page 1 • San Diego Chapter • May/June 2003 • Hi Sierran

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Activities, Meetings10 Reasons Things Aren’t So Bad!Classified AdsChapter NotesLetters to the EditorPrograms for May & June!Inner City OutingsNorth County GroupOutings ListingsCanyon’s Campaign Update!View from the ChairBorrego Boondoggle2003 Bus Trips are Filling up!Nature Knowledge Workshop

News & Notes

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HI SIERRANSIERRA CLUB SAN  DIEGO CHAPTER , SERVING IMPERIAL AND SAN  DIEGO COUNTIES

W ORKING TO PRESERVE THE SPECIAL NATURE OF SAN DIEGO FOR OVER HALF A CENTURY  

Vol. 63, No. 3 http://sandiego.sierraclub.org May/June 2003

Explore, enjoy and protect the planet.

As difficult as currentconditions are for thosewho care about the envi-ronment, it’s importantto reflect on what is going well. Here are tenmajor reasons to put a

smile on your face, and the inspirationto forge ahead in your heart!

1. Americans support environmental val-ues. By a two-to-one margin, a New York Times/CBS News poll (November 29, 2002)found that Americans say that protectingthe environment is more important thanproducing energy.

2. Campaign finance reform kicked in onNovember 6. When the polls closed at mid-night on November 5, 2002, the BipartisanCampaign Reform Act, which will preventpolluting industries from dumping unlim-ited "soft money" into electoral campaigns,went into effect. The law, which passed inMarch, is a critical first step toward givingpower back to voters.

3. Demand for hybrid cars soars. Toyota hasalready sold more than 100,000 Priuses , and arecent auto industry survey found that 60 per-cent of consumers were considering hybridsfor their next car.

4. Wind energy is becoming economicallycompetitive with coal. According to StanfordUniversity energy experts Mark Z. Jacobsonand Gilbert M. Masters (Science, August 24,2001), "The direct cost of energy from largewind turbines has dropped to 3 to 4 cents perkilowatt-hour, comparable with that from newpulverized-coal power plants. Given thathealth and environmental costs of coal areanother 2 to 4.3 cents per kilowatt-hour, windenergy is unequivocally less expensive than iscoal energy."

5. BP backs off from Arctic. In November2002, the largest oil producer in Alaska, BP,withdrew from Arctic Power, a lobbyinggroup dedicated to oil drilling in the ArcticNational Wildlife Refuge.

6. 'Loathsome' energy voted down by Senate.On March 19th, the Senate voted down Arcticdrilling, despite attempts to include it as partof a budget bill, by a vote of 52-48. Whilemuch remains to be seen on this issue, this isdecidedly a step in the right direction.

7. The last time anti-environmentalRepublicans took over Congress, they squan-dered their 'mandate.' House Speaker NewtGingrich launched his ambitious "Contract

With America" in early 1995, which wouldhave dismantled decades' worth of environ-mental protection. By the end of the year, hiscampaign had sputtered and only a fractionof it became law.

8. The Kyoto Protocol is on the verge ofratification. In December of 2002, Canadaand New Zealand signed the KyotoProtocol, bringing the total to 98 countries,contributing 40.7% of greenhouse emissions.The Kyoto Protocol becomes law when aminimum of 55 countries covering at least 55percent of 1990 greenhouse gas emissionshave ratified it. Despite the U.S refusal tosign it, it will take effect when Russia, hav-ing promised to ratify, signs it in 2003.

9. The Sierra Club is strong. PRWeek namedthe Sierra Club "the most powerful andinfluential solutions-based nonprofit envi-ronmental organization in the country." Withmore than 700,000 members in 66 chaptersand 355 groups and a $70 million budget,the Sierra Club is solvent, stable, and readyto climb into the ring for the next round.

10. The Sierra Club is attracting young peo-ple. The Sierra Student Coalition has morethan 20,000 members and is active on morethan 100 campuses. The SSC's organizingtraining programs have trained hundreds of high school and college students in activism,many of whom have become volunteer lead-ers of the Club.

THINGS AREN'T AS

BAD AS THEY SEEM!COMPILED BY JOHN BYRNE BARRY AND REPRINTED

FROM THE PLANET

HS

Remember the green envelopein the last Hi Sierran? Well,we're way short of our goal of $45,000. If you haven't decid-ed yet to make that extra con-tribution, please turn to page17 to see how you can help!

STAYING AFLOAT! THE CHAPTER NEEDS YOUR HELP.

* Artwork by Thacher Hurd courtesy of the Yodeler