The Sierra Club is America's oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization.

The Virginia Chapter is 17,000 members strong. We are your friends and neighbors working to build healthy, livable communities, and to conserve and restore our natural environment. Please join us!

Virginia Chapter Events

Join Us on the Wise Energy Tour
The Wise Energy for Virginia Coalition is launching its statewide Wise Energy Tour to meet with engaged citizens just like you. We need to take our clean energy message directly to our decision makers. Meeting with your legislator is one of the best ways to make your voice heard.

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Virginia Chapter Outings

Oct 4
Tour de Cut, Chestnut Oak Knob
We will begin with a pleasant 2 ¾ mile ascent of the Dowells Draft Trail, a wooded trail surrounded by the peaks of distant Ramseys Draft Wilderness and Crawford Mountain. We will then hike cross-country a short distance to visit several recent clearcuts surrounding nearby 2798 ft. high Chestnut Oak Knob. After this, we will follow a road to the bottom of the mountain, passing several tributaries of Dowells Draft.

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Newsletter

The Old Dominion Sierran is published 6 times a year. Read the current and recent issues online.

 

Take Action:  

Every day, dozens of people are taking action with the Sierra Club in Virginia. From passing out compact fluorescent light bulbs, to speaking out for a cleaner environment, to exploring every nook and cranny of our beautiful Commonwealth, Sierra Club volunteers think globally and act locally. Our work makes a difference in ensuring that we leave our children a living Virginia legacy — clean air, clean water, and natural grandeur.   

Join us in making that difference today.

-Join us on the Wise Energy Tour at a stop near you!

-Speak out against drilling off Virginia’s coast

-Stop Dominion's Wise County coal burning power plant

-Help us make every locality a “Cool Community” 

-Sign up for our Virginia Sierra Club Action Alert System

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On the Agenda:

On Saturday, Sept. 27, organizations and individuals from all over the nation will be coming together to show their support for a new green economy.  Please join us at events all over the region as we push our economy in a new direction: a clean energy revolution!

Click here to find an event near you.

 

 

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In the News:

Md., Va. Set Action Plans for Changes in Climate, Washington Post, Aug. 28, 2008 - "The goal 'falls way short of what is necessary to avoid the worst impacts from global warming,' Glen Besa, director of the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club, said in a statement yesterday. 'The commission needs [to] establish science-based targets for emission reductions and not accept targets that may be merely politically acceptable.'"

Climate Change for VA: Report Results Still "Up in the Air", Public News Source, Aug. 27, 2008

Panelists make their cases offshore drilling, Virginian-Pilot, Aug. 12, 2008

Wind Is Given 2nd Look As Energy Needs Grow, Washington Post, Aug. 3, 2008 - "We are strong advocates for renewable energy and wind energy," said Glen Besa, director of the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club. "But we would like to see it developed responsibly."

Neighbors Learn How to Be Cool, Connection Newspapers, July 30, 2008

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Tool Kit:

Citizens Energy Plan for Virginia:

The Sierra Club maps out a new vision to help Virginia cut our global warming pollution while creating jobs and building a new energy economy based on conservation, efficiency and clean renewable energy.  Download the PDF.

Job Opportunities for the Green Economy: 
A new report, commissioned by the Sierra Club and Blue/Green Alliance, supports how investing in renewables and efficiency will transform our economy and free America from our dependence on foreign oil and big oil companies. It will also creates thousands of jobs here at home in Virginia.  Click here to view the full report.

Solving global warming requires Smarter Growth:
The Coalition for Smarter Growth, Sierra Club, and others released a report showing that smart growth is essential to solving global warming (and it will make our communities worth living in). 

Hot Topics:

Cool Communities adds Fairfax County, James City County and Arlington County! Get involved with our Cool Cities Initiatives and other efforts we are making at the local and state level in Virginia to reduce our carbon footprint.

Land Use and Transportation Sprawl is land use that spreads new development farther and farther from existing communities and consumes more land than ever before. This type of development is costly to taxpayers and is leading to a deteriorating quality of life for Virginians.

Join Smart Energy Solutions for Virginia Facebook Group Are you a member of Facebook, the online social networking site? If so, join our facebook group, and ask your friends to join. It is a great way to show support for Smart Energy Solutions, find out about upcoming events, have discussions about solutions, and keep informed about the campaigns.

To View the Virginia Chapter's Statement on the Sierra Club's Recent Product Endorsement, click here.