Delaware Sierra News

A Sierra Club N ewsletter about Environmental Matters Important to Delaware March April May 2010
Spring 2004

Michael Brune, Sierra Club’s New Executive Director

On March 15, 2010 Delaware Chapter executive When asked about our policy on GHG emissions,
committee member Chad Tolman sat in on a confer- he said, “It’s been Sierra Club policy to get to 350
ence call with Sierra Club’s new Executive Director. ppm as quickly as possible – and then to go below
Michael Brune was introduced by that.” He favors collaboration with other groups to
Robin Mann, VP of Conserva- accomplish our common goals.
tion. It was his first day as the When asked about coal and how he felt about Jim
new Executive Director, replacing Hansen’s call to stop using coal, Michael said he
Carl Pope, who will become would like to see us stop using it in the next 20
Chairman of the Board. Michael years. He spent time in jail with Hansen in West Vir-
talked about his background and ginia for civil disobedience opposing mountain top
his priorities for the Club. continued on page 2
Michael worked with Greenpeace in a number of
cities, including Philadelphia, before going to the Cool Cities Celebrates
Rainforest Action Network. He has two young chil- n Monday April 19th the Delaware Chapter
dren – a girl (5) and a boy (1) and is concerned about
their future. He said that he is a grassroots campaign
O Cool Cities Committee joined with partners to
celebrate the City of Newark’s commitment to ener-
organizer at heart, and will pour everything he has gy sustainability, environmental stewardship and
into his new job. His top four priorities during his climate protection by endorsing the U.S. Mayors
first three months are: Climate Protection Agreement. Festivities included
4Develop relationships, a green ribbon cutting and special recognition of
4Address the decline in unrestricted funding, Mayor Vance A. Funk, III.
Table of Contents page
4 GetWaste
Sierra good strong national
Resolution 1 climate legislation enact- CoolD eCities
la wa r e C hDelaware
apter is a statewide volunteer
NON-PROFIT
100 West 10th St., Suite 1107 U.S. POSTAGE
ed,
DSWAandNeeds Scrutiny 1 effort that encourages
Wilmington, DE 19801 local governments adopt PAID
WILMINGTON, DE
Public Hearing Rights 1 energy sustainability, environmental stewardship PERMIT NO. 740
From the Editor natural gas
4Reevaluate 2 as a transition fuel on the
Membership
way Forms
to a renewable 2
energy economy. (He has writ- and climate protection policies and programs. To
Sierra Boards Members 2 learn more about this committee’s work check out
ten a book,
From the ChairComing Clean
3 – Breaking America’s
Conservation UpDate 3
Addiction to Oil and Coal. ) their website: http://coolcitiesde.us
Appalachian Action Plan 4
Control Your Destiny 7
Included
Things In This Issue
to think About... 7 Sierra Club - Delaware Chapter
Sierra Outings/Socials 8 NON-PROFIT
Michael
Sierra ClubBrune...continued
Meetings 8 2 100 West 10th Street Suite 106 U.S. POSTAGE
Wilmington, DE 19801 PAID
2010 Chapter Elections News/Results 2 WILMINGTON, DE
Land Use – Again 2 PERMIT NO. 740

Member Profiles: Egan and Fields 3

DE Chapter Committee Meetings 3
DE Chapter Spring Outings 4
Nominating Commitee 4
Goldman Environmental Prize Winner 5
Volunteer Opportunities! 5
Sierra Club Contacts 6
Michael Brune on Coal, Project Renewal, More
continued from page 1
removal, but he thinks we should spend more time
talking about our vision for the future and less on
what we oppose. He sees an important role for the
Club in the area of social justice. The best organizers
start with issues important to the audience(s) they
address. We need to show people how the Sierra
Club can positively affect their lives.
He was asked about Project Renewal, which
seemed to some to decrease the importance of volun-
teers relative to staff. He realizes that this is a
sensitive issue and is still learning, but said that the
important role that volunteers play in the Club is one
of the things that most attracted him to work for it.
2010 Chapter Election News And Results
he recent 2010 Delaware Chapter Executive
T Committee elections were concluded with the
election of these members: newly elected, John
Irwin (59 votes) and Tom Noyes (64 votes), and re-
elected, Chad Tolman (63 votes), and Matt Urban
(62 votes). Also, the Election committee reported
the results for the Southern Delaware Group’s
(SDG) election of Executive committee members,
all re-elected: Carrie Bennett (16 votes), Steve
Callanen (21 votes), and Terri Usuki (13 votes).
Despite our having an uncontested slate of can-
didates, the Nominating committee recommends
each of our newly elected members for the quality
and commitment of service they bring to the job of
leading both the Delaware Chapter and the Southern
Delaware Group. We are fortunate to have such
capable and hard-working volunteers.
You may have noticed that the vote totals for
candidates in the SDG election were low. This was
due to a typo in the election newsletter. In error,
SDG’s members were instructed to vote for 2 of 3
candidates, even though 3 seats were open and the
election was uncontested. All candidates did receive
votes and all were duly elected despite the mistake.
Finally, and most importantly, we wish to say a
huge “thank you” to the two longtime Executive
Committee members, Rich Anthony and Ron Zink,
who stepped down in 2010. Their untold hours of
inspiration and perspiration on behalf of the
2010 Chapter Census
Keep your eyes open for this mailing and
please reply!
2
He wants to visit as many chapters and groups as
possible, and seems open to suggestions from volun-
teers.
He said we need to increase the cost of using fos-
sil fuels, without causing undue hardship, especially
for those least able to afford the rising costs and that
the campaign against coal has been so successful that
the use of natural gas has increased rapidly.
On the question of how we can work with indus-
tries to raise money without compromising our
conservation goals, he said that conservation must
remain a top priority, but that we may work with
some companies as a way to make them more envi-
ronmentally responsible.
Delaware Sierra Club have enriched our legacy of
believing in and working for a better environment.
Ron is carrying on as the Chair of the Cool Cities
committee, one of our most dynamic campaigns.
Rich is taking a well-deserved break and we wish
him well.
Land Use – Again
any of us have awakened, and properly so, to
M the husbanding of our natural resources and
the compelling need to re-use and recycle. Our land
is a resource, however, that we can recycle and re-
use only in a limited way and generally only over a
long period of time. Land may pass from farmland
to residential use, from residential to commercial
use and from industrial to residential use, as evi-
denced by the transition of the south bank of the
Christina River in Wilmington. We may even see
parkland replace industrial use, as along portions of
the north bank of the Christina in Wilmington.
These metamorphoses cannot mask the fact that
land is a finite resource and that changing its use is
inevitably slow and costly. Our pattern of land use
influences in the most fundamental of ways that
gravest of problems-- our energy use and its effect
upon global warming.
The chapter would like to re-invigorate our
long-standing concern about land use. To that end
we are seeking volunteers in every county who may
wish to be involved with land use issues. If you are
interested, please contact: Jay Cooperson, 302-571-
0660 (home), e-mail coopersonarc@aol.com.
Member Profiles: Jenny Egan and Mark Fields
By June Satterfield
ave you been on a chapter outing lately… no?
H Then you’re missing what many members say
is the best part of the Sierra Club experience… we
not only preserve and protect the environment, but
WE ENJOY IT! Our Delaware Chapter has two
great Outings or leaders, Jenny Egan and Mark
Fields, and getting to know them is part of the fun of
joining an outing.
Jenny, while raising three young sons and work-
ing part time, has been our Outings Chair for 6
years. She has the enthusiastic energy that so often
comes with a great love of the outdoors. Her child-
hood memories of family camping and skiing in the
Gunnison Valley of Colorado made her want to
share with others all that Delaware’s outdoors has to
Delaware Chapter Committee Meetings – May - August
May
10 – Political Committee meeting – 7:00-9:00 p.m. at
the Borders Books Café at Churchman’s Crossing off
of I-95. Contact Debbie at politics@delaware.sierra
club.org for agenda and more information.
19 – Energy Committee meeting – At Effoc’s Café in
Trolley Square in Wilmington. 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Contact Chad Tolman for more information:
ChadTolman@verizon.net
24 – Chapter Executive Committee meeting – 6:30-
9:00 p.m. Place to be determined. Contact Chapter
Chair Nancy Carig at nancycarig@hughes.net for more
information.
June
14 – Political Committee conference call – 7:00-9:00
p.m. Contact Debbie at politics@delaware.
sierraclub.org for call in number, agenda and more
information.
16 – Energy Committee conference call – 6:30-8:00
p.m. Contact Chad Tolman for dial-in number and
more information: ChadTolman@verizon.net
3
offer, and so she joined the Sierra Club. Jenny feels
our seasonal changes are key to enjoying Delaware’s
outdoors because they make landscapes new and
interesting every time they’re explored.
Mark also comes from a family tradition of
camping and enjoying nature, which he now shares
with two teenaged children. Mark came to Delaware
in 2006 to become the managing director of The
Grand Opera House. He also enjoys working as an
adjunct film professor at Rowan University and film
critic for the Out and About Magazine.
Before leading outings in Delaware, almost 20 in
number now, Mike volunteered for Philadelphia’s
Sierra Chapter as their biking leader. Although Mark
has camped in 30 states in his extensive travels and
has a special love for our spectacular National Parks,
he is astonished at Delaware’s wealth of open
spaces, the hiking and biking opportunities, and the
variety of topography which the state offers.
Both Jenny and Mark make all outings a chance
for shared experience and fun. Look for their
upcoming outing’s schedule. They’d both love to
hear your ideas on new outings and they wish for
more leaders, but, mostly, they just want you to join
them next time.
July
12 – Political Committee meeting – 7:00-9:00 p.m. at
the Borders Books Café at Churchman’s Crossing off
of I-95. Contact Debbie at politics@delaware.sierra
club.org for agenda and more information.
19 – Chapter Executive Committee meeting – 6:30-
9:00 p.m. Place to be determined. Contact Chapter
Chair Nancy Carig at nancycarig@hughes.net for more
information.
21 – Energy Committee meeting – In Smyrna, place
TBD. 6:30-8:00 p.m. Contact Chad Tolman for more
information: ChadTolman@verizon.net
August
9 – Political Committee conference call – 7:00-9:00
p.m. Contact Debbie at
politics@delaware.sierraclub.org for call in number,
agenda and more information.
Mark your calendar for the
Sustainable Delaware 2010 Cool Cities Conference
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
DE Chapter Spring Outings
Pedaling around Middletown (New Castle County)
Saturday, May 22, 10:00 a.m.
As the weather warms up, we’ll alternate hiking
and biking outings, so get your two-wheeler tuned
and ready to go. Starting in Middletown, we’ll
cycle out into rural western Delaware, with an
almost entirely flat route through horse farms and
marshland. I’ll have maps with a few route choices
marked (13-18 miles), but we’ll plan to stay togeth-
er. Bring plenty of water and snacks for the ride;
we’ll grab some lunch afterward. The start point is
the Giant parking lot in the Dove Run Shopping
Center on DE 299 east of town. Please email leader
Mark Fields to RSVP or for more information on
the hike: mark.fields@comcast.net.
Elk Neck Campout – May 14-16 2010
Join Sierra Club for a great campout. Elk Neck is
your year-round, travel destination to connect with
the vast landscapes and waters of the Chesapeake
Bay. The park boasts 2,188 acres of sandy beaches,
marshlands, and heavily wooded bluffs overlooking
the North East River, the Elk River and the Chesa-
peake Bay. As a result, there are several journeys
you can take while in the park. Contact Jenny Egan:
jennifermegan28@msn.com or 302-540-4546.
Enjoy the outdoors and learn some GEOLOGY!
June 5
We will travel the first guided field trip (loosely)
as detailed in this report by the Delaware Geologi-
cal Survey to explore Geology and Water
Resources of The Western Portion of The Delaware
Piedmont. Find the trip outline at: http://www.dgs.
udel.edu/publications/pubs/OpenFileReports/ofr9.
pdf Contact Jenny Egan for details: jennifer-
megan28@msn.com or 302-540-4546.

Nominating Committee
Members Needed
he Delaware Chapter and Southern Delaware
T Group are seeking members for the nominating
Committees to oversee the Executive Committee
elections scheduled for later this year. If you are
interested in a limited time project that will help
you learn a bit more about the Sierra Club – please
contact Chapter Chair Nancy Carig at
nancycarig@hughes.net before the end of June. W58001

4
Sierra Club Activist Lynn Henning Wins
Prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize
ichigan farmer and Sierra Club activist
M Lynn Henning has been awarded this
year's prestigious Goldman Environmental
Prize, considered the “Nobel prize for environ-
mental activism.” Henning took action after
concentrated animal feeding operations
(CAFO’s) began polluting the water near the
300-acre corn and soybean farm she works with
her husband in Lenawee County. Over the last
decade she has become a leading voice calling
5
on state and federal authorities to hold these
livestock factory farms accountable to water and
air quality laws.
“Lynn Henning represents the soul of grass-
roots activism,” said Michael Brune, Executive
Director of the Sierra Club. “Faced with a threat
to her community's environment, Lynn organ-
ized with her neighbors and pushed successfully
to hold the polluters accountable. This is a
thrilling day for the Sierra Club family.”
When factory farms surrounded her property,
Henning and other concerned neighbors formed
Environmentally Concerned Citizens of South
Central Michigan (ECCSCM) and began to
organize. Reaching out to neighbors, fellow
farmers and Environmental Protection Agency
enforcement officials, Henning gathered her
own data on factory farm pollution. Regularly
driving a 125-mile circuit multiple times a week
to track factory farm pollution and to take water
samples, Henning learned about the sources of
the pollution affecting her community and
decided to take action.
Volunteer Opportunities!
Help with energy education effort:
We’re interested in promoting energy conservation
and energy efficiency in Delaware. We currently use
more energy per person than our neighboring states.
Let’s change that! I’m looking for people who’d like
to help organize presentations to the public about
how to save energy on home heating and cooling.
Contact me at johnirwin@comcast.net if you’re
interested.
Political Committee:
The 2010 elections are beginning to shape up in
Delaware with a number of candidates recently
announcing their intention to run. The chapter’s
political committee is going to be sending out ques-
tionnaires, interviewing candidates and helping to
hold a forum for resident to learn more about the
candidates for federal office.. If you would like to
help with this effort and other activities of the com-
mittee, please contact Debbie Heaton at
politics@delaware.sierraclub.org.
 BE PART OF THE ACTION!!!
Keep in touch with what is happening locally and nationally as well as get involved by participating in
sharing the environmental viewpoint!

Sierra Club Contacts

1. Sign up for Delaware Chapter's e-mail alert list - The Delaware Environmental Alert List! Send an
email to Debbie.heaton@sierraclub.org to be included. This list will key you into state and national
issues of interest to Delawearans.
2. Visit the Sierra Club's Web site at www.sierraclub.org/takeaction, where you can sign up for the Take
Action Network to send free messages to your elected officials.
3. For the inside story about Club conservation campaigns and how you can help, ask for a free sub-
All phone numbers are Area Code 302 Cool Cities: Ron Zink
scription to the bimonthly print newsletter the Planet. Send an e-mail to activist.desk@sierraclub.org
Explore, enjoy and protect the planet
735-8996
or write the office of Volunteer and Activist Services, 85 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94105-3441.
Outings: Jennifer Egan 540-4546
Chapter Office
Delaware Chapter Sierra Club March/ April/ May 2004 8
jennifermegan28@msn.com
Phone: 351-2776
Political: Debbie Heaton
Chapter Executive Committee politics@delaware.sierraclub.org
Chair: Nancy Carig
Pollution: Al Denio 455-0389
nancycarig@hughes.net
Alvaldenio@aol.com
Vice Chair: Tom Noyes 652-3241
tomnoyes@gmail.com Web Editor: Michael Casale 239-2225
Conservation: Debbie Heaton mike.casale@verizon.net
politics@delaware.sierraclub.org Newsletter Editor: Debbie Heaton
Energy: Chad Tolman 478-3516 politics@delaware.sierraclub.org
chadtolman@comcast.net Southern Delaware Group (SDG)
Land Use: Jay Cooperson 571-0660
Executive Committee
CoopersonArc@aol.com
Chair: Steve Callanen 539-0635
Membership: June Satterfield 653-6596
prnmed@mchsi.com
junesatterfield@comcast.net
Harry Haon 656-4582 Vice Chair: Harry Haon 656-4582
John Irwin 475-8527 Conservation Chair: Barbara Murray
johnirwin@comcast.net bemursaga@hotmail.com
Matt Urban 521-4495 Environmental Justice Chair:
murban@mobiusnm.com Mable Granke 227-6637
Chapter Appointed Committee Chairs Secretary & Membership Chair:
Treasurer: Lorri Fencer LorriFencer@verizon.net Carrie Bennett 732-3358
The Delaware Chapter of the Sierra Club publishes the
c.bennett@de-enviro.net
Delaware Sierra News quarterly. This publication is written Terri Usuki 436-2296
and produced entirely by volunteers. Ideas expressed in the
Delaware Sierra News are those of the columnists and may
tamaki@prodigy.net
not necessarily reflect the position of the Sierra Club. Limit-
ed time constraints of an all-volunteer staff do not always
allow for full data corroboration. Send materials for submis- Visit us on the Web!
sion to the Sierra Club, 100 W 10th St, Ste. 106, Wilmington,
DE 19801 or by e-mail to our editor. www.delaware.sierraclub.org
Editor: Debbie Heaton – politics@delaware.sierraclub.org Web Editor: Mike Casale
Production: Susan Oldenburg – VideoSue@aol.com 302-239-2225 mike.casale@verizon.net

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