET     City of Marion Parks and Rec Earth Day Event 
Sat     4/26/25     11:00am ET     St. Mary-of-the-Woods Earth Day Event in Terre Haute
Sat     4/26/25     7:30pm ET      Owl Prowl with IndiGo Birding Nature Tours
Sun    4/27/25     1:00pm ET      Little River Wetlands Earth Day Event in Fort Wayne

Colleen Curtin
Outreach Coordinator


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