Sierra Club Earth Month Events

The North Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Club will be sponsoring several events within the coming month, and we encourage you to come on out and participate! Bring a friend and come check out the following events with your fellow environmental enthusiasts:

- Monday April 18, 6:30-7:30pm: Sustainable Beer Happy Hour, Fullsteam Brewery (sponsored by Sierra Club & the Society of Conservation Biologists, Triangle Chapter.) Fullsteam founder/local beer activist Sean Wilson will join us to answer your questions about sustainable brewing. If you have an interest in the local beer community or the environmental impacts of what you drink, our Q&A with Sean will be a great opportunity to learn more-- while drinking tasty beer and meeting neat people!

- Tuesday, April 19, 7-8:30pm: "Defending Our Environment" Panel + Q&A, Carolina Student Union, Room 3205 (sponsored by the Sierra Student Coalition.) Learn about the history of the EPA, how current events will impact our progress on environmental issues, and what's going on now in Washington and in Raleigh as lawmakers take apart decades of bipartisan legislation defending our environment. Featuring Sierra Club's superstar lobbyist Will Morgan(!!!), as well as Pete Andrews (UNC Public Policy), Donald Hornstein (UNC Law), Derb Carter (Southern Environmental Law Center), Pricey Harrison (NC General Assembly, D- Greensboro). Free food catered by Med Deli.

- Thursday, April 21, 1-3pm: NC General Assembly Regulatory Reform Hearing, Legislative Building Auditorium (16 W. Jones Street; Raleigh, NC 27601). The NC General Assembly has held hearings across the state to solicit suggestions for getting rid of bills that "kill jobs." Celebrate John Muir's 173rd by speaking out in support of North Carolina's environmental and public health protections. We'll have talking points for folks to use, and after the hearing, we'll head over to the Busy Bee Cafe for drinks and food to say "Cheers" to Mr. Muir.

- Thursday, April 21, 7-8pm: Presentation on Offshore Wind at the Capital Group Meeting, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh (3313 Wade Avenue Raleigh, NC 27607.) Make a day out of your trip to Raleigh, and come hear Jen Banks (NC Solar Center) and Mac Montgomery (former mayor of Kure Beach and member of the Governor's Offshore Energy Panel) discuss the incredible potential for offshore wind energy in NC. Wine and cheese provided.

- Sunday, May 1, 12-5pm: Durham Earth Day Festival, Durham Central Park (201 Foster St.) Come visit the NC Sierra Club's booth at the Durham Earth Day Festival. We'll be getting postcard petitions to Jim Rogers (Duke Energy) and Bill Johnson (Progress Energy) signed in support of offshore wind, and giving out our snazzy new "First in Flight, First in Wind" bumper stickers.

Earth Day Events

So Earth Day is right around the corner and that means that it is time to get out into your community and take part in all of the great Earth Day activities that are occurring. Here are just a few:

Asheville: Check out Asheville Earth Day in downtown Asheville on Saturday April 16th. There will be live music tons of green things to do, and best of all- it's FREE!

Wilmington: Lace up those running shoes and head out to the Race for the Planet 5k in Wilmington at the aquarium on April 15th at 4pm. There will be free t-shirts for all runners and even live entertainment following the end of the race!

Greensboro: Check out Patrick Dougherty's sustainable sculpture exhibit at Guilford College in Greensboro. This sculpture will remain on display for a year, but Earth Day would be a great time to show your appreciation for sustainable art!

Raleigh: Check out Raleigh's Planet Earth Celebration downtown on April 16th. There will be live music, earth-friendly art, local foods, and even the opportunity to recycle old electronics. This is event is free and open to the public from 11am to 5pm.

Also gotriangle buses will be providing free rides on April 16th so make sure to take advantage of this opportunity! Also, check out gotriangle's Smart Commute Challenge.

For more events going on in your area, check out the News and Observer's Green Scene blog.


So, get in the spirit of Earth Day and head out into your community this week!

Public Hearing: Impacts of Drilling off NC Coast

Earlier this year, state legislative leaders formed a 24 member task force to study "the economic and environmental impacts of allowing drilling for oil and natural gas off the coast of North Carolina." The task force will report back to state legislators on May 1st.

The task force will hold one public hearing on offshore drilling - on Monday, April 27th at the Carteret County Community College. We expect that the oil industry and their supporters will be turning out a significant "drill now" crowd at the hearing. Therefore, it's critical that the task force hears from North Carolinians who are opposed to offshore drilling, in particular those living near the coast. You don't need to be an expert - just speak for 2-5 minutes on why you're opposed to the state of North Carolina allowing offshore drilling for oil and natural gas.

The public hearing details are:

Monday, April 27, at 4pm [if you plan to speak, please plan to arrive by 5 PM]
Carteret Community College McGee Building
Joselyn Hall
3505 Arendell Street,
Morehead City, NC 28557

Directions to CCC and map of the campus can be found here: http://www.carteret.edu/aboutccc/CampusMap/map.htm

For talking points, visit:

http://ncconservationnetwork1.org/because_you_love_nc/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=32934815

Foothills Photo Mosaics

In celebration of Earth Day, and to gather activists in support of Winston-Salem's tree ordinance, the Foothills Group held a photo petition. Take a look at the results:

Earth Day Events

Earth Day celebrations will take place all across the state this weekend. Earth Day began in 1970 as a way to highlight concerns over human impact on the environment. It has grown to a worldwide celebration with over 500 million people participating in 2008.

Earth Day is a great time for Sierrans to celebrate successes, educate the public on environmental concerns, and highlight the Club’s dedication to protecting our air, water, and wild spaces.

Sierra Club has two primary goals for this week: to educate on local environmental actions and to strengthen the skills of our volunteer base.

Charlotte Clean and Green

Charlotte Clean and Green

April 17–18, 2009

Thanks to the power of 100 volunteers, last year's first Charlotte Clean and Green was a great success, attracting nearly 3,000 attendees from across the Charlotte area. Consider becoming a part of making a difference in this growing region by taking steps to actively protect our environment right here in our community! Volunteer for Charlotte Clean and Green: An Earth Day Celebration!

This year's green educational festival takes place April 17–18, 2009 on the campus of Central Piedmont Community College, located in the heart of Charlotte! Volunteers are needed for festival set-up in a 3 hour shift on Friday afternoon and a 3 hour shift on Saturday morning. During the event on Saturday, we will have two 4 1/2 hour shifts for volunteers. Volunteer duties vary and include traffic/parking directors, exhibit helpers, welcome table hosts, assistance in the kids' area, food tent, entertainment, classes, clean-up and load-out.

Our volunteer needs may change during the event and we appreciate your flexibility! To volunteer, send an email to Vanessa Gorr at charlottecleanandgreen@gmail.com. Include your preferred time slots and consider volunteering for more than one shift! In your e-mail, please indicate if there are any special circumstances we should consider. You will be contacted by the volunteer coordinator with further details about volunteering.

There will be Volunteer Training Meetings (participate via phone or in person) to familiarize you with the event and volunteer requirements. Dates for that will be determined closer to the event. Learn more here: http://www.charlottecleanandgreen.com/too!

Charlotte to Host Climate Conversation

Charlotte Cool Cities Campaign to host
National Conversation on Climate Action Event
April 18, 2009

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America’s homeowners pay the price for energy inefficient homes, particularly with today’s rising cost of energy. For homeowners, energy efficiency always pays – in times of boom or bust.

The second leading cause of foreclosures for low income homeowners is unanticipated utility bills (as reported by Global Green). Low-income homebuyers can not only stabilize, but greatly reduce utility bills by investing in energy efficiency improvements.

Hear about the Sierra Club’s Cool Cities Campaign efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Share ideas about actions for the future and learn how to get involved!

To register or find an event in your area go to http://www.climateconversation.org/

World Fair Trade Day

World Fair Trade Day 2009 takes place on Saturday, May 9 and the Sierra Club's Responsible Trade program is excited to help make it an even bigger success than last year. If you are a supporter of fair trade, then take this opportunity to host an event or join up with one in your community and show your support for good jobs, a cleaner environment and better livelihoods for communities around the world.

To learn more about how you can participate in World Fair Trade Day email Responsible.Trade@sierracub.org or visit http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=aumw8sGOpYcCYPibenq9mA..