November 2018 Chapter E-Newsletter

Maryland Chapter Newsletter

Dear Maryland,

After a hard fought election season we are wishing you a carbon neutral stress free holiday season with plenty of wonderful opportunities to engage in saving our planet with like minded friends (see below.)

Attend a Benefit for Sierra Club’s Climate Change and Transportation Program!

Please join us for celebrations and fundraisers with Special Guest Dan Reed, Jim Shea, and Delegate Brooke Lierman to benefit the Sierra Club Maryland Chapter's efforts to make livable, bikeable, walkable, communities a public priority in Maryland.

1. Rockville Fundraiser with Dan Reed of Just Up The Pike
Saturday, December 8th, 2018 3-5 PM
Gordon Biersch Brewery
200 East Middle Lane
#Unit A
Rockville, MD 20850
RSVP Here

2. Baltimore Fundraiser with Del Brooke Lierman & Jim Shea
Saturday, December 15th, 2018 3-5 PM
Charm City Meadworks
400 E Biddle St, Baltimore, MD 21202
RSVP Here

Environmentalists Celebrate State and Local Victories, React to Loss of Gubernatorial Race

The results from the election in MD were overall very positive for our endorsed candidates. We are disappointed that Ben Jealous did not win the Governorship, but are enthusiastic about several of our priority state senate and house candidates winning, as well as all of our endorsed candidates for county executive. Thank you to everyone who knocked on doors, made phone calls, and donated to our environmental champions. You made a difference, and now it’s important to engage with our elected officials around our legislative priorities for the upcoming General Assembly session. Read our press statement about the election here.

Tell Butler's Orchard to Protect Children's Brains, NOT the Dangerous Pesticide Chlorpyrifos!

In 2018, Butler's Orchard worked to kill the bill before MD lawmakers to ban use of chlorpyrifos that would have protected Marylanders from this dangerous pesticide.

Please help protect public health - email Butler's Orchard and tell them to stop protecting chlorpyrifos - and protect Maryland's children.

Santa Barbara Metro Transit District votes to switch to an all-electric, clean fleet by 2030

Exciting news from out West! The Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) Board of Directors voted unanimously today to set a goal of 100% clean, quiet zero emission buses by 2030. If Santa Barbara can do it, we can do it in Maryland! Read more about this win from the Los Padres Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Maryland Needs 100% Clean Energy!

The crisis of our warming and changing climate, with its severe and worsening damage to the environment, demands forceful, ambitious action.

Maryland must commit to moving to 100% clean renewable electricity as quickly as possible, with support for our communities and workforce as they seek to adapt to significant climate disruption and take advantage of the clean energy economy.

Sign our petition in support of 100% Clean Energy!

Ask Congress to Renew Funding Parks and Protecting Special Places

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (or LWCF) is an enormously popular program established in 1964 to fund conservation and outdoor recreation initiatives. It enjoys widespread support among Democrats and Republicans because it has paid for projects in just about every community in America – without using taxpayer dollars. In MD it has saved important natural places like Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. Act now!

Call Representative Steny H. Hoyer at (202) 225-4131, Senator Chris Van Hollen at (202) 224-4654, and Senator Benjamin L. Cardin at (202) 224-4524. Ask them to support continued funding from oil royalties for public recreational lands, forests, and wildlife refuges. Act now! More info from the Wilderness Society and our local Audubon Naturalist Society .

Thanks to our Sierra Club MD Chapter Interns

Our Sierra Club MD Chapter Interns have made amazing contributions to the club’s mission this fall and have brought the younger generations expertise and enthusiasm. Here are some of the things they've been up to. Thank you Fall 2018 interns!

Read Political Intern Kate Rush’s internship experience.

See Fall intern Reactions to the IPCC Report on Climate Change.

Read about an invasive plant removal outing

See pictures

Social media is vital to getting our environmental message out. Help us grow our following on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram !

View the full calendar of Upcoming Hikes & Events

Join a Webinar to Learn about how you can Defend the Clean Car Standards on December 3rd

Creating a path to cut and eliminate pollution from cars is one of the most important ways to protect our health and climate.

We need to continue putting pressure on Ford Motor Company to stop working to undermine the clean car standards and reaffirm their commitment for Maryland and other states to set their own standards to protect the health and environment of their residents.

Join us December 3rd at 6 p.m. Central/7 p.m. Eastern.

Annual Meeting & Holiday Get Together Howard County Thursday December 6th

Come and join us for a holiday get together! Meet other members and friends of the environment. Enjoy good food and good conversation! Join us at 6:30 pm for our Executive Committee meeting or 7:00 pm for the Potluck Holiday Get Together. We hope you can join us and bring a dish to share, if you like! Be sure to register for the event so we can plan accordingly!

More Info & RSVP

Join us for a free screening of “What Lies Upstream” on December 10th

Join the Maryland Sierra Club & Howard County Sierra Club for a free screening of "What Lies Upstream"!

The documentary tells incredible stories of how a vast array of toxic chemicals got into the drinking water of thousands of people in West Virginia, how the drinking water in Flint, Michigan became contaminated with lead, and how the disposal of wastewater residuals such as biosolids on agricultural land is introducing thousands of chemicals into our water supply through run-off.

RSVP and Details Here

Explore Patuxent Research North Tract Sunday December 16th

Did you ever wonder what happens when a military training ground gets taken over by the US Fish and Wildlife Service for research purposes? Miles of trails through fields and forest. Practice our winter tree identification among the beeches, oaks and pines and discover little islands of greenery. If we're lucky, we might see some interesting birds.

More Info & RSVP

2019 Legislative Priorities

On January 9, when the Maryland General Assembly convenes for its 90-day 2019 session, the Sierra Club Maryland Chapter will be proposing to the newly elected legislators a far-reaching set of environmental policies for enactment. Specifically, the Chapter will ask the General Assembly to prioritize ambitious, substantive, concrete actions to address two critical environmental crises: Climate Change & Plastics Pollution.

Our legislative program builds on the Chapter’s extensive political efforts in 2018, which led to the election in November of a strong corps of state legislative environmental champions. Read more about our 2019 legislative priorities here!

How to Have a Carbon Neutral and Stress Free Holiday Season

It’s that time of year again and you are probably thinking to yourself, “How can I have a stress free holiday season and still be kind to the environment?” Our political intern, Jason Brand has some tips and tricks to have a stress free holiday while attempting to limit your carbon footprint without annoying the rest of your family. Read more!

We appreciate and depend on your donations large and small. Thank you so much for all your support for the Sierra Club Maryland Chapter.

Thank you!