Originally published in 2010
Some SC Groups in big cities, like those in LA and Chicago, have hundreds of activists, with literally thousands of people each year attending group events. (See quotes from those Groups in earlier posts on this page.)
At the other end of the spectrum, like failed states, are failed Groups.
The Executive Committee of the virtually defunct NYC Group has long been controlled by a tiny faction, out of touch and inept. Ask what they have actually accomplished over the decades they have been in control of the group.
I and other volunteers blew the whistle and twice tried to unseat them. Why? Because something better was possible, in service both to the Sierra Club and NYC.
The Sierra Club is one of the largest and best known of US environmental groups, and unique in its structure as a grassroots network, with a robust capacity to support volunteers. Ideally, volunteer members can draw on Club resources support their local projects, while raising the Sierra Club's profile as an active participant at local levels. The Sierra Club's greatest asset is not its national staff, or its many members, but its name and reputation.
Most people are passive members of Sierra Club, sending donations, but otherwise apathetic to volunteer activities. Many of the relatively few Sierra Club members who volunteer do so benignly.
The clout of the Sierra Club name can be used to support worthy local initiatives and build the environmental movement, or it can be co-opted by self-serving individuals, providing them with impressive titles, and undeserved authority, as has taken place in the NYC Group.
Those with a hankering for power can attain it, despite their limited abilities, by attaching themselves as parasites to the Club. Careful use of Club internal procedures allow parasitic volunteers, coupled with the apathy of most of its members, to operate tiny fiefdoms indefinitely, without building the overall Club, and blocking growth or innovation.
Over the last two years, I set out a vision for local sustainability organizing in NYC. Use of the Sierra Club name would assist in its spread. In turn, the organizing efforts would bring positive regard to the Sierra Club brand, commonly seen as old-fashioned and behind the times. This was not to be.
The reform slate I organized won the winter 2009 election, but the faction forced its overturn on a technicality. The faction won the summer 2010 rerun election through a ruthless campaign of fraud and libel, swaying most of the 350 or so of the 10,000+ members in NYC who actually voted. I do not use those terms lightly, and back them up in great detail in the following posts. Fraud and libel are considered serious misconduct under the Sierra Club Standing Rules.I applaud Michael Brune, the new Executive Director of the National Sierra Club, and wish him the best of luck as he attempts to make the organization relevant to the concerns of the 21st century. The Club's focus on climate change as its top priority shows that he is moving in the right direction. Unfortunately, the National Club is deprived of a vital and growing presence in NYC because of the faction that has regained control of the ExCom. He should do something about this. If you care about the future of Sierra Club, so should you.
What can you do?1. Boycott the ineffective SC NYC ExCom, whose members orchestrated or condoned election fraud. I am disappointed that some of the candidates I once backed have chosen to condone and support the leaders of the faction that regained control by such disreputable means.
2. In this ExCom election, vote for me as a watchdog on their activities.
3. Protest the outrage to Michael Brune at michael.brune@sierraclub.org.
As for me, I am moving forward with my sustainability organizing projects. In winter 2011 I will be promoting white roof painting projects, and continuing my collaboration with many NYC green initiatives. For details, contact me at beyondoilnyc@yahoo.com.
Dan
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