Sierra Club Educational Program: SEPTA

The Sierra Club of Southeastern PA and  the CCP Coalition for a Sustainable Future Present:

SEPTA: Will it get enough money from Harrisburg?  What is it doing for the environment?

Who: Erik Johanson of SEPTA will speak.
When: Monday November 18, 2013 at 6:45 PM
Where: Center for Business and Industry of the Community College of Philadelphia, 18th/Callowhill Streets NE corner, 3rd floor,Room C3-05.

There is resistance in Harrisburg to giving transit the money it needs.  If the state gives too little, there will be service cutbacks.

Hybrid buses reduce diesel fuel consumption, helping cut air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.  A new braking system on trains recovers and stores energy normally lost when the train slows.   Bus drivers have been told not to idle their engines.  SEPTA recycles.

Contact wbrainerd3@gmail.com.

Hiking with Sierra Club Activists and Veterans Along the Schuylkill River Trail.

Hiking with Sierra Club Activists and Veterans Along the Schuylkill River Trail., a set on Flickr (Click on the pictures to view full sized on our Flickr site).

In our second outing as a part of the Sierra Club effort to provide opportunities for veterans and military families to experience nature, we sponsored a hike along the Schuylkill River Trail from Boathouse Row to East Falls, where we shared lunch at Johnny Mananas.

For details of the hike, see the hike announcement post.

Hiking With Sierra Club Activists and Veterans Along the Schuylkill River Trail on Sat., Nov 2nd

Join us in our second local outing as a part of the Sierra Club’s Military Families and Veterans Initiative. We will hike with veterans along the Schuylkill River Trail from Boathouse Row to the Wissahickon Transportation Center with a stop in East Falls for a light lunch (see map below). 

When: Saturday, Nov. 2nd at 2pm
Start: Cosmic Café, Boathouse Row, Kelly Dr. and Sedgely Rd.
Finish: Wissahickon Transportation Center (WTC), Main St. and Ridge Ave.
Lunch: Johnny Mananas, Midvale Ave and Ridge Ave

WTC and East Falls provide multiple routes for public transportation home at the end of the hike. A limited number of seats will be available to carry people who park their car at Boathouse Row back from the WTC (Please RSVP for ride back in addition to letting us know whether you will make the hike) at 2pm-4ish (approx. 1.5 hr hiking time). RSVP to William Kramer (william.kramer(at)sierraclub.org)

View Hike from Cosmic Cafe to Wissahickon Transportation Center in a larger map

Sierra Club Jack O'Lantern

Our own Jim Wylie has as much talent as he does time on his hands. ;-) Great job, Jim!



Hope you all had a Boo-tiful Halloween!

EPA Public Listening Sessions On Reducing Pollution From Existing Power Plants In Philly on Nov. 8 [New Date Announced Since Shutdown Over]

EPA will hold 11 public listening sessions across the country, including one in Philadelphia, to solicit ideas and input from the public and stakeholders about the best Clean Air Act approaches to reducing carbon pollution from existing power plants. Let us know if you are interested in attending by clicking here.

The Clean Air Act gives both EPA and states a role in reducing air pollution from power plants that are already in operation.  The law directs EPA to establish guidelines, which states use to design their own programs to reduce emissions.  Before proposing guidelines, EPA must consider how power plants with a variety of different configurations would be able to reduce carbon pollution in a cost-effective way.

The feedback from these 11 public listening sessions will play an important role in helping EPA develop smart, cost-effective guidelines that reflect the latest and best information available.  The agency will seek additional public input during the notice and comment period once it issues a proposal by June 2014.

Below please find a list of listening sessions offered around the country and a point of contact for each if you have any questions.  You may sign up for one or more sessions.  Registration is highly encouraged due to large expected turn outs. If you are unable to attend one of these listening sessions, EPA is accepting input through the Contact Us page or at carbonpollutioninput@epa.govuntil November 8, 2013.

Philadelphia, PA

November 8, 2013
10:00 am-4:00 pm EST
William J. Green, Jr. Federal Building
600 Arch St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Register
Point of contact: Pat Egan - (215) 814-3167

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Veteran Outreach: Hiking in the Wissahickon Valley

On July 26, 2013, the Sierra Club hosted a hike with veterans from "The Perimeter" program of "The Philadelphia Veterans Multiservice and Education Center."  Approximately twenty veterans joined in the hike through the Wissahickon Valley from Rittenhousetown to the Valley Green Inn, where we shared lunch.

William Kramer, a local Sierra Club organizer, described the event. "Today, we reached out to one of the veterans service centers...we had a nice hike, we had a nice meal, and just got to know each other."

This local effort is part of broader, national, program in the Sierra Club to honor our veterans, and to provide opportunities for them to get out into nature and realize its healing powers.

Gary Lytle, the local Sierra Club lead for veteran outreach who is himself a veteran, says, "Anytime you have a chance to give honor to veterans, you should give honor to [them]."

During the lunch, the participants had a broad ranging discussion about how the Sierra Club can work together with veterans on issues that are important to both groups, including the impact of climate change on health, the potential for sustainable jobs, and protecting natural lands for future generations.  Kramer states, "We're hoping to work more with veterans...We know there's alot of potential to create good jobs in Philadelphia in solar and wind energy or in retrofitting and insulation."

Lytle also added, "As Americans, we all have an obligation to take care of our country, and the lands that surround us."

Additional hikes with veterans groups are being planned for later in the fall.   Contact William Kramer for more information < william.kramer (at) sierraclub.org >.

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Join Us at The Post Folk Fest Festers Fest IX on New Date: October 19, 2013

Proceeds Support the Sierra Club:

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The event has been postponed to Saturday, Oct. 19th due to a forecast of high winds and inclement weather:

For the latest info, including the line-up check the link below:

Post by The Post Folk Fest Fester's Fest.