Founded in the 1800s, The Sierra Club is dedicated to protecting nature - natural parks, wilderness, animals - you name it! Find out more about them.
Who They Are
If you love nature, then The Sierra Club should be on your radar! In fact it's one of the first environmental protection organizations to be founded in North America. The Sierra Club is a national organization with more than 2 million people who explore, enjoy, and protect nature.
The Sierra Club helps critters great and small - like this turtle!Courtesy of The Sierra Club Canada
They work to stop pollution that can make people sick and to protect our planet from global warming by generating more electricity from clean energy sources like solar and wind power. It is their mission to stand for these things:
- Respect for Life
- Ecologicial Integrity (which means they love the environment, and think protecting it is a top priority!)
- Peace
The Sierra Club is one of the oldest environmental protection organizationsCourtesy of the Sierra Club
Their mission is: "To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives."
Sierra Club History
The Sierra Club was started in 1892 by people who lived in the San Francisco Bay Area. Many of them were teachers and students who wanted to learn about and protect the Sierra Nevada mountains of California.
They asked John Muir to be their first leader because he knew so much about the mountains. John Muir also wrote many books and articles about why people should keep special places like Yosemite Valley safe from logging, mining, and livestock grazing.
John Muir was the founder of The Sierra ClubCourtesy of Courtesy of The Sierra Club Canada
Soon, the Sierra Club convinced people that places like Yosemite and other national parks should be protected so that we can visit and enjoy them today. The members of the Sierra Club also loved to organize hiking and camping trips so that people could see the special places that had been protected.
Go Green!
The Sierra Club wants you to get outside and go green! There are lots of ways in your everyday life to be closer to nature, and to care about the environment, like:
- Walking, hiking and exploring the nature around you - if you live near a park, forest, woods, lake or any natural habitat, remember to enjoy it!
- Recycle and reuse - you probably hear this one a lot, but every little bit makes a difference!
- Get involved with local environmental charities (you can fundraise at your school with bake sales and raffles for nature conservation.)
Learn more about The Sierra Club here.
Have Your Say
What do you think of The Sierra Club? Let us know in the comments section below!
