What we’re about
The Sierra Club is America's oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization. This mission of the Sierra Club is to explore, enjoy, and protect the planet. The Headwaters Group of the Sierra Club serves members of Durham, Vance, Person, and Granville Counties. You do not need to live in one of these counties to join our Meetup, and unless specifically noted, you do not need to be a Sierra Club member to attend attend one of our Meetups, events, and/or outings. We welcome anyone and everyone and would love to see you at one of our events!
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Celebrate National Poetry Month at Sandy Creek ParkSandy Creek Park, Durham, NC
April is National Poetry Month and March 21st was World Poetry Day, so April 21 seems like a reasonable time to celebrate poetry. Plus April 22 is Earth Day.
We will walk around the park a bit to get inspiration for poetry. If folks bring a poem to share, we can pause on the bridge or at other points for reading or reciting.
We will conclude with some cookies and building a community poem -- perhaps if we are bold, even a villanelle, which was originally a "rustic poem" to celebrate nature and country living -- composed of observations about what we saw in the park.
More on National Poetry Month: https://poets.org/national-poetry-month
- What Kind of Housing Can Make Living In Chapel Hill/Carrboro More Affordable?Lanza’s Cafe, Carrboro, NC
Starting at Lanza's Cafe, we'll take a one-hour walk around the Main St/Poplar neighborhood in Carrboro as professional urban planner and longtime Carrboro resident Patrick McDonough shows us how duplexes, fourplexes, and other "missing middle" housing types fit in. These house-scale buildings fit seamlessly into existing residential neighborhoods and support walkability, locally-serving retail, and public transportation options. Featuring more smaller units on the same land, these housing options are much more affordable than single family homes. The neighborhood has many of these types of housing mixed in among single family homes and local businesses that were built from the 1960s to 1980s, but few have been built in town in recent decades.
At the end of the walk, we'll return to Lanza's to talk about the environmental and other benefits that these types of homes provide to residents and local businesses, and how the currently in-draft Carrboro Comprehensive Plan can be improved to support more of these more affordable housing choices in our community.
This isn't expected to be a strenuous walk, but a liability waiver is required by the club. When you RSVP at https://act.sierraclub.org/events/details?formcampaignid=7013q000002JsSwAAK, you'll have the opportunity to agree to the waiver; anyone who hasn't agreed to the waiver will need to do so before joining the walk.
This is the monthly meeting of the Sierra Club group in Orange County.
We hope to see you at Lanza's!
- Reshaping North Carolina's Clean Energy FutureDurham County Courthouse, Durham, NC
On October 13, 2021, Governor Roy Cooper signed into a law directing the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) to take all reasonable steps to achieve reductions in the emissions of carbon dioxide in NC from electric generating facilities owned or operated by certain electric public utilities. The NCUC is directed to achieve a reduction of 70% from 2005 levels by the year 2030 and carbon neutrality by the year 2050. They issued one plan in 2022, but that included a schedule to do Carbon Plan and Integrated Resource Plans (CPIRP) for the Duke utilities. Details of the 2023 Carbon Plan update can be found at Docket No. E-100, Sub 190.
There will be a rally on the plaza at 5:45.
The Carbon Plan should be an opportunity to reshape North Carolina’s energy future and protect community health. That means no new fossil fuel infrastructure or power plants. Unfortunately, the draft Carbon Plan proposed by Duke Energy fails to meet the moment, calling for more investments in polluting, outdated fossil fuels.
You can sign up for updates from the Sierra Club and find talking points at https://www.sierraclub.org/north-carolina/nccarbonplan.
The NCUC will be hearing public comments on the first update this spring; the full schedule is here, including a virtual hearing on April 23rd. You can also submit comments (include the docket number (E100, sub 190) here; please identify yourself as a ratepayer to avoid confusion with the official comments of the many environmental organizations that will be responding.
- Beautiful Hiking Trails Around AshevilleLink visible for attendees
Western North Carolina is a hiker’s paradise. With so much land protected by National and State Forests and Parks, those who live in, or are visiting, the Asheville area have endless hiking opportunities. Best of all, they can experience amazing views, waterfalls, wildflowers, and quiet forest paths without traveling very far. Learn about where to go and what to see when you are ready to head out and hike.
All WNC Sierra Club meetings are free and open to the public. This is the monthly meeting of Sierra Club group in Asheville; it is on zoom or (if you happen to be in Asheville) in person at the Reuter Center at UNCA. It is also on Zoom with advance registration here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
