The Sierra Club is is largest and best established grassroots environmental organization in North America. Founded by John Muir in 1892, it is also the oldest North American nonprofit organization of its kind. Today, over a hundred years since its inception, the Sierra Club lobbies for environmental protection, conservation, and other pro-Earth issues across the world. It has chapters in the United States and Canada, and over 1.3 million members.
Sierra Club’s Mission Statement:
- Practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources.
- Use all lawful means to carry these out.
Conservation Efforts:
The Sierra Club is involved in many environmental initiatives.
- Forest Protection and Restoration
- Wildlands Protection and Restoration
- Clean Water
- Clean Air
- Stopping Sprawl
- Stopping Global Warming
- Responsible Trade
- Human Rights and the Environment
- Smart Energy Solutions
- Safe and Healthy Communities
- America’s Wild Legacy
This last initiative, America’s Wild Legacy, aims to protect public lands and wildlife from overgrazing, mining, abusive recreation (such as snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park), and commercial logging. America’s National Parks are intended to last for perpetuity. The past years have seen a weakening of the policies dating back to Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency, with more and more commercial logging and off-road vehicles permitted throughout larger swaths of protected land. The Sierra Club works ceaselessly to try to assure the laws of the land are not subverted by big business and energy interests.
Sierra Club Programs:
The organization has grown from a grassroots nonprofit organization to an organized force with outreach programs, environmental education, and more.
- Building Bridges to the Outdoors
- Building Environmental Community
- Environmental Education
- Environmental Justice
- Environmental Law
- Inner City Outings
- John Muir Exhibit
- Membership Affiliate Program
- Sierra Club Mutual Funds
- Sierra Singles
- Sierra Student Coalition
The Sierra Club Mutual Funds program invests in green stocks. The Sierra Club Stock Fund and the Sierra Club Equity Income Fund both assure its members that their money won’t be invested in companies that are, or are subsidiaries of, industries that are bad for the planet’s health. Only the most environmental and socially progressive companies, are beneficiaries of funds managed through the Sierra Club Stock and Equity Income funds. As of this writing’s year to date, the Sierra Club Stock Fund is performing better than the S&P500 Index. Similarly, the Sierra Club Equity Income Fund, year to date, is performing over the S&P500 Index, and Lehman Brothers Aggregate Bond Index. In other words: Investors who trust their money to the Sierra Club Mutual Funds, and Equity Income Fund, get to make a profit and feel good about it.