Have you followed us yet on social media? Stay up to date on Chapter activities, breaking news and uplifting stories by following us on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter)!
Click the logos to find our pages!
Clean Energy Future Day of Action in Lansing is September 26. Last spring, grassroots Sierra Club members like you took action and stopped bad aggregate mining bills in the legislature. Now, we need you to show up to demand that the Michigan Legislature passes strong and effective clean energy legislation.
On September 26, join hundreds of fellow Michiganders for a huge clean energy lobby day at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing. The Sierra Club Michigan Chapter and the Michigan Energy Michigan Jobs coalition are working hard to tell legislators not to bend to pressure from utilities and fossil fuel interests, and your voice is needed. Register for the September 26 Clean Energy Future Day of Action below and help make history. And make a call to your State Representative now urging them to support our clean energy package.
Learn more and register at the button below to demand a clean energy future!
Shut Down Line 5! The Sierra Club Board of Directors and Executive Team joined the call to Shut Down Enbridge Line 5 during their September Board Meeting in Chicago, standing on the shores of Lake Michigan. Tell President Biden to Shut Down Line 5 here.
Sierra Club and Friends of the Rouge rain garden installation in 2018. Sierra Club file photo.
Rain Gardens to the Rescue Program Announcement. Sierra Club Michigan Chapter is happy to announce a new Community Rain Garden program specifically targeted to businesses, nonprofits, institutions, places of worship and municipal buildings (such as libraries, activity centers and schools) located in Detroit zip code 48217, the City of River Rouge (48218) and Dearborn's south end (48120 or 48126). These areas have been hard-hit by flooding and other environmental challenges. We are looking forward to bringing the Rain Gardens to the Rescue program to these communities.
To participate, volunteers must take a three-part mandatory course. Parts one and two will be held in October, with a third part in spring 2024. The gardens will be installed in spring 2024. We are aiming to install six large community scale gardens averaging 1000 sq. ft.
Register by sending an email to Erma Leaphart at erma.leaphart@sierraclub.org. Deadline for registration is September 25.
Native Plant Workshop and Giveaway, Sept. 21. Join us at the Keep Growing Detroit Farm on Thursday, September 21, for a native plant workshop and giveaway. Houses of worship, small businesses and community groups in Detroit, Highland Park, Hamtramck, Ecorse and River Rouge are eligible to receive one free flat of native plants. For more information, please contact Elayne Elliott at elayne.elliott@sierraclub.org.
Dr. Dolores Leonard (l) explains the environmental justice challenges in the 48217 zip code to (l to r) Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous, an aide to State Rep. Donovan McKinney and Michigan Chapter Political and Legislative Director Christy McGillivray. Photo by Erma Leaphart. Jealous joined the Michigan Chapter on a kayak tour of the Detroit canal district (r). Photo by Heather Wilson.
National Executive Director Ben Jealous Visits Michigan Chapter. Michigan Chapter volunteers and staff welcomed Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous for a two day visit to southeast Michigan September 5 and 6. Chapter Director Elayne Elliott oversaw a jam-packed visit including a "toxic tour" of the 48217 area, kayaking in Detroit's canal district, meetings with Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and State Representative Donovan McKinney and interviews with Michigan media outlets. Michigan Chapter and group leaders, volunteers and chapter staff discussed pressing issues with Ben and his team throughout the visit. Our thanks to Ben for making time to visit the Great Lakes State!
Lansing Board of Water and Light (BWL) Erickson Power Plant. Sierra Club file photo by Andrew Sarpolis.
Lansing Area Canvass on BWL Coal Ash Site. Capital Area Friends of the Environment (CAFE) is seeking volunteers to help canvass a Lansing area neighborhood near a leaking coal ash pond at Lansing Board of Water and Light’s (BWL) Erickson power plant in Delta Township. CAFE’s canvass team plans to talk with residents about the contamination coming from the site, to gauge their awareness of BWL's offer of clean water and community members' willingness to attend a public meeting to learn more. The group, which works with Sierra Club to move BWL toward clean, renewable energy, is looking for volunteers to go door-to-door to gather information. Details and timing for the canvass are still being worked out, with tentative dates of the week of September 26 or October 2. If you are able to help out please contact Randy Dykhuis by email at mi.517.cafe@gmail.com or via text or voice at 517-927-5121.
Helen Leblanc (l) was honored with the Sierra Club's Atlas Award. Anne Woiwode (r) received Sierra Club's William E. Colby Volunteer Leadership Award. Sierra Club photos.
Michigan Chapter Volunteers Honored by National Sierra Club. Two long-serving Michigan Chapter volunteers were honored by the national Sierra Club with awards for their work at both the chapter and national levels.
Helen Leblanc was honored with the Atlas Award, given in recognition of extraordinary administrative contributions to groups, chapters and regional entities. Helen served as Michigan Chapter treasurer for three decades and mentored volunteer treasurers in other chapters as well. She continues to contribute as the assistant treasurer and an emeritus member of the Michigan Chapter Executive Committee.
Anne Woiwode received the William E. Colby Volunteer Leadership Award in recognition of outstanding leadership and dedication to the Sierra Club. The Colby award is the Sierra Club's highest award for volunteers.
Congratulations to Helen and Anne, and many thanks for their service to the Sierra Club and Michigan Chapter!
Clark Lake, Sylvania Wilderness, Ottawa National Forest. Photo courtesy of John Rebers.
Planned Giving Supports the Michigan Chapter's Work. Bequests to the Michigan Chapter support conservation work in the state where you reside. Planned Gifts are particularly important to the Chapter as they can provide significant resources to allow continued conservation activities over an extended period of time. For more information about placing the Michigan Chapter in your estate plans, or if you have already made provisions to do so, please let us know so we can acknowledge your generosity. Contact Elayne Elliott, Chapter Director, at elayne.elliott@sierraclub.org or by phone at 313-574-0494.
The Michigan Legacy Council Elevates Sierra Club’s Donors. Members and supporters donate their time, expertise and money to help support and champion Sierra Club’s crucial work, which extends our effectiveness in Michigan by leaps and bounds. The Michigan Legacy Council honors those who donate a significant amount of money to support the Michigan Chapter’s citizen-based advocacy and lobbying programs or qualifying educational and policy programs through tax-deductible gifts. Legacy Council members receive special acknowledgment based on a giving level starting at $500 a year. For more information about the Michigan Legacy Council, contact Chapter Director Elayne Elliott at elayne.elliott@sierraclub.org or 313-574-0494.
Colorful trees in the Lansing area (l), photo by Anne Woiwode. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park (r), courtesy B.B.Wolf -Fine Art Photography.
Explore and Enjoy: Michigan's Fall Colors. The extraordinary range of fall colors in many parts of Michigan is breathtaking, and well worth exploring and enjoying. Whether you take a hike in your own neighborhood at the height of local color, or follow the changing colors from the Keweenaw peninsula down to the southern lower peninsula, the glory of Michigan’s fleeting autumn colors is a reason to get outside and appreciate Michigan’s forests. Find out more about this marvelous annual show put on by Mother Nature.
