The Sierra Club is the nation's oldest and most effective grassroots
environmental organization. Here in Massachusetts, your local chapter
has a 40-year legacy of protecting the environment with successful
legislative, advocacy, and educational campaigns.
Sierra
Club Urges Action to Save Public Transportation
The Mass Dept of Transportation has unveiled its plans for a massive
MBTA fare increase and service cut to go into effect on July 1, saying
they were needed to close a growing budget gap. Under two different scenarios,
fares would rise between 35 and 43 percent. Both would eliminate all commuter
ferry service and cut commuter rail service after 10pm and on weekends,
as well as eliminate weekend service on the E-branch of the Green Line
and the Mattapan trolley. Both scenarios would also slash bus schedules,
but the smaller fare hike would necessitate more drastic cuts.
More...
Oppose
the MBTA cuts! Attend the hearings and make your voice heard. The
Sierra Club and our many allies will be there – and your presence will
help. To find out the upcoming hearing nearest you, visit
www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/?id=23567.
And/or Contact your State Representative and Senator (no matter
where you live in the state) with this easy
action alert form.
Read the February 2012 issue of the E-Sierran -
click here
The
Bottle Bill Update
The Bottle Bill is the state’s most successful recycling and litter prevention
program. Since the Bottle Bill's inception in 1983, over 35
billion containers have been redeemed, contributing to a
healthier environment, cleaner and safer communities, and a stronger
economy. But to keep up with the times and consumers' tastes, the bottle
bill must be updated. An Updated Bottle Bill would cover non-carbonated
beverages, water, iced tea, juice, and sports drinks. more...
Beyond Coal Massachusetts
The
coal burning plants in Massachusetts: Salem Harbor Station, Mount Tom
(Holyoke), and Brayton Point Station (Somerset), are the largest air
polluters in the Commonwealth.
The Beyond Coal to Clean Energy campaign
in Massachusetts is focused on smart energy solutions that will keep
Massachusetts healthy and free from unwanted dirty fuel sources. Join us
in our fight against coal! Click here
for more
Plastic bags are cheap, easy to use, and take up
very little space. But they're so aerodynamic that even when properly disposed
of, they still blow away and become litter. Not only a visible eyesore,
plastic bags are dangerous to wildlife. They are often mistaken as food
by marine mammals and seabirds. The United Nations estimates that
plastic bags kill 1 billion animals per year .
More...
Visit the Mass Sierra
Club's Facebook Page!
Click here
for more.
A Clean Northeast: Beyond Coal and a Clean Energy Future
The
Sierra Club has released a
landmark report outlining a path to a renewable energy future for
Massachusetts and the entire northeast. "A Clean Northeast" analyzes our
region's addiction to coal and how we can move beyond it with wind,
solar, other renewables, and efficiency. Massachusetts is the only New
England state that still relies significantly on coal-fired power
plants. A renewable energy future for the Northeast will create good
clean jobs, up to 48,000 in Massachusetts alone in the green energy
sector - all while reducing our environmental footprint and fighting
climate change.
Click here to read the report.
Don't Move Wood ... Period!
An update on pests that will
hitch a free ride when you transport firewood, especially the
Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) and the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB).
Zero
Waste:
Fueling the Economy, Not the Incinerators
Zero Waste is a design principle and planning approach for the
environmental management of resources. It aims to prevent waste
rather than manage it after the fact. Sierra Club’s Zero Waste policy
addresses not only the quantity of waste we generate, but also its
toxicity, its contribution to climate change, and the important links
between waste reduction and corporate responsibility.
More...
Biomass Energy: Good or Bad for the Environment?
Biomass energy
is the production of energy (electricity; liquid, solid, and gaseous
fuels; and heat) from biomass. Biomass may be any organic matter
including dedicated energy crops and trees, agricultural food and feed
crop residues, aquatic plants, wood and wood residues, animal wastes and
other organic waste, and construction and demolition debris. Currently
in Massachusetts most biomass that is proposed to be burned is either
from forest and timber products (woody biomass) or construction and
demolition debris.
Click here for more.
Forests and Parks
Massachusetts
is home to some of the country's most treasured forests and parks. These
open spaces provide us with outdoor activities, such as hiking and
picnicking, but are also essential in maintaining a balance of oxygen
and carbon dioxide. The chapter's goal is to protect our forests and
parks from threats and abuse. Working with our environmental allies and
state agencies, we seek to limit or discontinue logging, clearcutting,
and other practices that lead to the degradation or destruction of these
treasured lands. Click here for
more.
Forestry Mapping Project
The
purpose of Phase I of this project is to enhance conversations
around timber harvesting on state-owned lands. The
map's layers showing the proposed harvests in Massachusetts being
conducted by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), making
it easier for the public to address any concerns. More...
Mass Sierra Club on the Radio
Listen to
Revolution Radio to hear the Jeff Santos Show and "Rebuild America" on
Wednesdays. The Sierra Club is a regular contributor to New England's
most progressive talk radio show with host Jeff Santos. Tune in to
AM1510 or stream live at
http://revolutionboston.com/ . Hear Sierra Club on "Green Day" with
Jeff Santos every Wednesday between 8 and 9 am, and Wednesday afternoons
on "Rebuild America" From 4 to 5 PM. Listen in… Call in!
http://revolutionboston.com/shows/jeff-santos
Upcoming Events Many exciting outings are scheduled! Visit the Events
section of the website.
E-Sierran Subscribe
to our
monthly email, the E-Sierran, and receive notices of events,
action alerts, and more!
Volunteer Opportunities If you have a few hours free on a regular basis, you can help
the environment by volunteering with the Sierra Club!
Click here for more.
We Need
Your Support! We depend on your generous direct donations
support our statewide environmental effort. Your support will
enable us to protect our parks and forests, keep our air and water
clean, protect marine and coastal habitats, work towards a clean energy
future, help curb climate change, advocate for improved public
transportation, ensure safe and healthy communities, advocate for
critical environmental legislation.
Click here
to donateThank you very much for your support!
Chapter and
Group Elections Every year you, our members, have an opportunity get involved in the
chapter by running for office, either for your local group or for our
chapter. Click here for more information.
MBTA Photo (c) 2008, Adam E. Moreira and subject
to author's terms as stated on
Wikimedia Commons gallery.
Oppose
the MBTA cuts! Attend the hearings and make your voice heard. The
Sierra Club and our many allies will be there – and your presence will
help. To find out the upcoming hearing nearest you, visit
The
Bottle Bill Update
The
coal burning plants in Massachusetts: Salem Harbor Station, Mount Tom
(Holyoke), and Brayton Point Station (Somerset), are the largest air
polluters in the Commonwealth.
Plastic
Bag Ban
The
Sierra Club has released a
Biomass energy
is the production of energy (electricity; liquid, solid, and gaseous
fuels; and heat) from biomass. Biomass may be any organic matter
including dedicated energy crops and trees, agricultural food and feed
crop residues, aquatic plants, wood and wood residues, animal wastes and
other organic waste, and construction and demolition debris. Currently
in Massachusetts most biomass that is proposed to be burned is either
from forest and timber products (woody biomass) or construction and
demolition debris.
Massachusetts
is home to some of the country's most treasured forests and parks. These
open spaces provide us with outdoor activities, such as hiking and
picnicking, but are also essential in maintaining a balance of oxygen
and carbon dioxide. The chapter's goal is to protect our forests and
parks from threats and abuse. Working with our environmental allies and
state agencies, we seek to limit or discontinue logging, clearcutting,
and other practices that lead to the degradation or destruction of these
treasured lands. 
The
purpose of Phase I of this project is to enhance conversations
around timber harvesting on state-owned lands. The
map's layers showing the proposed harvests in Massachusetts being
conducted by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), making
it easier for the public to address any concerns.
Listen to
Revolution Radio to hear the Jeff Santos Show and "Rebuild America" on
Wednesdays. The Sierra Club is a regular contributor to New England's
most progressive talk radio show with host Jeff Santos. Tune in to
AM1510 or stream live at 
