Greetings!

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June 1st is the 50th anniversary of the Sierra Club Connecticut Chapter! We have an opportunity to look back and appreciate good times, good causes, and good people. At our last Executive Committee meeting, I asked our members to share their favorite past Sierra Club events. They remembered outings, campaigns, and get-togethers, all the way up to the recent Climate March in Hartford. You can help us to pull together some stories of our past by sharing your favorite memories of Sierra Club Connecticut with us at  connecticut.chapter@sierraclub.org.

 

I see our 50th anniversary as a time to appreciate our past and to look forward to our future work together.

 

What better way to show our love of nature and community than by giving our time to help protect our environment – whether by cleaning up your neighborhood, joining us on an outing, or taking action to support state or federal legislation to green the energy grid, fund our parks, reduce waste, or support clean air and water. There are many ways to get involved!

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In appreciation, we will profile some of our long term members who have been leaders of our Chapter or Groups. But we also need to build new leaders. We need your passion and commitment to build a stronger Sierra Club Connecticut for the next fifty years! Volunteers and Volunteer Leaders are the backbone of Sierra Club, making us the largest environmental organization in the country – and among the most effective too! When I interviewed one of our most dedicated members, Marty Mador, about his fondest memories of Sierra Club, it was the people he has cherished the most – people who share his values and love of the natural world. It is our members that make us strong, and we are stronger together!

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We need all of us to do all we can! Our chapter has several committees in need of members right now, including our Political Committee, Outings Committee, and Conservation Campaigns Committee. Let us know if you’re interested! I’ve been active on several of our committees, and it is inspiring to see what can be accomplished together. If you are distressed by the dire climate news (and who wouldn’t be?), and wondering what more you can do, this is a way to multiply your efforts and to get to know some wonderful people as well!

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Getting outside into nature is another way to allay that climate anxiety. I’m looking forward to meeting more of you at upcoming events and outings, and to creating new favorite memories!

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Happy Spring!

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Susan

 

Susan Eastwood is Chapter Chair of Sierra Club Connecticut.

 

Photo: Springtime in the Litchfield Hills, Connecticut

Photo credit: Christopher Wisker