Chapter Director's Blog

September 18, 2026Contact: Pat Cupples, Chapter Director, Sierra Club Tennesseepat.cupples@sierraclub.org Sierra Club Tennessee joins Bradley County residents in opposing Project River annexation CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Sierra Club Tennessee is...

Larry Ellis has only been on his land in Bradley County fifty years. By the standards of his neighbors along the Hiawassee, that makes him the newcomer. His plot shares a right of way with the Project River property, so the drive in from the...

Imagine hiring someone to fight for you, then finding out they also collect a paycheck from the one company whose interests are directly opposed to yours.  Especially when they are putting your community at risk. That's exactly what's happening...

By Tennessee Member and Beyond Coal Organizer Bonnie Swinford This week, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee ruled that the Tennessee Valley Authority’s decision to build the Kingston Gas Plant had “fundamental"...

Last Thursday, I, along with many of our volunteer leaders, Sierra Club staff and partner groups, attended the TVA Board's public listening session in Memphis. We don't have insight into how speakers get selected, but from some of the speakers' own...

Dolly Parton grew up without running water or electricity, one of twelve kids in a one-room cabin in the Smoky Mountains - Locust Ridge Tennessee to be exact. And she celebrated her humble beginnings. She wore her story, sang about it in songs like...

 By Sinclaire Sparkman-Carr Three new Tennessee Sierra Club members met up with chapter chair Pat Cupples on Tuesday, August 11, for a foray into the preserved floodplain next to the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville. The sounds of...

Riley Douglas joined the Tennessee Chapter in June of 2026 as our first Volunteer Engagement Coordinator.  Learn about Riley in their own words.Riley Douglas (she/they) was born and raised in sunny South Florida, then spent nine years...

Counties all across the state are pushing to halt data center construction and to pass laws that protect our communities, our electricity bills, our air and water, our climate, and our neighborhoods. This coming Tuesday, July 7th,...

Vince Cianciolo came into my orbit when he volunteered to help put on our first Garden Party at Ijams Nature Center last year. He secured raffle donations, booked our student jazz band, handled the logistics that made the event a success — all...