Powerful Together: Listening Tour
Powerful Together: Listening Tour
Follow us as we head out on the mother of all Sierra Club outings – a national tour listening to local chapters and leaders about all the ways we are powerful together. Meet our new Executive Director, Ben Jealous, and follow along as we connect with Sierra Club chapters across the country.
Powerful Together: Join Ben Jealous
This tour is as much for you – our supporters – as it is for us. Over the coming weeks we will share powerful stories from our grassroots and chapter leaders and you will get to know Ben better as he interacts with leaders from around the country. And you can have a major part of it. We’ll be sharing these stories across social media, blogs, email, and other channels, and you won’t want to miss a moment.
Hear a Message From Ben Jealous
How You Can Follow Along
- Sign up for our email updates.
- Text BEN to 69866 for the latest updates via text.
- Follow us on social: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn
NPR Features Ben Jealous
For many American environmental advocates, acknowledging the exclusionary past of the movement is key to making progress now. One man knows this intimately.
Who is he? Ben Jealous is the new executive director of the Sierra Club, an environmental organization that "fights for environmental and social justice." But he's no stranger to the world of civil rights and social advocacy.
Read more from NPR: As the Sierra Club reckons with its past, a new leader charts a more inclusive future
Watch: Ben Jealous—Live After the State of the Union
Photo courtesy of Heather Wilson
Week 6: Toxics Tour
We visited many locations within Houston where our black & brown communities were suffering on the fenceline of toxic pollutants from heavy industries. We visited a family park where less than a mile in the distance, a waste plant laid near. The natural river was poisoned. Signs warned of possible injury.
Read MorePhoto courtesy of Heather Wilson
Week 5: Texas
Hello from Texas! I've spent the last few days with Ben Jealous as he continues the important work of listening before he leads, and gears up for the last leg of the listening tour this coming week. As Ben gets ready for his first day as Executive Director Monday, I wanted to share some of the exciting highlights of what we’ve been hearing.
Read MorePhoto courtesy of Heather Wilson
Week 4: Alabama
Alabama is an incredible place to live, work, play or raise a family. Unfortunately, we face multiple environmental injustice challenges that occur at the expense of Alabamians. That threat is more pervasive in our Black and Brown communities. These communities face toxic waste, air contaminants, radiation, and other biohazards.
Read MorePhoto courtesy of Heather Wilson
Week 3: Massachusetts
Hello from Massachusetts, where we welcomed incoming Executive Director Ben Jealous to the Bay State earlier this week. During the visit, our staff, volunteers, and leaders shared with Ben how our locally-focused organizing has led to major victories protecting our forests, our waters, and our communities.
Read MoreVolunteer dinner with Ben Jealous in Washington state.
Week 2: The Pacific Northwest
As the Washington State Chapter welcomed Ben on the second week of his Listening Tour, we had the opportunity to share the work that our volunteers, staff, and nearly 30,000 members are doing to protect people and our lands.
Read MoreWisconsin Chapter staff, members and partners eating dinner while having a conversation with Ben Jealous about their priorities and work in Milwaukee. Picture left to right: Dennis Grzezinski, Ben Jealous, Jenny Abel. | Photo by Camila Duarte Rojas
Week 1: Ben Jealous Visits the Wisconsin Chapter
Read the recap from Cassie Steiner, Senior Campaign Coordinator of the Sierra Club's Wisconsin Chapter.
Read MoreIllustration by iStock.com/AnnaFrajtova
Sign Up For Updates With Ben Jealous
You can stay up to date with everything we’re doing along the tour by signing up! We’ll send you weekly updates and let you know how you can get involved in spreading the word.
Sign UpPhoto by Christopher Jason Studios
Sierra Club Announces a New Executive Director
We’re thrilled to welcome Ben Jealous to our organization. His passion for the outdoors and commitment to fighting for the environment – makes him uniquely qualified to lead the Sierra Club.
Meet Ben Jealous