January 2026 update from your local Heartlands Group
January 9, 2026
Happy new year!
Happy New Year, Friend!
Thank you to everyone who joined our first ever Type-In at Indy Type Shop last month! It was wonderful talking to everyone and seeing all the creativity flowing. We're excited to announce we have another Type-In planned — read on for details!
As we mark the New Year we want to celebrate and thank all our incredible volunteers. You can participate and thank our Sierra Club community of volunteers by leaving a note of thanks on our message board here.
Also in this newsletter:
🫶 How to get involved with our activities this year 📣 Take action to protect Indianapolis and surrounding counties from data center impacts 📚 Come to our virtual Book Club ⏳ Read about how Sierra Club is challenging Trump's orders to illegally extend the lives of the Culley and Schahfer coal plants 🏛️Join us at the Statehouse this upcoming legislative session.
Happy reading! If you have any questions about our work in and around the Indy area, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Rebecca Dien-Johns Chapter Digital Strategist Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter
Join our Words for Water Type-In at Indy Type Shop!
Participants at our Solstice Type-In on December 21 at Indy Type Shop. Photo: Colleen Curtin.
Date and time:Sunday, February 8, 2026, 3-5 PM. What and where: Words for Water Legislative Type-In at Indy Type Shop, 2621 Shelby St, Indianapolis, IN 46203
Indy Type Shop is a cozy, community-oriented shop which houses a variety of beautiful vintage typewriters, just waiting for your fingers!
If you've never been to a Type-In before, they're fun, inspiring, and can be a meditative experience too once you get clacking away on the keys. For this event, we'll be focusing on typing letters to Indiana Legislators about the importance of protecting Indiana waters.
More information coming soon, but you can register in advance here to be the first to hear more!
The Heartlands Group serves the greater Indianapolis area. It's part of the Hoosier Chapter of the Sierra Club, hosting Sierra Club outings, hikes, conservation education and sustainability events in Central Indiana. Our mission is to leave a better environment for future generations.
To get involved with our activities this year, email Chapter Outreach Coordinator, Colleen Curtin: coleen.curtin@sierraclub.org
Join us on the trail! You can find all Sierra Club hikes and outings in Indiana at sc.org/hcevents
Take action to protect Indianapolis and surrounding counties from data center impacts
November, 2025: Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Senior Organizer, Megan Anderson, spoke alongside coalition partners Elizabeth Gore, Chairperson of the Martindale-Brightwood Environmental Justice Collaborative, Immanuel Ivey, One Voice board member, Cierra Johnson, vice president of One Voice Martindale Brightwood, and Carrie Harris at a press conference for Protect Martindale-Brightwood Neighborhood Coalition opposing the proposed MetroBloks data center. Photo: Colleen Curtin.
Whether it’s the META data center which would reportedly use three million gallons of water each day at the LEAP industrial complex in Lebanon, or the venture capitalists who want to build a data center in the heart of the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood, it is clear that data centers are deeply impacting the air, water, and forests in Indianapolis and surrounding counties. AES Indiana has pledged to add over 700 MW of gas power for data centers, with more to come for each data center brought online; fueling the climate crisis and moving us further from the clean energy future we were promised.
Join your fellow Sierra Club members and supporters in protecting Indianapolis from data center impacts. See opportunities to take action below.
Jan 14 - Community Meeting - American Tower Company at Pike Township Residents Association Meeting
American Tower Company is proposing a 20,000 sq ft data center that would have diesel generators for backup power in a residential area, removing critical forests for the site. Attend this meeting where American Tower Company will hear from the community.
What: American Tower Company at Pike Township Residents Association When: January 14, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET Where: New Augusta North Public Academy (Auditorium) 6450 Rodebaugh Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46268
Jan 15 - Public Zoning Hearing - Metrobloks data center proposed for Martindale Brightwood
Metrobloks is proposing a polluting data center in the heart of Martindale-Brightwood near downtown Indy. Show up at the rezoning hearing to show that Indy residents don’t want a polluting data center! Heads up - this could be a long hearing.
What: Attend the Zoning Public Hearing to show your opposition to MetroBloks’ Data Center When: Thursday, January 15, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET Where: Indianapolis City-County Building (Public Assembly Room) (200 E Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204)
Jan 26 - Public Meeting with Citizens Energy and Lebanon Utilities about the LEAP infrastructure plans
Attend this public meeting about the water pipelines and infrastructure for the supply and discharge for the LEAP industrial site. Eagle Creek area and reservoir will be impacted by this project which will construct miles of pipelines to siphon millions of gallons of water for LEAP and 100 million gallons a week of treated water will be discharged back into the reservoir.
What: Public Meeting with Citizens Energy and Lebanon Utilities When: January 26 at 6 PM ET Where: Location TBA
If you have any questions, please contact colleen.curtin@sierraclub.org or megan.anderson@sierraclub.org.
Megan Anderson Indiana Beyond Coal Campaign Senior Organizer
Trump Admin Illegally Extends Life of Two Indiana Coal Plants
On December 23rd as Americans were preparing for the holidays the Trump administration issued two sham “emergency” 202c orders to force two aging coal plants set to retire at the end of the year, to continue operating. These orders will burden Hoosiers and surrounding MISO states to shoulder the cost to keep these polluting plants operating.
The Sierra Club is challenging these orders and will continue to fight for a clean, and equitable energy transition away from coal. Read Sierra Club’s press release here.
Join us at the Statehouse this Legislative Session.
We're excited to invite you to join us for the following special days at the Statehouse this Legislative Session. Read more on our website.
Tue, Jan 20, 2026 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Eastern) Indiana Renewable Energy Day 2026 Indianapolis, IN
Tue, Feb 3, 2026; 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM (Eastern) Conservation Day at the Statehouse Indianapolis, IN
Mon, Feb 9, 2026; 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM (Eastern) Indiana Water Stewardship Day at the Statehouse Indianapolis, IN
Join our Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Book Club!
It's the 2nd year of our Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Book Club! This year we have some fantastic reading selections as well as opportunities for members to submit suggestions for future books. Have a book you want to see us read this year? Email your recommendation to colleen.curtin@sierraclub.org.
Learn more about each of our selections and register for Book Club at the links below.
Our first Book Club this year is January 27th for Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization by Bill McKibben.
Meet with us on February 24th for When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy by Beronda L. Montgomery.
On March 31st check out Intertwined: Women, Nature, and Climate Justice by Rebecca Kormos with us.
Look for the poll in our next Hoosier Chapter Newsletter to vote on our April selection!
