Sierra Club Centennial Group Members & Friends: The next Centennial Group Meeting will be Thursday April 4th 7:00-8:30pm.
Environmental Advantages of a Vegan Diet

Mary Miller is a Library Services Consultant for academic libraries in the southeast. She is involved in a variety of activism and lives in Kennesaw. She and her husband became whole-food-plant-based seven years ago after watching the documentary Forks Over Knives, beginning a long adventure of learning about food and how it affects our bodies and lives. She now considers herself vegan and although she gave up animal products initially for health reasons, but learning how this choice affects the environment has helped seal the deal.

This meeting will be both IN-PERSON at LIFE UNIVERSITY and Online via Zoom: Life University Graduate & Undergraduate Studies (Bldg 9 on Campus Map) Rm 119, 1250 Life’s Way Marietta or on-line via Zoom. We recommend you use the large parking area M on the Barclay Circle side of the building at 1269 Barclay Circle. See the green Sierra Club signs on the Barclay Circle entrance to parking area M and follow them to the building and meeting room.

 Social and Refreshments at 7:00pm  The ZOOM meeting will begin at 7:30pm

Please Signup / RSVP and specify in-person or Zoom on-line attendance at Whole-Food-Plant-Diet Affects Environment. We need to know in-person attendance for food planning. Come at 6:30 if you can help setup.

Other News, Events and Outings

GA Environmental Protection Division issued draft permits for the Twin Pines mine at the edge of the Okefenokee.  The 30-day comment period has been extended to 60 days, now ending April 9^th. 

Link for Sierra Club Georgia Campaign to Protect the Okefenokee is:  Protect Okefenokee

Submit comments to DNR at  twinpines.comment@dnr.ga.gov  See also Georgia Conservancy site with information, history, public comment procedures

Kennesaw State University Earth Month Monday, April 22^nd (main campus) and April 25^th (Marietta campus) 11am to 2 pm.  Need volunteers to assist with Sierra Centennial presence at either of these events. If you can assist, please contact:  lynnwalston22@yahoo.com

Read-up and comment on Cobb County Transit Planning at: CobbTransportation

The Upper Etowah River Alliance (UERA). The Upper Etowah River Watershed encompasses 610 square miles or 390,400 acres. It includes parts of five counties — Lumpkin, Pickens, Dawson, Forsyth, and Cherokee — and over 100 tributaries, including Shoal, Amicalola, Yellow, Setting Down, Long Swamp, and Sharp Mountain creeks. The river begins near Dahlonega and runs 98 miles until it reaches Lake Allatoona.  See their April 6th Annual meeting below.

 April Volunteer Events for The River Line Historic Area   TheRiverLineAprilCalendar

Do you have leadership ambition to advance environmental stewardship in SE Cobb County? If so, contact Roberta Cook at RiverLineGA@gmail.com at The River Line Historic Area nonprofit to learn about an Executive Director position opportunity. 

April Events

April Events for The River Line Historic Area volunteers include Nickajack Creek water sampling and cemetery restoration efforts.

April 6^th 6:00-9:00pm Upper Etowah River Alliance ANNUAL MEETING in Historic Downtown Canton.  Speakers, food.  Info/Tickets:  UpperEtowahRiver

April 11^th 4:00-8:00pm  Cobb County Sustainability Forum & Expo at Jim Miller Park.  Demonstrations, Speakers, Exhibits.   Info at:  SustainabilityExpo

April 13th Chattahoochee RiverKeeper Paddle Cleanup  Info/Signup: PaddleCleanupTheHooch

April 13^th 8:30pm  Lantern Parade on the Chattahoochee River at Morgan Falls Overlook Park.   Info at:  LanternParade

April 20^th  A Night Out in Nature -  Chattahoochee Nature Center 5:30-10:00pm  Info/Tix at: NightOutInNature

April 22^nd EARTH DAY – watch for events in your area!

April 26^th 2^nd Annual Recycling Roundtable  11-12:30pm Unity North Atlanta – Marietta. What can be recycled? Where does your recycling go? Is recycling effective? Get the latest information on recycling best practices, and answers to your recycling questions from Cobb County experts. Space is limited. Register for the Second Annual Recycling Roundtable at:   https://www.meetup.com/sustainable-cobb/events/298960692/

Apr 30th  Lecture - Coyotes: Our Wild New Neighbors - Fact vs. Fiction 
Dr. Chris Mowry, co-founder of the Atlanta Coyote Project, will separate myth from reality.  6:50-7:50pm in-person event at Switzer Library in Marietta.  Info/Signup at: CoyotesOurNeighbors

To receive email notice of Sierra Club hikes as they are announced, visit Sierra Club Georgia Outings and click Sign up for our Outings Email List.
 

Other news:

Plant Bowen (near Cartersville) AP-1 Coal Ash Permit Draft has been Released! Details at:  PlantBowenCoalAshInfo  Also more info at Why It Matters

Georgia Power wants to close the largest coal ash site in Georgia by installing a liner and capping an ash pit that sits on top of unstable karst, which is prone to sinkholes.  In 2002, a four acre wide, 30 foot deep sinkhole opened up underneath Plant Bowen’s coal ash pit.

2.25 million gallons of toxic coal ash leaked into Euharlee Creek which flows into the Etowah River.  The Etowah River passes Cartersville and the Etowah Indian Mounds then flows to Rome where it meets the Oostanaula River  and forms the Coosa River.

After the spill, arsenic levels rose to 1250 parts per billion, exceeding federal drinking water standards by 120 times. Downstream drinking water intakes were forced to suspend operation. Leaving the coal ash in place on unstable ground at Plant Bowen puts our water and health at risk.

Urgent Issue – Okefenokee Twin Pines Mining proposal:  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decided the area where Twin Pines wants to set up its mine is no longer under its jurisdiction. Essentially, new federal rules issued by the Trump administration mean the proposed project area is no longer a federally protected wetland.

This means Twin Pines no longer needs federal approval to get started, so it’s up Georgia officials (and us to voice our concerns). There are still several state permits the company needs from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD). Chemical company Chemours (a Dupont spinoff) is a potential buyer of the Twin Pines mine project and its products. Help us pressure them to publicly oppose the project.  Sierra Club Georgia keeps an update on efforts to prevent the mine at: SierraClubGeorgiaOkefenokee

The Georgia Water Coalition has a way for folks to send a message to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp asking him to take action to protect the Okefenokee. The Georgia EPD director is appointed to the job by the governor, so we’re asking Gov. Kemp to get involved.  Click here to send a message to Gov. Kemp urging him to protect the Okefenokee.

Transit Planning in Cobb County:  Please provide feedback to the Cobb County Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP). The CTP is a series of county transportation projects that will be considered for future implementation, up to 30 years.  Make sure to get involved by having your opinion heard!   Take the on-line Cobb Transit Survey at:   CobbTransitSurvey

Georgia Legislative resources:

Georgia Water Coalition Dirty Dozen publishes the list as a call to action, highlighting the worst offenses to Georgia's water - offenses that are the consequences of an under-funded state environmental agency and a lack of political will to enforce laws that protect our water, land, air, and people. Check out water-protecting action items from Protect Georgia

Drawdown Georgia– Drawdown is that point in the future when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline.  Drawdown is working on Climate Change solutions sponsored by Ray Anderson Foundation.  Join them and be an early mover in bringing climate solutions home.  Drawdown Georgia is the first, state-centered effort to crowdsolve for climate change, with 20, high-impact solutions that are tailored to Georgia’s unique natural, economic, and social resources. See: DrawdownGeorgia 

See our Centennial Facebook page and Georgia Sierra Club Meetup page.  

Cobb 4 Transit revamped & launched: The Centennial Group Sierra Club is supporting the launch of Cobb 4 Transit, a new citizen-led initiative to bring transit to Cobb County, and continue to highlight the county's plans for future transit initiatives. Learn more here: www.cobb4transit.org. 

Click HERE to join the Sierra Club today!

We meet on the first Thursday of each month to host a variety of programs related to our environmental goals of resource conservation and wilderness preservation. We also conduct free outdoor trips. Members and nonmembers are welcome!  The Sierra Club Centennial Group is part of the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter and serves Northwest Metro Atlanta. For more information about the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter.

The Centennial Group of the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club was organized in 1992, the one hundredth anniversary year of the national Sierra Club. Our members from Cobb, Cherokee, and North Fulton counties volunteer to educate, enable, and encourage our fellow citizens to protect Georgia's environment "for our families and our future".  We meet on the first Thursday of most months at Life University. We host a variety of programs relating to our goals and our appreciation of Georgia's natural beauty and resources. We also host free outings for members and nonmembers.