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| Our thoughts are with the residents and Sierra Club members who currently live in areas affected by the various wildfires on the West Coast. We hope for the safety of the firefighters on the line, as well as for all people and homes affected. We are saddened to see the devastation of property, parks, forests, and wildlife. |
Action Items in Your City! Read More in this eNewsletter.
► Cupertino: Support Bird-Safe Design and Reduce Light Pollution
► Los Altos: Phase-Out Fossil Gas
► Redwood City: Phase-Out Fossil Gas
► San Carlos: Become Trained as a Climate Action Plan Advocate
► San Jose: (1) Prevent the Spread of Light Pollution, (2) Tell the City that our forests are important
► Sunnyvale: Phase-Out Fossil Gas |
2020 Guardians of Nature Benefit Goes Online
Friday, October 9th, 7-8pm
Celebrate a Local Hero and our Loma Prieta Community from the safety of your home.
For the first time in the history of our Guardians of Nature Benefit, we will meet online to celebrate our community, and a local hero, former State Senator Byron Sher, who penned many bedrock legislation that continues to protect our regional, state and national environment. Find more about our honoree here.
We will bring the festive spirit and sense of comradery to your home, so we hope that you will join us. You can find more information about the event here. |
Breaking News: Sierra Club and 23 Other Environmental Organizations Issue a Joint Statement: Redwood City Cannot Wait to Act on Climate Change Impacts
59% of Redwood City is vulnerable to flooding in the next 30 years. Just 3.3 feet of sea level rise could affect nearly 25% of Redwood City’s population and inflict $9 billion of property damage.
Our joint statement calls on Redwood City to include specific and measurable climate adaptation actions targeted at shoreline resiliency, green stormwater infrastructure, and mitigation of wildfire risk in the CAP update.
Read the Daily Journal story here.
Read the Joint Statement and Press Release here.
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The City of San Jose has a survey now to know our thoughts on our street trees and community forests. If you value shade, cooler streets, habitat and food for birds and other wildlife, increased property values, cleaner air, beauty, and a unique sense of place, please take the survey and let the City know what's important to you!
Please express your strong support for planting LOCALLY native trees, which provide habitat for local wildlife, and require less water and less maintenance. |
Above photo of an Anna's Hummingbird by Becky Matsubara
Opportunity to Protect Birds and Reduce Light Pollution in Cupertino
Cupertino City Staff has prepared a good ordinance, requiring bird-safe design techniques and “Dark Sky” practices to reduce light pollution.
In the past 48 years, North America has lost 29% of its birds, a loss of nearly 3 billion birds. Annually, anywhere from 500 million to more than 1 billion birds are killed by human impacts such as window collisions.
If you would like to support this ordinance, you can email Cupertino's Planning Commission at: PlanningCommission@Cupertino.org
We deserve a healthy ecosystem, with thriving bird populations and a clear view of the starry night sky! |
Above image by athree23
The Fight to Phase-Out Fossil Gas in Local Cities Continues!
Did you know that children who grow up in homes with gas stoves are 42% more likely to develop asthma than those who don’t?
The public health and climate impacts of gas are among the many reasons that we need to phase out gas from our buildings. Fortunately, many cities are taking action by passing Reach Codes, local laws which can require new construction to be all-electric.
Residents in Redwood City, Sunnyvale, and Los Altos will have the opportunity to support Reach Codes this September. If you wish to support reach codes, you can send a short email to the addresses listed below:
9/14: Redwood City Council is slated to vote on a reach code
(council@redwoodcity.org)
9/14: Sunnyvale Planning Commission will study a draft reach code
(PlanningCommission@sunnyvale.ca.gov)
9/22 (rescheduled): Los Altos City Council is slated to vote on a reach code
(council@losaltosca.gov) |
Above image of San Carlos taken from a zeppelin by Craig Howell
Become an Advocate for Climate Action in San Carlos
Sierra Club’s Climate Action Leadership Team (CALT) is offering a one-hour prep session on Sept 29th at 1pm for anyone interested in advocating for a strong Climate Action Plan in San Carlos.
The City has begun updating its Climate Action Plan (CAP) and will hold a public workshop on Oct 1 at 6:30pm. CALT’s prep session will cover climate action basics and the key attributes of a strong Climate Action Plan.
RSVP to josie_gaillard@me.com. |
Above Photo: Desiree at the Alviso Marina
Bay 2030 Program Attendee Desiree Grahn Writes about Getting Involved in Advocacy
The following are excerpts from Desiree’s full article:
“Like me, you probably care about the environment. I consider a clean, sustainable environment to be a human right.”
“About a year ago, I decided that I wanted to step up my game. I didn’t just want to say I care about the environment. I wanted to take action and make a difference by advocating for an environmentally sustainable world. I joined the Sierra Club and got busy.”
“Currently, I am taking the Bay 2030 Advocacy class. This is where I get to learn from the experience of our savvy advocates about how to really make a difference in local environmental policy through writing letters to city council members, letters to the editor of local newspapers, and reaching out through social media.”
Read more about our Bay2030 Advocate Program here.
We hope you will join us! The Bay2030 Advocate Program starts again in early 2021. |
Above Photo by jpstanley: The Constellation Orion, without and with light pollution
Are You Okay with More Light Pollution Coming to San Jose?
Update: Concerns from your Loma Prieta Chapter and the San Jose community have been noted by the San Jose Mercury News!
After a 30-year ban on new billboards, the City of San Jose wants to allow electronic billboards on private property. These billboards may advertise anything - from Vegas to accident injury attorneys!
Artificial light disturbs the natural circadian rhythms of living beings, increasing health risks such as cancer. For wildlife, artificial light can disrupt foraging and migration patterns and can cause birds to collide with structures and die from exhaustion. From a traffic safety perspective, do we really want more glaring distractions as we drive? Do we want billboards that may track us?
Contact Katja Irvin for more information, katja.irvin@sbcglobal.net
Click here to find your District and contact your City Councilmember.
Read the fact sheet here. |
Demonstrate Your Support For American Bison on Our National Forests!
The Forest Service has recently issued decisions denying American Bison habitat they badly need.
Learn More and take action here. |
Ollie Mayer Hiker's Hut Closed Until Further Notice The Ollie Mayer Hiker’s Hut is closed until further notice due to the current spikes in the Covid-19 virus. We are holding all reservations until such time that it is safe for our members to use the Hut. If you have a credit on file with us and wish to keep it that way, no need to take any action. If you prefer a refund please email us at: olliemayerhikershut@gmail.com |
YOU Can Make It Happen!
Hundreds of caring people stand behind every environmental victory won by your Loma Prieta Chapter. These caring people choose to partner with us by donating.
Now you have an opportunity to join our engaged community by simply responding to our Spring fund drive.
Only a sliver of the membership dues which you send to Sierra Club National is returned to your local chapter, but 100% of your gift directly to your chapter will benefit our local environment. Read more about how we will use your support. |
Why are some neighborhoods so much hotter than others?
Neighborhoods that are lower-income and have more Black or Hispanic residents can be up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit hotter in summer, with far fewer trees and more heat-absorbing pavement than whiter, wealthier parts of the same city. Researchers have been looking at the history of city planning, including practices like redlining. How Redlining’s Racist Effects Lasted for Decades
There’s also an important climate connection.
A recent study, Housing Discrimination Made Summers Even Hotter, found links between redlining and higher temperatures in modern-day Black neighborhoods.
Another study, The Effects of Historical Housing Policies on Resident Exposure to Intra-Urban Heat, found an even broader pattern: Across more than 100 U.S. cities, formerly redlined neighborhoods were 5 degrees hotter on average today than areas that were not redlined. |
Let it go, let it go! When the trade-in value’s too low, let it go, let it go!
Your best move is donating your vehicle to support your Loma Prieta Chapter. Call 844-6-SIERRA (844-674-3772) or donate online. We accept cars, classic cars, trucks, boats, RVs, and more. Plus, your gift is tax-deductible.
VERY IMPORTANT: tell CARS that you want to support the Loma Prieta Chapter through the Sierra Club Foundation. |
Social Media Channels for the Loma Prieta Chapter
facebook: Chapter, 20s – 30s, Sierra Singles
YouTube; Twitter; Instagram; Spotify
MeetUp: Chapter conservation and education meetings (2667 members),
Hiking events (5031 members), Singleaires outing section (1775 members),
Day Hiking section (1646 members), Guadalupe Regional Group (553 members), Peak Climbing (467 members), Gay & Lesbian Sierrans (403 members),
Black Mountain Hiking section (392 members), 20s - 30s (150 members),
Family Explorers (95 members)
Social media volunteers needed. Contact Loma Prieta Chapter Director James.Eggers@sierraclub.org |
Got Mail? Too much Sierra Club mail? You can take control; it's easy!
If you feel overwhelmed you can easily manage what you receive. See the simple tutorial |
Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.
~ Henry David Thoreau
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Please register to vote, vote early, volunteer if able, and encourage others to do.
Health and safety to all,
James Eggers, Director
Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter
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| As people across the country protest in defense of Black lives, the Sierra Club recognizes the need to dismantle systemic racism in the United States and within our own organization. We must reckon with how white supremacy -- both past and present -- has shaped our institutions and do the critical anti-racism work necessary to repair the harm done. The environmental movement does not exist in a vacuum, and it is our responsibility to use our power to help abolish systemic racism, which is destroying lives, communities, and the planet. |
| The COVID-19 crisis has not passed and continues to disproportionately harm Black, Indigenous, and Latinx people and other communities of color. The pandemic has revealed how the communities hardest hit are often the same communities that suffer from high levels of pollution and poor access to healthcare. The fight for environmental justice cannot be separated from the fight for racial justice. |
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