2023-Sierran-digital - Flipbook - Page 2
Letter from the Director
Table of Contents
Dear friends and supporters,
Massachusetts Must Invest in
Electric School Buses...........................3
We are in a time of transition, and
with change comes opportunity to
set ourselves on new paths. The
Massachusetts Chapter of the Sierra
Club is undergoing a lot of change! We
have doubled our staff size, reopened
the Boston of昀椀ce post-COVID, and
started an Outings Program. In addition,
the Sierra Club has put in place an
exciting new structure. We have hired
a new Executive Director, Ben Jealous,
and established regional directors
which include a Northeast Director
and New England Director to help
coordinate and supervise work across
all our chapters.
Lastly, as part of the national
restructuring, our beloved Deb
Pasternak has moved to a new position
overseeing all regions and chapters as
the Sierra Club’s Chief Field Of昀椀cer. In
this role, she will bring her knowledge
of how to create strong chapters to
every state, mirroring the outstanding
work she did with the Massachusetts
Chapter.
I am honored to have been chosen
to step into the Interim Chapter
Director role, and lead the chapter
in her stead. A little about me: I’m
a Massachusetts native and I grew
up in Shrewsbury. I attribute my
love of conservation, nature and the
outdoors, and my desire to protect
the environment to my experience as
a Boy Scout. These early experiences
prepared me to pursue my career
studying environmental economics
and later becoming a legislative staffer,
drafting and researching climate laws
at the Statehouse. After my time in the
state government, I transitioned into
environmental and climate organizing.
I’ve worked with local community
groups, supporting statewide campaigns
for solar and wind energy, opposing
fossil fuel production, and building a
climate 昀椀nance program on a national
scale to help resource and train the next
generation of community leaders.
The Massachusetts Sierra Club has
achieved much this year and we have
you, our members and volunteers to
thank for it! Some successes include
the efforts of our Energy Chair, Paul
2
Dale, who introduced groundbreaking
solar legislation that incentivizes
putting solar panels where they should
be, on rooftops, parking lots, land昀椀lls,
and other developed land. Also this
year, we secured decisions to stop
the Spring昀椀eld-Longmeadow pipeline
expansion, halt the release of nuclear
waste water into Cape Cod Bay, and
eliminate the purchase of single-use
plastic bottles by state agencies. We
were successful in expanding electric
vehicle (EV) rebates to include higher
rebate levels for income-eligible
residents and used EVs. We have hosted
dozens of webinars, team meetings,
and local outings, and made signi昀椀cant
progress
going
municipality
by
municipality to implement stretch
codes and plastic bans.
Looking forward, we want to build up
our outdoor and in-person organizing
for 2024. It’s a big year, and not just
because of the presidential election.
We are building power to win a major
omnibus climate legislation at the
statehouse next summer. In addition,
with our revamped local outings
program, we hope to train even
more outings leaders and host hikes
statewide. We are coordinating more
heavily than ever with our New England
and Northeast partners and want to
increase our participation in national
movements like the 2023 March to End
Fossil Fuels.
I’m excited about our internal focus
on the equity and community in our
chapter this year and grateful for the
opportunity to have the support of the
staff and volunteer leaders in this role.
I have no doubt that together we are
going to build a strong movement that
we can all enjoy being a part of while
creating lasting change in the world
and the state. I hope to see you join us
soon whether it be just to connect with
others while outdoors, help elect better
politicians, or boost our advocacy for
strong climate policies.
Sincerely,
Vick Mohanka
Acting Chapter Director
Arti昀椀cial Turf: an Exposé....................4
Climate Research Leads to Climate
Action.........................................................5
Growing an Intersectional
Movement for a Green New Deal in
Boston........................................................6
Protecting Cape Cod’s Water
Resources.................................................7
Solar Where We Want It....................8
Putting Gas In The Past.......................9
Forests For a Sustainable
Future......................................................10
MASC PAC Supports Environmental
Champions.............................................11
Equity Update.......................................12
Environmental Justice Denied to
Community Surrounding Pilgrim
Nuclear Power Plant..........................13
The Bene昀椀ts of Being Lost...............14
Meet the Executive Committee
Candidates............................................15
Cover Photo:
Stan Eichner
Ipswich River Audubon Sanctuary
staneichner.smugmug.com
Inside Photo:
Paul Dale
Baker’s Island, Salem
Contributors & Editors
Emma Brown
Celia Doremus
Eilis Hellyar
Kira Liu
Isabella MacKinnon
Sam Shuckerow
