THE SIERRA CLUB

WHAT DOES THE CLUB DO?

• The Sierra Club is an environmental group
• Preserving wild lands
• Reducing fossil fuels
• Renewable energy
• Anti genetically modified foods

LEGISLATION

• Restrictions on carbon emissions
• Protecting forest from logging
• Shutting down coal plants
• Getting GMO foods labeled as such
• Building of wind and solar farms

HOW ARE THEY GETTING ALL OF THIS DONE?

• They use ads, petitions, lobbying, and litigation to influence policy and public agenda.
• Doing an ad campaign to get New Jersey town to support off shore wind farm.
• Club used litigation to stop Bush administration from logging project.
• They have a petition on their website right now to support carbon regulations.
• Have a campaign to convince towns to shut down their coal plants.

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COME ON EPA

• The Sierra club often targets the EPA for not being strict enough
• Example- Claim EPA isn't doing enough to manage fracking

WHO DO THEY SUPPORT?

• Democrats
• Endorsed Obama because he had s serious policy on environment
• Democrats are generally younger and more liberal than GOP
• Young liberals love the environment
• Democrats also pro strong government; so more power to protect trees

ARE THESE GUYS GETTING ANYTHING DONE?

• Sierra Club is the biggest grassroots club in the United States
• They have considerable influence and efficiency in getting things done
• Business wins sometimes; little success with their campaign against fracking
• Has had a lot of land protected-(ex: 2002 law protected 500,000 acres of Mojave Desert)
• 152/500 coal plants where shut down last year

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

• Strengths: donations, information, growing interest
• Weakness: apathetic members

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