Due to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic situation, we are sensitive to our constituents during this challenging crisis…
Read more about reopening guidelines here.
Sierra Club COVID Info Hub.
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HBG and Chapter Meetings and Events
HBG ExCom meetings: In-person at Church of the Savior, 934 N Weisgarber Rd, Knoxville, TN 37909 (with Zoom option)
HBG Program meetings: In-person at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919 (with Zoom option)
Tennessee Chapter ExCom Business meetings: Online (via Zoom)
December 2022 Program
What: Harvey Broome Group 50th Anniversary Celebration
When: Tuesday, December 13, 2022, 5:30 - 9:00 PM
Where: Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville TN and virtual via Zoom.
Please RSVP through this Campfire Event Link to get the Zoom link.
Please mark your calendar and plan to join the HBG Executive Committee in celebrating 50 years as a formal group of the Sierra Club! We will gather at 5:30pm in the Fellowship Hall at TVUUC for some socializing, followed by a potluck dinner at 6:00 pm. The potluck will be supplemented by some BBQ and a vegan dish or two. Plan to bring your favorite dish or dessert to share!
There will be a continuous slide show of scenes from HBG outings, social events, political rallies, and other gatherings during the last 50 years, and a printed history of the HBG will be available. After dinner, we will be entertained with music by Maggie Longmire and friends, followed by short presentations by several long-time members of HBG about past adventures, successes, and failures. We will also do some speculation about the next 50 years of the HBG, and Maggie will sing us off into the night.
Because the size of our space is limited, attendance will be limited to 80 people, so if you want to attend this event, please sign up on Campfire and drop an email to Jerry Thornton (gatwildcat@aol.com) so we can keep track of who is planning to come. Please also let Jerry know what potluck dish, salad, or dessert you plan to bring, or ask what kind of food is still needed.
We hope to fill the Fellowship Hall on December 13th and make it a night for remembrance and a night to remember…and to look to the next 50 years of the Harvey Broome Group!
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HBG and Local Issues & Business
Harvey Broome Group Celebrates 50 Years of Service and Fun!
By Jerry Thornton, HBG Chair
Photo from an HBG outing in 1989. Courtesy of Will Skelton.
The Harvey Broome Group of the Sierra Club is celebrating its 50th anniversary as a local group of the Sierra Club! The Group, named in honor of the East Tennessee man who was instrumental in the creation of Smoky Mountains National Park and the Wilderness Society, held its first meeting on November 14, 1972, when East Tennessee was still part of the Cumberland Chapter of the Sierra Club (Kentucky & Tennessee). To celebrate its history and longevity, the Group will host a pot-luck dinner, with live music by Maggie Longmire and friends, plus tales of days gone by from some of the old-timers, and an outlook on the future of the group!
For more information about the anniversary event and how to join in, see the December 2022 Program section above or RSVP here. We look forward to seeing you at our anniversary party!
Learn more about the history of the Harvey Broome Group in a new blog post by Will Skelton.
HBG Political Team Wins Two, Loses Two
By Kent Minault, HBG Political Committee Chair
Left to right: Gloria Johnson, Sam McKenzie, Amanda Collins, and Greg Kaplan. Used with permission.
Our HBG Political Team jumped into the recent election to support four endorsed candidates for the state legislature: incumbents Gloria Johnson and Sam McKenzie, and challengers Amanda Collins and Greg Kaplan. Sam and Gloria have both been strong allies in Nashville, and we were relieved to see them win back their seats with comfortable margins. The Republican-led legislature had tried to sideline Gloria by merging her district with Sam’s, forcing them to run against each other. Gloria dodged this ploy by moving to a home a mile away so she could run in the newly formed District 90, containing a large rural and more conservative constituency. Nonetheless, she won the seat by the biggest margin of all her four wins to date, seriously embarrassing the Republicans’ redistricting gambit. Sam also won his district by a powerful 71%, though only 30% of the voters showed up.
Amanda and Greg both lost in districts with large rural and conservative areas. District 14 had the highest voter turnout of any district in the state with 46% of voters submitting a ballot, marking a trend where majority Republican districts had the highest participation. Greg’s race in District 18 had the second-highest voter turnout with 43%, but his campaign garnered an extra dollop of publicity from a highly antisemitic mailer put out by the County Republicans and disavowed by his opponent, Elaine Davis. Even though district 18 had been redrawn by Republicans and extended into South Knoxville to make it more conservative, the margin of conservative victory was the same as in the old district 18 in 2020, clearly marking a Republican underperformance. Greg’s energetic style and vigorous opposition to the recent “divisive concepts” legislation won him a 61% majority in the Sequoyah Hills area, beating Joe Biden’s percentage there in 2020 by one point.
Sierra Club members worked hard for our candidates, putting out endorsement statements and calls to action on social media and other platforms. Chapter Chair Jerry Thornton was out canvassing, as was the Political Team. Our new team member, Dana Moran, created a handsome setting for our endorsement statements that hit social media the Monday before election day, earning high praise from campaign managers. She also worked closely with several of them to organize folks for door knocking and phone banking.
It's concerning to us that all our endorsed candidates adopted the traditional Democratic three-part talking points: jobs, education and health care, and said little about the climate. The flaw in the strategy was made glaringly obvious at a house party for Jason Martin where he reiterated the three points, then when his eye met mine, concluded by saying, “Oh, yeah, and the environment!” Given the election outcomes, is it really a good strategy to leave the environment as an afterthought?
Read Kent's full article on the HBG blog.
Love Hiking? Become an Outings Leader!
HBG will be conducting an Outings Leader Training (OLT) course on Sunday afternoon, Dec 11, 2022. It is one of two formal requirements for becoming an outings leader in the Sierra Club. The other requirement is to complete a Basic First Aid/CPR course conducted by local Red Cross and other agencies. The OLT course is free, and taught by Mac Post and Ron Shrieves. The First Aid course has a cost of $50 - $100, but Harvey Broome Group will pay part of that. Contact Mac (mpost3116@gmail.com) or Ron ( ronshrieves@gmail.com) for more information.
Federally Funded Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
This federal program provides federally funded assistance in managing costs associated with: home energy bills, energy crises, weatherization and energy-related minor home repairs.
Read about other local events in Tennessee in our Chapter e-newsletters.
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Events and Actions
HBG Outing: Frozen Head Hike on Chimney Top Trail
Saturday, December 17, 2022
8 AM - 6 PM
 Snow on Frozen Head Mountain. Photo by Michael Hodge CC-BY 2.0
Join HBG’s dedicated hikers for an all-day hike to the lookout tower on Frozen Head Mountain in Frozen Head State Park via the Chimney Top Trail and South Old Mac Trail. This hike is a strenuous 12-mile loop with a 2,000 foot elevation climb and descent, and offers beautiful winter scenery and mountain views.
Participants must get approval from the outing leader after demonstrating fitness for the hike, provide a Sierra Club medical form, and sign the Sierra Club liability waiver.
To register, call or email Jerry Thornton at 865-719-9742 or gatwildcat@aol.com, then use the Campfire link to RSVP and complete the waiver.
HBG Outing: Old Sugarlands Trail, Great Smoky Mountains NP
Saturday, February 25, 2023
9 AM - 6 PM
 West Prong Little Pigeon River from Old Sugarlands Trail. Photo by Julie Elfin.
This moderate hiking trail ultimately climbs about 1,000 feet to its junction with the Bullhead Trail. There are several interesting historical relics to examine along the way. These are mostly remnants of CCC facilities used during the construction of park infrastructure in the 1930's and 40's. Also, there's the option of visiting the "Stone House," a bit of a mystery, and also an old cemetery along the way. The total distance will be between six and eight miles out-and-back, depending on how far up the trail we go.
Pre-register with Ron Shrieves: 865-922-3518; ronshrieves@gmail.com (email preferred) and RSVP on Campfire.
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Environmental Newsflash
*** Note to readers about accessing these articles. Gift links provide a link that allows access for a single time, even if you have reached your limit.
"The decision regarding payments for climate damage marked a breakthrough on one of the most contentious issues at United Nations climate negotiations. For more than three decades, developing nations have pressed for loss and damage money, asking rich, industrialized countries to provide compensation for the costs of destructive storms, heat waves and droughts fueled by global warming.
“ 'The announcement offers hope to vulnerable communities all over the world who are fighting for their survival from climate stress,' said Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s minister for climate change. 'And gives some credibility to the COP process.'
“For the first time, McKibben argues, humanity has at our fingertips the tools needed to end humanity’s millenniums-long dependence on burning things for energy — and to save our climate in the process.
“But in McKibben’s telling, the climate movement’s successes in getting us to this point actually require it to change. A movement founded on blocking bad things from happening now needs to turn to building at intensified speed; a movement that has long fought to preserve the natural world now has to help usher in a wholesale transformation of the global landscape; a movement that has long been critical of capitalism and economic growth now has to align itself with those forces in order to achieve its ends.”
Sierra Club Makes Historic Selection For Its Next Executive Director: After national search, Ben Jealous, former NAACP president, coalition builder & community organizer will lead nation’s most enduring & influential grassroots environmental organization. Sierra Club press release, November 14.
“ ‘After an extensive search, we are thrilled to welcome Ben Jealous to the Sierra Club during such a critical juncture in our transformation, as we continue to discover more equitable and just ways to fight for a healthy and sustainable future,’ said Sierra Club President Ramón Cruz. ‘Ben has demonstrated a personal commitment to our core values throughout his career as a community organizer, environmental and civil rights leader. He’s been a staunch advocate for the health of our planet since he was a child growing up in California and has worked tirelessly at the intersection of the environment, equity, and social justice - marking the path to a world that honors the harmony between our collective humanity and our planet.’ “
“Jealous will be the seventh executive director since the position was created in 1952 and the first person of color to serve in the role.”
“Now that midterm elections are over, President Joe Biden’s administration is going to need to push to have TVA board nominees approved by the U.S. Senate this year. Or he will have to start the nomination process all over when a new Congress takes over in January.
“If the nominees aren’t approved by the end of the year, the TVA board would not have a quorum for conducting business, which means some policy or budget decisions would be deferred until a quorum is regained, a spokesperson explained. The day-to-day operations are the responsibility of CEO Jeff Lyash and his team.”
U.S. and China Restart Climate Talks: Discussions about combating climate change between the world’s two largest economies, and two biggest emitters of greenhouse gasses, had been frozen since August. Jim Tankersley and Lisa Friedman, The New York Times, November 14.
“The announcement reverberated nearly 6,000 miles away in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, where delegates and activists at the United Nations climate conference, known as COP27, were hoping for news that could spur more aggressive climate action from countries around the world.
“Countries like to hide between the U.S. and China and say, ‘The two biggest polluters aren’t working together, aren’t doing much, so why should we?’” said Bernice Lee, a climate policy expert at Chatham House, a policy institute in Britain. When they come together around ambition, she said, it removes that argument.
“But it remains unclear how renewed cooperation between Washington and Beijing might translate into concrete agreements at COP27, which began on Nov. 6 and is scheduled to end on Nov. 18.”
Environmental groups say they helped avert Dem losses: "The climate community showed up big-time," said League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski. Nick Sobczyk, E&E Daily, November 10.
" ‘Democrats defied every expectation,’ [Lori Lodes, executive director of Climate Power] said. ‘The story about climate, the story we were able to tell because every Democratic member of Congress voted for [the Inflation Reduction Act] was a motivating factor for key groups of voters in this election.’
“Environmentalists acknowledged Wednesday that they're unlikely to get another round of major or environmental legislation in the next two years, no matter the split in Congress. They're focused instead on implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act and scoring smaller victories in appropriations and on must-pass bills.”
Harvey Broome Group-endorsed Tennessee State Rep. Gloria Johnson won handily after moving to her neighboring District 90 after the Tennessee Senate voted to merge her District 13 with another democrat-leaning district, presumably in hopes of shutting her out of the legislature.
“ ‘We ran an extremely positive campaign about the things we wanted to do. And they ran an extremely negative campaign,’ Johnson told The Lookout by phone, saying Poczobut’s campaign focused on tearing her down.
“Johnson has been an outspoken supporter of public education during her time in the House and a vocal critic of charter schools and Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Savings Account program. She has often incurred the wrath of the GOP supermajority and in 2021, made news after she protested being assigned to a small conference room rather than a traditional office.
“ ‘She wants to ensure that every child has access to a high-quality, well-resourced public school. Every family can go to the doctor when they are sick without going broke. Every person who works for a living is being prioritized, as she stands up to corrupt corporate special interests,’ her website states.”
"Since 1970, the authors state, the continental United States has experienced 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit of warming, well above the average for the planet.
"That shift means significant parts of the country now must grapple with growing threats to safe drinking water, housing security and infrastructure. A hotter atmosphere creates a litany of health hazards, makes farming and fishing more difficult and unpredictable, and imperils key ecosystems."
"In the 30 years since the world began negotiating the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, no one has identified exactly where all that pollution is coming from. That will begin to change next week when Climate TRACE (Tracking Real-Time Atmospheric Carbon Emissions)—a nonprofit coalition of artificial intelligence (AI) specialists, data scientists, researchers, and nongovernmental organizations—releases the first facility-level inventory of the largest known individual sources of the 162 million tons of GHG pollution emitted into the troposphere every day."
TVA's Allen Fossil Plant in West Tennessee is among the top 10 worst offenders named in the report.
"Seven years after EPA imposed the first federal rules requiring the cleanup of coal ash waste dumps, only about half of the power plants that are contaminating groundwater agree that cleanup is necessary, and 96 percent of these power plants are not proposing any groundwater treatment. Only one plant out of 292 is planning a comprehensive cleanup.
"The failure of the vast majority of power companies to follow the 2015 Coal Ash Rule has serious consequences for water quality and public health. Monitoring data shows that 91 percent of U.S. coal-fired plants have ash landfills or waste ponds that are leaking arsenic, lead, mercury, selenium, and other metals into groundwater at dangerous levels, often threatening streams, rivers, and drinking water aquifers.
"These are among the conclusions of a new report, 'Poisonous Coverup: The Widespread Failure of the Power Industry to Clean Up Coal Ash Dumps,' by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) and Earthjustice. The report found that some power companies are illegally manipulating data and monitoring systems to avoid cleanup requirements and proposing inadequate cleanup strategies that will not restore groundwater quality."
Read about other events in Tennessee in our Chapter e-newsletters.
*** A democracy with informed citizens requires the professionalism that we have historically expected of credible news sources. Most “local" newspapers today are asking folks who access their online news stories to purchase a subscription to their paper. This is understandable generally, and reminds us that we should do our part to pay for the resources that result in publication of local news. Those of us who use summaries of published print news, as we do, are no exception, and we ask the same of our readers. However, we also believe that a person who only wants to see an occasional article published in a newspaper should not be required to subscribe. So if you believe that you are in the latter category - only an occasional reader - you may be able to read an article without a subscription. You can click on the gift link, which assumes that you plan to "gift" the journal or magazine or newspaper to someone, or you can "browse anonymously" or clear your browser cache before activating a link to an article. This may help you avoid many "pay walls" at these news sources (some sources restrict access even with anonymous settings). Another approach is to search for alternate source on the particular news item. But we recommend that our readers who find themselves accessing an online news source on a regular basis subscribe to an online version of the paper, which is generally much cheaper than a print version.
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Can't donate now? Sign up for Kroger Community Rewards. Kroger donates a portion of what you spend to the Harvey Broome Group as long as you designate HBG as your preferred charity.
Here's how:
1. Go to the Kroger Community Rewards web page
2. Register (or Sign In if you already have an account.)
3. Enroll in Community Rewards (or Edit if you're already enrolled.)
4. Enter HBG's Community Rewards Number 27874.
That's it. Swipe your Kroger Card when you shop and know that you're helping protect your environment.
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Founded by legendary conservationist John Muir in 1892, the Sierra Club is now the nation's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization -- with more than two million members and supporters. Our successes range from protecting millions of acres of wilderness to helping pass the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act. More recently, we've made history by leading the charge to move away from the dirty fossil fuels that cause climate disruption and toward a clean energy economy.
The Harvey Broome Group (HBG) is one of four Sierra Club Groups within the Tennessee Chapter. HBG is based in Knoxville and serves 18 surrounding counties. HBG's namesake, Harvey Broome, was a Knoxvillian who was a founding member of the Wilderness Society and played a key role in the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Visit our website
Join HBG
Donate (click the Donate button on the HBG home page)
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