Photo: Summer at Silver Sands State Park Beach on Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0

 

Greetings!

 

The “Q” is back after our July break. I hope you are having a relaxing summer and are enjoying the outdoors despite the heat. 

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There has been some great news on clean energy recently! 

 

Connecticut has become a leader in the development of offshore wind. A group of Sierra Club Connecticut members saw the progress at the State Pier for themselves, leaving with a new sense of hope for our efforts to slow climate warming. Check out my article, “The Future is Here”, in this issue. 

 

In national news, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded Connecticut and regional partners two major grants:

 

• The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) – along with coalition partners in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island – was awarded $450,000,000 to fund a New England Heat Pump Accelerator program aimed at rapidly increasing the adoption of heat pumps across the five states. It will reach more than 500,000 single-family and multifamily residential buildings regionwide. 

• Connecticut will also see many more electric vehicle chargers for trucks along the I-95 corridor due to a $249,000,000 regional award.

• And, $9,500,000 awarded to New Haven will fund construction of a networked geothermal system to heat and cool Union Station and adjacent buildings. 

 

More details in the Sierra Club press release.

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Sierra Club Connecticut has several interesting events planned this month, including: 

 

August 5, 3-4:30 pm, Building The SCSU School of Business: CT's First State-Owned Net Zero Design. Join us in New Haven for a presentation and tour of this unique and sustainable education space. Register here.

 

Yoga in the park! Organizer Alycia Jenkins leads a summer yoga series Thursdays at 4pm in Bushnell Park in Hartford, Aug 8 - Sept 19. Read more in the Yoga Summer Series.

 

National Drive Electric Week is coming September 27 - October 6. Several events are planned in Connecticut. Read more about it in “Managing Change: Bringing Electric Vehicles to the Connecticut Public” from last month’s newsletter. Get ready for the EV transition by learning more and considering whether it's right for you – EV101.

 

Save the date for our Fall Get Together on September 27! More details to come soon. It will be a great opportunity to get together in person and make new connections with fellow members! Watch for more in your inbox.​

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​Some of you may be new to Sierra Club, others long time members. I thought I’d point out a few tips to help you get more out of your membership.

 

I often talk about how you can get involved with our ongoing campaigns, and highlight upcoming events and outings. But there is a wealth of resources online, including interest groups, actions, and news from the national Sierra Club. 

 

First, the basics. Information for general public, issue education, Sierra Club positions, calendar of events and outings can be found on our websites:

 

• National Sierra Club Website: www.sierraclub.org 

• Connecticut Chapter Website: connecticut.sierraclub.org 

• The Quinnehtukqut, our Sierra Club Connecticut newsletter, is sent out monthly by email on the first Saturday (Summer and Winter issues cover two months). You can also find back issues on our website. 

 

You can also find us on Social Media.

 

National Sierra Club:

• Facebook: @SierraClub 

• X (formerly known as Twitter): SierraClub 

• Instagram: @sierraclub

 

Connecticut Chapter:

• Facebook: @CTSierraClub 

• X : SierraClubCT 

• Instagram: @ctsierra

 

You can help our Chapter amplify our social media messages by joining our new Click for Climate Social Media team. Read more about it in this month’s article, Click for Climate: Sierra Club CT's Social Media Team Needs You!

 

Did you know that you can go deeper into the national website by creating an account? Now you’ll need to find your membership number, then you can create a login and access many more resources, actions, and so on. It’s easy! You can manage your account, change preferences, read the magazine, learn about national campaigns and take actions.

 

I hope you enjoy diving a little deeper into our Sierra Club!

 

Onward!

 

Susan

 

Susan Eastwood is Chapter Chair of Sierra Club Connecticut.