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Let’s Get Active!
Sierra Club’s population activists have been busy with activities out in the field. With the beginning of a New Year, events have been happening all across the country. Remember to contact the Global Population and Environment Program with details about the work you have done. Share your population news with us. There are many exciting events coming up in the next few months. Contact Sarah Fairchild at 202.675.2396 or sarah.fairchild@sierraclub.org to let her know about what is happening where you are or to plan a population event. |
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Annette Souder with Greater Hartford Sierra Group members - Michael Hoffman, Deb Krauss and Rich Stanley. |
We wrapped up the year with a few fantastic events. In November the Global Population and Environment Program worked in collaboration with Zero Population Growth (ZPG). Jay Keller, the National Field Director for ZPG and Annette Souder, Global Population and Environment Program, headed to Massachusetts for a presentation and training at Smith College. With the organization and help of activist extraordinaire Anita King, this meeting of the minds was a huge success. Keep your eyes open for more collaborative work between Sierra Club and ZPG!
Annette hit the road running in the Northeast and stopped in for a Greater Hartford Connecticut Group meeting. Over 35 people attended and were wowed by the Population Program’s newest activist tool, our PowerPoint presentation. Not sure what this is or how it works? Contact Annette Souder at 202.675.7901 or annette.souder@sierraclub.org. You can use this CD for your own presentations! |
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George Klein, Chair, Global Population and Environment Committee & Annette Souder, Global Population and Environment Program. |
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There was standing room only at the Global Population and Environment Town Hall Meeting, November 29th, 2001! Dian J. Harrison, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Golden Gate, Phyllis Oakley, United Nations Population Fund Ambassador (UNFPA), and Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club, were the shining stars at this San Francisco event. |
Carl Pope and Dian Harrison, CEO, Planned Parenthood, Golden Gate |
The panel discussion focused on issues of population, development and family planning in relation to our current political climate and the recent release of UNFPA’s State of World Population Report 2001: Footprints and Milestones: Population and Environmental Change. Read more about this report.
 New Mexico Training a BIG success! January 26, 2002- The Global Warming and Energy Program, the Global Population and Environment Program and the Media Team joined forces for a training in Albuquerque, New Mexico. More than 30 activists participated in this exciting event. Jennifer Ferenstein, Sierra Club’s President, spoke at the training and captivated the audience with her talk about the links between rapid population growth, global warming and the need for more efficient, clean energy. Prior to the training, Annette Souder took a tour of the Southwest, visiting Sierra Club groups in El Paso, Santa Fe and Albuquerque. National Public Radio (NPR) of New Mexcio interviewed Jennifer Ferenstein, while Annette was interviewed by the NPR El Paso affiliate. Way to go getting in the news Sierra Club Population Program!
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The Albuquerque event was one of two Global Warming and Energy and Global Population and the Environment cross issue trainings the Sierra Club National office has done since last November. We started in Providence Rhode Island and our success in New Mexico has encouraged our teams to continue our collaboration. Keep a look out for future trainings! For more information about the Global Warming and Energy Program, please contact Alex Veitch at alex.veitch@sierraclub.org.
Aluxa Lalicker, Sierra Student Coaltion, College of Santa Fe, New Mexico. |
Population Activism Coast to Coast:
Sierra Club Activists' Reports From the Field
CALIFORNIA
Let’s give an enthusiastic round of applause for Joan Holtz on our National Population Committee. Joan wrote an exceptional letter expressing the importance of international family planning and opposition to the Global Gag Rule. Her letter was sent to Sierra Club members in California, New Mexico and in Rhode Island who live in districts where Representatives do not yet understand the population-environment connection. The letter encouraged them to call their Representatives and stress the need for future support of family planning programs. Because of Joan’s efforts, we are hearing from many new folks who want to get involved with the Population Program!
COLORADO
Population activists are looking back at last year's events with memories of great success. Although most of the reports are from the Fall, folks are planning to get active in 2002! In Durango, Colorado World Population Awareness Week was observed for the 7th time. 400 people showed up during the week to hear speakers from both Colorado and New Mexico. Dr. Richard Grossman and his wife attended the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting in Atlanta. He was chair of the panel on Population, Family Planning and Reproductive Health. While there, Dr. Grossman, a member of the Durango chapter, met with members of the Georgia Population and Sustainability Coalition. He presented his research showing that a large percentage of abortions can be prevented if women use emergency contraception. His study was actually published in the July, 2001 American Journal of Public Health -- "Emergency Contraceptive Pills Can Prevent Abortion."
Michael Rendon is now the Director of Fort Lewis College’s Environmental Center. Don Gordon and John Byrd have both contributed their efforts to the college’s population course. Colorado is lucky to have so many activists doing great work in the field!
GEORGIA
The Georgia Chapter Population Committee has been invited to present to the prestigious Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable in March. In preparation, the group held two study group meetings in November and December, and gave a "practice run" at their January 21st meeting. For more information, contact Robert Gaskets at robertgaskins@yahoo.com.
NEW HAMPSHIRE and MASSACHUSETTS
Kay Delanoy and Anne Faulkner recently gave a population presentation to the Monadnock Group in New Hampshire. In addition, they set up a display at the Antioch New England Graduate School during World Population Awareness Week back in October of last year. The group continues to work with the New England Coalition for Sustainable Population (NECSP). We can’t forget to look back at an important event that happened during World Population Awareness Week. The NECSP collaborated with WorldWatch Institute of Washington D.C. to put on The State of the World and What You Can Do Conference. The event took place at Brandeis University, addressing topics ranging from women’s health to the connection between rapid population growth and biodiversity loss. Our three outstanding activists, Kay Delanoy, Annie Faulkner and Anita King from the Pioneer Valley group, facilitated a workshop at the conference. For more information about the New Hampshire group please contact Kay Delanoy at kdelanoy@antiochne.edu. To find out about the New England Coalition for Sustainable Population, contact Annie Faulkner at d9cat@cheshire.net.
NEW YORK
Congratulations to James Hufnagel, Population Chair of the Niagara Group, for getting a letter published in The Buffalo News! The letter illustrated how the Global Gag Rule impacts women worldwide. He highlighted the irony of First Lady Laura Bush’s speech, which focused on the need to help oppressed women in Afghanistan. Read Laura Bush’s speech.
Check out James’s impressive letter: Bush Can Aid Women By Nixing the Gag Rule.
James also spent a few days in Albany at the annual Family Planning Advocates Convention. He recently informed us that his New York Assembly member Francine DelMonte has changed her vote to yes on requirements for statewide hospital emergency rooms to disperse Emergency Contraception on demand. Change happens with the perseverance of a few dedicated activists!
On January 22nd, George Klein of the Sierra Club Lower Hudson Group Population Committee, presented the new Sierra Club Population PowerPoint presentation to an audience of 40 law students at Pace Law School in White Plains New York. There was a great question and answer session after his presentation. On January 29th, George and Kathy Schwarz presented to a group of 20 students at the Sleepy Hollow High School in Sleepy Hollow, New York. Keep up the great outreach folks!
OHIO
The Northeast Ohio Group Population-Environment Committee enjoyed a presentation by Planned Parenthood at their January 15th meeting. At the meeting, Kathy Berta, the Legislative Director of Planned Parenthood Greater Cleveland, gave a presentation on state legislative issues, followed by a letter writing session. The group is already planning their Earth Day exhibit, which will focus on the theme of energy efficiency!
OREGON
In January, Ramona Rex presented the new Sierra Club Population PowerPoint presentation to two groups of 6th grade students at Reynolds Middle School in Trout Dale, Oregon. Kudos to Ramona for extending her outreach to all age groups! If you have questions about doing presentations to student groups, please contact Ramona Rex at rexhoops@uswest.net . She is a wealth of knowledge and would love to brainstorm about presentation ideas! The Oregon Chapter Population Committee invited Werner Fornos, President of the Population Institute, to speak at Portland State University on February 22, 2002. The title of Werner's talk was "Population and the Urban Future." If you would like more details about the event, please contact Greg Jacob at jacob@irn.pdx.edu.
Recruitments and Reminders
Calling all population activists! If you want to make a difference and help to inspire future activists, the Mentor Program is the perfect answer! For those of you who are interested in becoming a population mentor or want to know what being a mentor is all about, please contact Todd Daniel at todddan@earthlink.net.
Why is March such a special month? Besides celebrating International Women’s Day on March 8th, our annual Population Activist Training is taking place in Washington DC from March 9-11th. Find out more about the training or contact Sarah Fairchild for schedule and event details at 202.675.2396 or sarah.fairchild@sierraclub.org
A few special dates to remember. Times flies, so let’s start planning now! Let us know about your creative ideas.
April 7th: World Health Day
April 22nd: Earth Day!
May 12th: Mother’s Day
June 16th: Father’s Day
Bush Can Aid Women By Nixing Gag Rule
by James Hufnagel, Population Chair of the Niagara Group
The Buffalo News (NY); January 9, 2002
Like the majority of Americans, I have supported the actions of my government since the terrorist attacks claimed so many of the lives of my fellow citizens.
I began displaying the flag. I opened my checkbook for several charities, and even picked up some shares of airline stock. Of course, these are all paltry gestures compared to the sacrifices of those in uniform, who deserve our utmost respect and appreciation. I take issue, however, with what I consider to be a shallow political ploy by the government to ingratiate itself with those of us focused on the status of women worldwide.
Recently first lady Laura Bush devoted an entire nationwide speech to the deplorable conditions experienced by the oppressed women of Afghanistan.
During press conferences, the president, Secretary of State Colin Powell and other members of the Bush administration have all checked in with their reports of Taliban brutality. We've all heard the stories of Afghan women deprived of their jobs, beaten for exposing an ankle or elbow and held hostage in their houses.
The gains experienced by American women over the past 40 years in education and employment would have been virtually impossible were it not for access to family planning. The ability to time and space children must be regarded as a fundamental human right. Without it, we would return to the days when teachers and other working women had to remain unmarried and childless.
Unfortunately, one year ago President Bush restricted options of women worldwide when he reinstituted the gag rule, which greatly reduced the amount of U.S. foreign aid for international family planning. Intended to discourage abortion, it in fact has the opposite effect. Reducing family planning aid results in more unwanted pregnancies and, ultimately, more abortions.
If Bush was truly concerned about the plight of Afghan women, he would rescind the gag rule, and grant the women of Afghanistan the full measure of their basic human rights.
Back to Winter 2002 Population Report
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