In this issue: rise up to protect Indiana forests, get ready for solar, a guest blog about one woman's love for native plants, several ways to take action, plus all our regular features — like photos from you, our readers — and much more!
Happy reading,
Rebecca Dien-Johns Chapter Coordinator
P.S. Don't forget to check out our upcoming events and outings near the end of this email! We have so much planned for this spring and summer.
Protecting Indiana Forests
Hoosiers enjoy their outdoor experiences. From Indiana’s beautiful hardwood trees, to the nature trails, to the wildlife that lives in these forests, Hoosiers love to get out and experience the natural areas that our state has to offer. Unfortunately these places are disappearing at a fast rate.
That's why the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Conservation Committee is forming the Protecting Indiana Forests Campaign. We aim to address forest issues in Indiana, and we are searching for volunteers to help us try to increase protections for Indiana's forests.
If you’re interested in learning more, please contact me: lorakemp1221@gmail.com
Volunteer leaders Kurt Kemp (around the other side of the tree), Lora Kemp, and Julie Lowe stretched across a giant tulip poplar tree in the Martin State Forest.
Solar United Neighbors and Sierra Club Solar Siting 101 Training
We hope you can join us on June 10 for Solar Siting 101 with Solar United Neighbors (SUN)!
Sierra Club is launching a series of educational and community activities to support clean energy advocacy across the state.
About the training: Learn from Solar United Neighbors about solar siting policy, advantages to solar host communities, and how we can responsibly locate and advocate for large scale solar in Indiana. Utility scale solar is an essential piece of the fight to move Indiana beyond coal and towards a cleaner, healthier future.
Get ready for solar with SUN!
Installing solar energy in Indiana might seem complicated, but it doesn’t have to be! Solar United Neighbors is excited to launch Ready, Set, Solar!, an 8-week email series for Hoosiers interested in going solar.
Whether you’re interested in solar for your business or home, the Ready, Set, Solar! curriculum is designed to support you on your solar journey.
Why sign up?
Learn about how solar works and receive a free roof review.
Explore the different incentives available to finance your solar installation.
Review proposals from solar companies with unbiased advice from Solar United Neighbors.
Connect with other solar supporters and join the growing Indiana solar movement!
Join a presentation and discussion with Sierra Club Organizers Nicole Chandler and Megan Anderson at Green Drinks Bloomington this evening, Wednesday, May 28.
When: May 28, 2025, 6pm Where: Upland Brewing Co. Wood Shop, 350 West 11th St, Bloomington, IN.
Indiana is slated to make tremendous progress in moving our power away from coal towards clean, renewable energy, but the next few years present significant challenges for Hoosiers.
State leaders are throwing a lifeline to coal, passing sweeping legislation that aims to advance fossil fuels, and to bring energy guzzling data centers to Indiana.
Bloomington area residents have a key role in achieving clean air and climate progress - with your power coming from Duke Energy, the largest and dirtiest electric supplier in our state, generating 96% of its power from fossil fuels. Learn about how you can join a movement of Hoosiers coming together to protect our progress and to push Duke Energy to deliver affordable, renewable energy to our communities.
Nature and Nurture — guest blog from Amy Gastelum
"My daughter Bobbi was born in 2014 in New York City during a polar vortex. The winter storm swept through the city, closing roads and knocking out power and because it also probably triggered my contractions, added a sweet eight pound baby to the dense population and a total transformation of my life."
Read about how a repurposed train track in New York helped inspire a love of native plants and, eventually, a whole new purpose for Hoosier Amy Gastelum: Nature and Nurture — guest blog from Amy Gastelum.
Amy Gastelum in her garden. Photo: Alberto Mariani.
Hold CenterPoint Accountable — Act Now!
CenterPoint customers, take action with the Sierra Club Beyond Coal campaign now!
CenterPoint Energy is currently in its 20-year energy-planning process and is walking back its previous statements that it would be coal free by 2027 (CenterPoint Energy expects to go coal-free by 2027 - Lakeshore Public Media).
The company has now proposed a possible scenario where coal would continue to be burned at one of its remaining coal units, F.B. Culley 3, past 2030.
Submit a comment here to hold CenterPoint accountable to its retirement of coal at F.B. Culley 3, and tell CenterPoint to increase its buildout of renewable energy!
Tell Congress: Don't Sacrifice Clean Energy, Public Lands, & Essential Services for Billionaire Tax Breaks!
Right now, Trump and Republicans in Congress are attempting to make more drastic cuts to clean energy and climate action, public lands, Medicaid, and other essential government programs that we rely on.
We can't allow them to pass this reckless bill that wipes out clean energy and guts protections for our nation’s most special places!
Sierra Club staff and volunteer leaders are passionate about getting out there and spreading the word about issues that matter to Hoosiers!
In April, we continued our Earth Month tabling all over Indiana, including Jasper:
"Each year on Earth Day, Memorial Hospital in Jasper hosts a tabling event and invites hospital personnel, guests and the public to visit.
It was a great opportunity to connect the work we do and how it impacts public health." - Mark Nowotarski, Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter volunteer leader.
Our Spring outings program has also continued apace, such as this hike on trail 19 at the Hoosier National Forest in April:
"We started our hike on trail 19 with a teaching moment.
A hefty sprig of multiflora was laughing at us, so Dave (Wildemann, volunteer leader) bravely pulled it out by its roots. And then, we proceeded on a lovely hike with kindred spirits." - Mary Reardon, Outings Committee Chair.
Welcome to this regular feature where we look back and share photos from our past.
This month, we travel back to 2015 when the Sierra Club Indiana Beyond Coal Campaign and friends rallied at the Indiana Statehouse for clean air!
The first photo shows some true legends in the world of Indiana environmental activism! Amanda Shepherd (now with Sierra Club, formerly with Hoosier Environmental Council), Jim Poyser (Earth Charter Indiana), and Shannon Anderson (Earth Charter Indiana, and Sierra Club volunteer). The second photo shows the crowd gathered on the Statehouse steps.
