Friends,
Could you use some good news? We could. And oddly enough, we found it in the continuing fracking fight.
Even though fracking has demanded our attention for over a year now, clean water advocates have not given up. That’s truly inspiring.
Need more inspiration? Check out the section below on Global Wind Day. That’s right. Despite the continual push by many decision makers to take us backwards, Sierrans and allies are constantly taking stands to protect our environment and move forward to a future where wind and solar can replace outdated and dirty sources of energy.
Thanks for all that you do,
Your staff at the NC Sierra Club
Save North Carolina From Fracking
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The fate of fracking in North Carolina now rests with Governor Perdue. The Governor has a short amount of time to decide if she is going to veto the Fracking Bill sent to her. And she needs to hear from you!
Click here to send your message to the Governor.
Most people know by now that North Carolina has a unique geology and that our gas deposits are extremely close to our water supplies. We also know that this geology increases the chances that our drinking water will be contaminated with cancer causing chemicals used in the fracking process.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources asked for a geologic study, but that is not in the fracking bill. And that is a serious point of concern for those of us who value clean water.
In the last two months, Sierrans and supporters have sent over 5,000 emails to legislators on fracking. Will you join them and send an email to Gov. Perdue?
Click here to tell Governor Perdue to veto the Fracking Bill!
Global Wind Day
With the turning turbines on Jennette’s Pier providing the backdrop, supporters of wind energy celebrated Global Wind Day in Nag’s Head last week.
Other events were held on six continents all together. Such enthusiasm is a sign that people all over the world are ready to responsibly meet our energy needs. Sierra Club organizers Carina Barnett-Loro and Zak Keith, along with our summer intern Abby Glackin, hosted sessions that taught kids and adults alike about the power of wind.
Check out some of the pictures below. And if the pictures get the turbine in your mind turning and looking for ways to help bring wind to our coast, contacting carina.barnett-loro@sierraclub.org is a great way to start.
 Carina and Abby pose in front of a turbine. |
 Carina discusses wind power with children during one of the lessons. |
 Zak helps a child gauge the wind speed on the pier. |
Fracking Lobby Day
Over 200 people turned out for the Fracking Lobby Day at the beginning of June. It was a major event. So major, in fact, that there was not enough room to accommodate everyone in the meeting room where the Senate Commerce Committee was discussing SB 820 – the Fracking Bill.
So, clean water advocates did what they were there to do: meet with state legislators. It was great to see so many people take time off of work or out of their day to take a stand against fracking.
Thanks to all that attended. If you couldn’t make it but want to be kept in the loop about all things fracking, send an email to travis.hargett@sierraclub.org. It’s that easy.
 Over 200 clean water advocates wait to begin their lobby day. |
 Members of the Central Piedmont Group during their lobby visits. |
 The march to the legislature was surely a sight to see. |
Sierran of the Month
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Meet Troy Simpson of Durham. In a month where there’s so much going on regarding fracking, it’s easy for everything to blur together. But Troy definitely stands out.
As a key member of the fracking team, he helped turnout hundreds of Sierrans to three public hearings on fracking and then collected names for a petition that went to the Governor.
When the legislature came back he jumped in to join the Volunteer Lobby Corps, attend Monday Night Lobby, and again help turnout folks for our Frack Free Lobby Day. He even helped kick-start our Political Action Committee (PAC) fundraising efforts.
Troy understands the fight isn’t over with fracking. We need a transition to clean, renewable energy and Troy’s in it for the long haul.
Let’s give a tip of our hats to Troy!
Meet Zak Keith, Organizer Extraordinaire
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Zak Keith is the newest addition to the NC Chapter team.
Zak lives in Wilmington and has worked with Oceana for the past 2 years, focusing on organizing coastal opposition to offshore drilling. Zak also partnered with the Chapter’s offshore wind team, giving a number of offshore wind presentations on the coast.
In his free time, he has volunteered with the Stop Titan effort to lead volunteer trainings on phonebanking, canvassing, and volunteer leadership development.
Zak is a graduate of Green Corps, the highly regarded and rigorous organizing training program, where we worked on Clemson University’s successful Beyond Coal campaign to phase out their campus power plant. Originally from Orlando, he studied political science and environmental studies at the University of Florida.
Please welcome Zak! He can be reached at zak.keith@sierraclub.org.
Upcoming Events
Fracking Phone Bank
Wednesday, June 20 – Raleigh, NC
From 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at the NC Sierra Club office (map) Sierrans will be holding a phone bank to urge Governor Perdue to veto S 820. If you want to join other volunteers, please let us know you’re coming by clicking here.
Pizza will be provided.
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Cape Fear River Tour
Saturday, August 4 – Wilmington, NC
Join the NC Sierra Club and friends for a day on the ecologically rich Northeast Cape Fear River. We will head up the river from Wilmington with Captain Doug Springer for an afternoon’s enjoyment of the beauty, blackwater and wildlife. Along the way, we will hear from experts and citizen activists about the threats to the river and the communities that line its shores from a proposed coal-fired cement kiln, Titan America, as well as from Progress Energy’s coal ash ponds.
Look for sign-up information in the next issue of Footnotes Online or contact zak.keith@sierraclub.org.
Have you heard about our ads?
This space is dedicated to sharing some advertisements we ran last week to encourage people to get more information on fracking.
The radio ad ran on several stations last week. Thanks to Lucas Cranford, who lives in Sanford – the heart of the fracking zone, for taking the time to record the ad. His concerns mirror those of many others that we have heard from.
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And this ad ran ran on wral.com last week.
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For more information on Sierra Club Outings check out the Outings Calendar.
Want to know the latest? Join us on Facebook or Twitter!
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Did you know you can make a monthly gift to the NC Sierra Club? Find out how you can make a sustaining gift by visiting our website, or contacting the Chapter office at 919-833-8467.
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