NATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS
It is very important to join
national organizations, which can
effectively advocate for environmentally friendly laws on the national
and state level and ensure that these laws are followed. Good
legislation is critical in stopping global warming and protecting the
environment. The more members an advocacy organization has, the more
clout they have with elected officials and the more resources they have
to safeguard our environment.
The Sierra Club
The Sierra Club does wonderful
work, both in legal action, and
promoting the enjoyment of the great outdoors. They are very active in
Washington, and were one of the parties involved in the Supreme Court
ruling that carbon dioxide emissions are pollution, and therefore can
be regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.
If you become a member, you will receive the “Cumberland” mini
newspaper for Kentuckians and a fat booklet listing the varied and fun
outings you can go on, from wildflower walks to book discussions. The
Kentucky Chapter has a variety of meetings held regularly in Lexington,
including meetings with speakers. In addition, they hold “Activist
Weekend” every January. It is a fun, inexpensive weekend at the
Kentucky Leadership Conference Center on Lake Cumberland where you can
learn a lot and enjoy yourself at the same time. All members are
welcome; you don’t have to participate in the club to go.
This site has information about
almost any environmental topic you
can think of. There is a great selection of interesting brief e-mail
letters you can sign up to receive. You can also link to the local Sierra
Club’s site.
This is a terrific site. You’ll be amazed at what you see there
and the incredible good work that the state chapter of the Sierra Club
is doing. Find out about legal issues in Kentucky and action you can
take. Also, there is a list of events and fun outings.
Natural Resources Defense Council
www.nrdc.org
This group is doing wonderful work on a multitude of environmental
issues. They have a beautiful web site where you can read about curbing
global warming, speeding the greening of China, moving America beyond
oil, stemming the tide of toxic chemicals, reviving our oceans, and
saving wild lands, among many other issues. There is also a “take
action” section where you can send letters to elected officials. You
can sign up for e-mail alerts. Please check out this site!
Union of Concerned Scientists
www.ucsusa.org
This is another wonderful group, well worth joining, doing especially
doing important work on global warming issues. Their web site also has
a “take action” section, which helps you advocate on behalf of the
environment.