Sierra Club
| Sierra Club | |
 | |
| President: | Michael Brune |
| Chairman: | David Scott |
| Year created: | 1892 |
| Website: | http://www.sierraclub.org/ |
The Sierra Club is a national political organization. It is an environmental organization and is "the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States."[1] They have a strong belief that humans must share the finite resources on earth with all other living things. They fight to help sustain wildlife ecosystems, facilitate species survival, create and protect natural reserves, decrease the impact of growing human populations, learn and educate about nature, create ecosystem friendly technologies and encourage social responsibility.[2] The Sierra Club has chapters all over the United States and even in Canada.[3]
History
The Sierra Club was founded in 1892 by John Muir. The group's first initiative was to fight a reduction to the boundaries of Yosemite National Park.[4] The first office opened a year later where they planned various national environmental and preservation campaigns. The Club's efforts helped establish or enlarge Mr. Rainier National Park, Glacier National Park, Sequoia National Park, Mt. Tamalpais State Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Anza State Park, Olympic National Park, Point Reyes, Redwood National Park, North Cascades National Park, Big Cypress Preserve and Grand Canyon National Park, among others. They also backed environmental legislation including the Clean Air Act in , opposition to a pipeline through the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline.[4]
Mission Statement
"To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives."[5]
Leadership
The Sierra Club is led by their Board of Directors. Board members are nominated by the nomination committee and then elected. Five members of the fifteen member Board face election each year.[6]
Issues
Priority campaigns
The Sierra Club's four "priority campaigns" are:[7]
- Beyond Coal is an initiative to replace coal with clean energy.[8]
- Beyond Oil is an initiative to replace oil with clean energy.[9]
- Beyond Natural Gas is an initiative to replace natural gas with clean energy.[10]
- Our Wild America is an initiative to create a network of connected wild lands to "preserve America's natural, cultural, and recreational heritage."[11]
Other programs
Other initiatives of the Sierra Club include:[7]
- Borderlands Campaign
- Chill the Drills! Protect America's Arctic
- Ecocentro
- Electric Vehicles
- Environmental Justice
- Environmental Law
- Genetic Engineering Program
- Global Population and the Environment
- International Climate Campaign
- Mission Outdoors
- Nuclear Free Campaign
- Responsible Trade
- Toxics
Presidential preference
2016 presidential endorsement
✓ The Sierra Club endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[12]
- See also: Endorsements for Hillary Clinton
2014 elections
As of December 9, 2013, Sierra Club had $0 spending for the 2014 elections.[13]
2012 elections
Programs supported
The Sierra Club supported the passage of California's Proposition 39, the Clean Energy Jobs Act, which passed. The group also supported the "Michigan Energy, Michigan Jobs" ballot initiative, which failed.[14]
Candidates endorsed
The Sierra Club Independent Action Super PAC supported four candidates in the 2012 election, spending $286,286.[15]
| Sierra Club supported candidates[15] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Party | State | Office | Total | Desired Result | ||
| Tulsi Gabbard |  |
HI | House | $147,728 |  | ||
| Pete Gallego | |
TX | House | $126,558 | | ||
| Angus King |  |
ME | House | $95,521 | | ||
| Eric Griego | |
NM | House | $12,000 |  | ||
Incumbents targeted
The Sierra Club Independent Action Super PAC targeted six Republican representatives in the 2012 election with the "Toxic Money, Toxic Votes" campaign, spending $812,266.[15]
| Toxic Money, Toxic Votes targets[15] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Party | State | Office | Total | Desired Result | ||
| Dan Lundgren |  |
CA | House | $625,801 | | ||
| Quico Canseco | |
TX | House | $126,709 | | ||
| Jim Renacci | |
OH | House | $57,058 | | ||
| Bobby Schilling | |
IL | House | $1,722 | | ||
| Mike Coffman (Colorado) | |
CO | House | $778 | | ||
| Chris Gibson | |
NY | House | $198 | | ||
Campaign advertisements
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Donors
Organizations
The top five donors to the Sierra Club Independent Action Super PAC in the 2012 election cycle were:[16]
| Top 5 Donors to Sierra Club Independent Action, 2012[16] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Donor | Total | ||
| Sierra Club | $702,702 | ||
| Service Employees International Union (SEIU) | $120,000 | ||
| America Votes | $50,000 | ||
| American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees | $50,000 | ||
| Missionpoint Capital Partners | $30,000 | ||
Industries
The top five industries that donated to the Sierra Club Independent Action Super PAC during the 2012 election cycle were:[17]
| Top 5 Donors to Sierra Club Independent Action, 2012[17] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Industry | Total | ||
| Environment | $703,702 | ||
| Misc. Finance | $150,000 | ||
| Misc. Unions | $120,000 | ||
| Business Services | $105,000 | ||
| Democratic/Liberal | $50,000 | ||
Contact information
National Headquarters
85 Second Street, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: 415-977-5500
Fax: 415-977-5799
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for "Sierra + Club"
- All stories may not be relevant to this organization due to the nature of the search engine.
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Welcome to the Sierra Club
- ↑ Sierra Club, "Goals pdf," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ Sierra Club, "Chapters," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sierra Club, "History: Sierra Club Timeline," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ Sierra Club, "Sierra Club Policies," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ Sierra Club, "Board of Directors: Meet the Board," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sierra Club, "Sierra Club Programs," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ Beyond Coal, "About Us," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ Beyond Oil, "What We Do," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ Beyond Natural Gas, "What We Do," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ Our Wild America, "About," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ Sierra Club, "Press Release: Sierra Club Endorses Hillary Clinton for President," June 9, 2016
- ↑ OpenSecrets, "Outside Spending Summary 2014," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ Sierra Club, "Impact of the 2012 elections," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 OpenSecrets, "Sierra Club Independent Action," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 OpenSecrets, "Sierra Club Independent Action: Donors," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 OpenSecrets, "Sierra Club Independent Action: Industries," accessed December 9, 2013
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