2019: A Look Back

In The Most Important Environmental Stories of 2019, Sierra magazine editor-in-chief Jason Mark shares his Top 10 list of "the big, the bad, and the good” green goings-on last year. Meanwhile senior editor Paul Rauber gives us “The Year in Good News” and discourses on multiplying loons, pine marten goons, and tardigrades on the moon in "The Year in Critters."

Top 10 Stories

2019 Good News

The Year in Critters

Election Stress Antidote

Presidential election years can be stressful, and 2020 is shaping up to be a doozy. Luckily, we have the perfect antidote: a different kind of race. Team Sierra will be participating in half marathons, 10Ks, and 5Ks all across the country, making it easy to get active, get outdoors, get your endorphins flowing, and melt that election stress away while raising money to protect the planet.

Check out the Team Sierra 2020 calendar and sign up for the events that work best for you!

Audacious Goals Are Compelling

“I’m a big one for New Year’s resolutions,” writes Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune. “With a continent on fire, the universe couldn’t be sending a clearer signal that now is the time to recommit to the fight for a future on a habitable planet.

Pollinator Terminator

National wildlife refuges should be safe havens for native bees, migratory songbirds and butterflies, and other pollinators. Yet in 2018 the Trump administration overturned the US Fish and Wildlife Service ban on neonic insecticides on wildlife refuges. Neonics are 10,000 times more toxic to honeybees than other pesticides. They kill bees and birds and harm butterflies and aquatic ecosystems.

Ashes to Ashes, Duff to Duff

Bay Area startup Better Place Forests is conserving land by purchasing and designating “memorial forests” for our dearly departed. Cremated ashes are spread in forested properties, where the nutrients in the ashes feed a tree’s root system, returning the remains of the deceased to the “aliveness” of the ecological world.

Birding for Change

On Episode 9 of The Overstory we go birding with Jason Ward, an impassioned birder in Atlanta whose enthusiasm and social media savvy are helping to attract younger and more diverse groups of people to bird-watching. We also hear from climate activist Patrick Houston about his tips for social change, talk with Haviland Whiting, the youth poet laureate of Nashville, and chew the fat with Ms. Green about the challenges of being a vegan.

Bending the Rules

Kevan Chandler has used a wheelchair all his life, but that hasn’t kept the singer and harmonica player from touring the country with punk band Fluffy Road-kill. Friends would piggyback Chandler to weekly potlucks, parties, and jam sessions, and his bandmates would do the same for rehearsals and gigs in venues that weren’t wheelchair accessible.

Is Your Menstrual Underwear PFAS-Free?

"Remember how after I introduced myself to you in my debut column, I jumped into a ladylike discussion about how toxic chemicals in single-use menstrual pads are likely absorbed through skin?” asks Jessian Choy, aka Ms. Green. “I also mentioned that I’d had a difficult time getting swimwear and organic-period-underwear manufacturers to reply to my inquiries about how they measure up on workers' rights and sustainability and whether their period underwear has toxic chemicals in them.

Get the Lead Out

The EPA is revising the Lead and Copper Rule, which determines how drinking water is tested for lead and what is done if high levels are found. There is no safe level of exposure to lead, and communities across the nation—especially low-income communities and communities of color—have dangerous levels of lead in their water. Now, the Trump EPA wants to massively slow down lead pipe replacement, but you can help keep strong lead safeguards in place if you submit your public comment by February 12.

A Just Transition in the City of Roses

In Portland, Oregon, organizations of color and environmental groups have formed a powerful coalition dedicated to advancing climate, economic, and racial justice. Last year, the Portland Clean Energy Fund became the nation’s first ballot measure created and championed by people of color that seeks to both promote climate justice and fund family-supporting jobs in the emerging clean-energy economy.

Join the Climate Justice League

Are you a student interested in meeting like-minded youth activists and organizing for justice, climate action, and clean energy in your community this spring? We’ve got just the ticket. Apply to join the Sierra Student Coalition’s Climate Justice League, a 10-week fellowship for high school and college-aged youth starting next month. You’ll get mentored by an organizing coach, participate in interactive online trainings, and work with peers on your campus or in your community to advocate for climate justice.

Apply to join the Climate Justice League by January 17—this Friday!

Where Will 2020 Take You?

Our full 2020 trip roster—over 300 itineraries ranging from short hiking vacations in North America to extended history-and-culture tours around the world—is here and ready for reservations. Take your pick of classic and brand-new itineraries, including family trips, backcountry journeys, volunteer vacations, international treks, and loads more. Browse the full lineup by trip type or destination, search for specific trips, view photos, learn about our volunteer leaders, and much more.

As always, you can book your reservation online or call 415-977-5522 to secure a spot by phone.

Save on Sierra Club Gear

We're updating our selection of great t-shirts and eco-friendly gifts, so we're slashing prices on some oldies but goodies. Get your t-shirts, stickers, dolls, and more. Don't forget: We offer free shipping for orders over $75. Sale items will go fast, so get your favorites before they're gone.

Stop Water Pollution from Coal Plants

The Trump EPA and Andrew Wheeler want to allow more arsenic, lead, mercury and other harmful chemicals to be dumped into our rivers, lakes, bays, and streams from facilities like coal-fired power plants.