I do not know who among you already receives this, but..

Begin forwarded message:
> From: "Allison Chin, Sierra Club President" <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: January 15, 2009 4:47:02 p CST
> Subject: Power to Change: Moving Fast on Our Agenda
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> Dear Lyle,
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> This year, 2009, will be a year of great change. After eight long  
> years of delay, denial, and damaging inaction, we have every reason  
> to believe our new president, his administration, and the Congress  
> will move, and move fast, on our agenda.
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> Already, we find ourselves in a transformed landscape -- having to  
> be proactive, not defensive, and be faster and more flexible than  
> ever before in our 116-year history.
>
> We are now at the center of a once-in-a-lifetime reinvention of the  
> American economy. Clean energy will be a primary driver of this new  
> economy. The Sierra Club has worked for decades to create demand for  
> renewable power and energy efficiency. But Barack Obama -- in one  
> five-minute speech on a Saturday, five weeks after being elected --  
> completely changed the dynamic by announcing his plan to invest  
> billions in retrofitting public buildings. Now states and cities are  
> hustling to line up energy-efficiency projects that qualify for  
> these funds. We used to drive our issue, now we have to outrun it or  
> it will get ahead of us.
>
> This is big and exciting and will require changes in the Sierra  
> Club. Over the past century, we have become very good at slowing  
> down and/or stopping bad things, using tools like environmental  
> impact statements, public hearings, and lawsuits. Now we have the  
> opportunity, indeed the responsibility, to lead by working with the  
> new administration, with local governments and businesses to enact  
> bold, effective solutions for climate recovery.
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> In the past two years, we have taken the re-organizational steps  
> necessary to position the Sierra Club as a leader of a nimble and  
> powerful movement. Through the Climate Recovery Partnership, we have  
> identified and are implementing six national campaigns to reduce  
> carbon emissions; change how we build our cars, buildings, and  
> communities; and ensure that the wildlife and wild places we have  
> worked so hard to protect for more than a century will survive  
> global warming.
>
> We also have much to celebrate, not the least of which is that a  
> staggering 130,000 of our members volunteered in last year's  
> elections. That's walking our talk, to be sure.
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> I want to refer you as well to a summary of our successes in the  
> three years since the Sierra Summit.
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> Through Project Renewal we have reshaped and streamlined our  
> organization to increase the effectiveness of our decision-making  
> and our ability to deliver. I am confident the changes we have made  
> will make us go-to partners for the Obama administration, helping to  
> build the public support he needs to advance his agenda, while  
> exerting our influence to keep that agenda on the ambitious track it  
> needs to be. In these several months between the election and  
> inauguration day, the Sierra Club has already been involved in  
> frequent and deep discussions with the transition team. Instead of  
> pushing for change from the outside, it is clear that instead we  
> will have a core and critical purpose working on the inside.
>
> The changes that are coming are to be welcomed and embraced, even  
> though they will stretch us and test us. But with the internal  
> changes we have made and our role helping shape national energy and  
> climate policies, I believe we are moving into what will prove to be  
> one of the most dramatic and dynamic chapters in the Sierra Club's  
> storied history.
>
> Keeping the Club abreast of all of these changes and opportunities  
> will require more and different internal communications from the  
> Sierra Club's President and Board of Directors. We need to dedicate  
> ourselves to communicate more intentionally within the Club -- to  
> listen to our grassroots and track progress on our shared, national  
> goals. That's why I'm going to be writing to you every two weeks --  
> to share what's happening in our work with the Obama administration  
> and the progress we are making with Project Renewal, to tell stories  
> about our successes on the ground, all over the country and to  
> encourage all of you to share your stories with us.
>
>
> I want to share with you two opportunities to make a difference as  
> we approach Inauguration Day next Tuesday, and one piece of  
> excellent breaking news.
>
> The good news first -- today, the U.S. Senate voted to protect  
> millions of acres of new wilderness, hundreds of miles of rivers,  
> and expand Everglades National Park, the biggest wilderness  
> protection bills in decades.
> I urge you to participate in President-elect Barack Obama's National  
> Day of Service on Monday,  Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The Sierra  
> Club family is hosting a variety of service events, like stream  
> monitoring and weatherization projects, and there are thousands of  
> other events to choose from. Find an event near you here.
> As soon as he takes office, President Obama can take four actions to  
> cut global-warming pollution and spur a clean energy economy. You  
> can watch our Executive Director Carl Pope explaining our Clean  
> Slate Energy Agenda here and take action today to make it happen.
> I urge you to share this with your Sierra Club colleagues so we can  
> keep more of us connected as we embark on this new journey.
>
> You can reach me via email at [log in to unmask] or add  
> your comments here.
>
>
> Allison Chin
> Sierra Club President
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> This year, the Sierra Club's clean energy agenda is at the center of  
> a once-in-a-lifetime reinvention of the American economy. Keep up  
> with the latest in Power to Change, a biweekly letter from Club  
> President Allison Chin.
>
> Subscribe to Power to Change.
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>
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