Suggestions > Become a Member of the Sierra Club

Joining the Sierra Club is a very great thing to do. They fight against pollution, save wildlife spaces, and more. Go to this website for ways to join or donate money to them:

www.sierraclub.org/membership

Here's an excerpt from the page:

When you join or give to the Sierra Club you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping to preserve irreplaceable wildlands, save endangered and threatened wildlife, and protect this fragile environment we call home.

So go ahead. It's only a small amount of money. Plus, with the membership you get:

• A free Sierra Club Expedition Pack (limited time only)
• One-year subscription to Sierra magazine
• Members-only ecotravel opportunities
• Automatic membership in your local Chapter
• Discounts on Sierra Club calendars, books, and other merchandise

Sierra magazine is a wonderful thing to receive every other month. Below are an excerpt and a quote, as well as a photo, from it.

SIERRA CLUB BULLETIN

Five Ways to Take the Initiative
BY JENNIFER HATTAM

Imagine a country free from pollution, where communities are healthy, wildlands are protected, and every citizen has the power to help keep things that way. If that sounds implausible in today's political climate, don't worry. Visionary ideas often do. But this greener future is achievable if everyone works together.

Since the 2004 election, Sierra Club leaders have been doing some soul-searching. While close to 70 percent of Americans agree with most of the Club's values, only 20 percent identify as strong environmentalists. That's a disappointing fact, but it also presents an opportunity. If we are able to explain what the Club stands for without resorting to technical terms or eco-speak, we can build an unstoppable force for conservation. That doesn't mean abandoning the causes we've worked hard on for so many years, but restating them in terms of goals a majority of Americans can share:

GET THE POISONS OUT of our water and air by enforcing existing pollution laws and making polluters clean up after themselves and reduce dangerous emissions; CHOOSE CLEAN ENERGY for our homes and cars by encouraging use of renewable electricity and the raising of fuel-economy standards; BUILD BETTER COMMUNITIES that are safer for cyclists and pedestrians by keeping public-transit systems strong and sprawl at bay; PROTECT NATURE for the next generation by designating public lands as parks and wilderness areas, restoring native species, and creating open spaces for people to enjoy; and EXERCISE DEMOCRACY by speaking out in our communities to improve the environment in all these ways and more.

These ideas tap into basic American values of fairness, opportunity, and progress. No matter where we live, we all want safe and healthy neighborhoods. We all want nature close by and a say in how our communities grow. And we all want neighbors who will work with us to protect what we love. So let's get started.

>ON THE WEB Find out how you can get involved at sierraclub.org/vision.

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LASTWORDS

Furry forerunner: The loss of their sea-ice habitat to global warming could drive polar bears to extinction by the end of the century.

It may seem impossible to imagine that a technologically advanced society could choose, in essence, to destroy itself, but that is what we are now in the process of doing.

--Elizabeth Kolbert, "The Climate of Man," New Yorker, May 9

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You can visit the Sierra Club's website HERE.