Headwaters Group May Meeting
Thursday, May 8th, 7:30 - 9:00 PM
Room 4, Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 4907 Garrett Road in Durham
Click here for directions
You’re invited!
Sierra Club has been a forceful advocate for reasonable growth and sound environmental policy
in Durham and surrounding areas – but some folks would say, "What has it done for us lately?"
For this reason, the North Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Club
is making an effort to revitalize the Headwaters Group.
And we need YOU to get it done!
We are having a brainstorming and organizational meeting on how to get Headwaters active again.
Join us with your ideas on how we can get this very important group up and fighting for a
cleaner North Carolina.
LIGHT Refreshments, SNACKS AND DRINKS WILL BE SERVED.
Clean Up a Creek on Earth Day
Sat, April 19 (9AM)
The Friends of South Ellerbe Creek will be doing an Earth Day clean up at
Walltown Park on Sat, April 19 (9AM). Please come out, meet some fun folks, get a
little dirty, and make a difference. Northeast Creek clean-up meets in front of
Parkwood Library at 9 am. Call Colleen for info 544-2346.
For other locations, see www.durhamnc.gov/departments/parks/earthday/stream_cleanup.cfm
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Plan to Vote
In the primary election on May 6, the political parties will be selecting their
candidates for national, state, and local races. In many cases, only one party has
candidates, so the primary is in fact the final decision. If you aren’t sure whether
you are registered to vote or where you vote (they do move polling places), the State
Board of Elections website www.sboe.state.nc.us will even give you a map to your polling place.
While you are in the mood to be voting for something, you should have gotten your
ballot for the Sierra Club’s National Board of Directors. The Board has the responsibility
and authority to oversee all staff and volunteer activities of the Club, to establish the
Club's conservation priorities and internal policies, and to adopt and implement the annual
budget (approximately $80 million in 2006). Ballots are due April 24.
Donate to the NC Chapter
Last spring, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of our staff office in Raleigh. Think of all that we have accomplished over the years. Just last year, we had significant legislative wins on energy, hogs, and solid waste.
Once a year we ask our Chapter members for financial support and all of this money stays here in North Carolina. Only about 15% of the NC Chapter’s revenue comes from the dues that you pay to the National Sierra Club. Donations the Chapter receives from members like you and me support our work lobbying in our state legislature to pass bills that help improve North Carolina’s environment and the health of our citizens AND help us defeat bad bills that would harm our environment.
You can contribute directly on the NC Chapter website. Just go to: www.nc.sierraclub.org/contribute.asp. Credit card payments are gladly accepted.
SmartCommute Challenge 2008
Prius not in your budget this year? For folks who care about the environment, want to reduce traffic congestion, and also want to save money, SmartCommute offers a great opportunity!
The Challenge is a pledge that you take between April 15 and May 30 to try a new way of getting to work or college. You can choose to take the bus, carpool, vanpool, bike, walk or telework instead of driving alone. Last Challenge, 12,700 people participated and together we saved over 2.3 million commuting miles and 110,000 gallons of gas and reduced VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) pollutants by 3,280 kg and NOX (Nitrous Oxides) pollutants by 2,650 kg.
The 2008 SmartCommute Challenge is sponsored by Triangle Transit ( TTA ) and SmartCommute@rtp. Anyone who takes the pledge is eligible to win prizes, including the Grand Prize: two airline tickets to anywhere in the continental U.S. and a week-long hotel stay in the destination city!
To learn more about the Challenge and to take the pledge, visit the website at www.smartcommutechallenge.org. Help spread the word to friends and co-workers and plan to take the pledge to use alternative transportation between April 15 and May 30. Together, we can make a difference.
