| Bucknell University botany researcher Tanisha Williams, organizer of Black Botanists Week, poses with a tulip poplar. | Photo courtesy of Tanisha Williams |
| | | Sierra Magazine |
This year’s Black History Month follows a year marked by protests in response to police brutality against Black Americans and, more broadly, centuries of racial injustice. As the country grappled with its deep-rooted history of systemic racism, Black scientists and nature enthusiasts took to social media to affirm their place and boost Black visibility within their predominantly white fields and hobbies.
Here’s how they’re changing the narrative. |
|
|
|
| | | Take Action |
In blatant violation of the law, the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) continues to operate without a permit, threatening our climate and clean water, as well as the health of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. President Biden has promised to make climate action and environmental justice top priorities in his administration.
Putting those principles into action means shutting down DAPL. |
|
|
|
| Photo courtesy of whitehouse.gov |
| | | Michael Brune |
Scarcely a week after Inauguration Day, the Biden-Harris administration unveiled a second major set of executive actions to tackle the climate crisis and root out the scourge of environmental injustice. “Finally, we have an administration whose actions reflect the fact that we are in a climate emergency,” says Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune.
“What a breath of fresh air.” |
|
|
|
| | | También en español |
"In just a few weeks, President Biden has administered a much-needed injection of vitality into a country plagued by a pandemic, an economy in shambles, Black and brown people pleading for equity and justice, and a whole planet in a climate emergency," says Javier Sierra, the Sierra Club's Lowercase associate director of communications for Latino media. "Perhaps the executive order with the biggest impact on this administration is an obscure memorandum signed by President Biden the evening of his inauguration."
And what might this obscure memo be? |
|
|
|
| Photo by iStock.com/kieferpix |
| | | Team Sierra |
This Valentine’s Day, skip the chocolate and roses and give the gift of a healthy planet to your loved ones. When you make a donation of any amount, we’ll send your Valentine (romantic, platonic, you decide!) an e-card to let them know you’ve made a donation on their behalf. While we can’t be with many of our loved ones this season, we can still brighten up their days. The money you donate will give love to our planet by helping to do things like protect public lands and commit cities to renewable energy.
Donate for your Valentine. |
|
|
|
| Photo courtesy of PD-USGov-Interior-FWS |
| | | Article |
Late last year, Congress passed the Montana Water Rights Protection Act, correcting a century-old injustice. This legislation connected the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes with their ancestral lands in the center of their Reservation, and with the buffalo herd that descends directly from the herd Tribal members started in the 1870s when plains bison were on the brink of extinction.
“[It’s] a measure of justice, and a good way to begin 2021,” say the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. |
|
|
|
| Photo by iStock.com/Geithe |
| | | Sierra Magazine |
One of the strongest challenges President Biden’s climate action plan will face is likely to come from the nation’s utility sector, which has been fighting a years-long tug-of-war with environmental organizations and state and federal policymakers.
Here are the next steps for a clean energy grid. |
|
|
|
| | | Sierra Magazine |
So much of the gear we rely on when we enjoy the great outdoors is derived from animals, which imbues time spent in the natural world with all manner of ecological and moral complications. Fortunately, innovative companies are developing plant-based alternatives to animal-derived fabrics and products.
Here are some ways brands are turning plants into products. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
