The Sierra Club Foundation Annual Report 2011

THE SIERRA CLUB FOUNDATION | ANNUAL REPORT 2011
Water sustains our lands, and our people. Despite its seeming abundance, water exists in finite
supply endangered by a multitude of threats to its quality and quantity: industrial pollution,
biological contamination, and the destruction of fragile ecosystems. Our Protecting America’s Waters
campaign protects this most precious natural resource. Since 2001, we’ve supported the work of more
than 13,000 volunteers across 23 states to test, report, and advocate for enforcement of water quality
standards; safeguard and restore wetlands; and educate and inspire local communities to fight for healthy,
clean water. From an on-the-ground and in-the-water testing and clean-up corps, to efforts in the courts
and with government agencies like the EPA, 2011 was an important year in the fight for clean water.
LOOKING GOOD. DOING GOOD.
Cosmetic company Aveda selected Sierra Club’s Ohio Chapter as their “Earth Month” partner for 2011. Club
volunteers and staff visited more than 20 Aveda salons, institutes, and retail centers to promote Earth Month and the
Ohio Chapter’s Statewide Clean Water campaign, sponsored by The Sierra Club Foundation. From April through the
end of the year, the Club engaged thousands of people at tabling events, water pollution tours, and conferences.
As part of their efforts, the Sierra Club trained 250 volunteers across the state to track down and report sources
of pollution in their watershed. Additionally, the Club engaged grassroots advocates on a number of significant
issues, including water quality degradation from septic systems, pipelines, and natural gas fracturing. The Sierra
Club generated tens of thousands of public comments, which have guided administrative policy and directly
improved water quality. The Club also prevented the leasing of 3,500 acres of Wayne National Forest for natural
gas fracturing, and diverted a pipeline that would have passed through Ohio State University’s wetlands.
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