Click here to submit public comments to Ohio EPA by November 19.
1.) Insist algae toxin standards be created for Ohio drinking water supplies
2.) Request mandatory testing to occur at community water systems
Take Action!
Don’t Let Ohio Coal Get A Bailout
Carbon pollution rolls from Sammis Coal-fired Power Plant. Utilities are asking PUCO to approve passing costs for outdated plants like Sammis onto customers. credit: Akron Beacon Journal
In June 2014, Governor Kasich signed into law a bill that guts Ohio’s clean energy and efficiency standards. Passing this new law was not enough for Ohio’s utilities, though.
Now, Ohio’s largest electric utilities, AEP, Duke, and FirstEnergy are seeking to keep a number of Ohio’s oldest and dirtiest power plants open for years to come.
And they want you and me to pay for it.
Fight for Ohio’s State Forests – No Logging!
Shawnee State Forest trail next to logging site. Which is the trail? Where are the logging roads? Why can’t we tell?
Ohio DNR wants to clear-cut and burn it’s way through Ohio’s natural forests. Take action
Columbus Water Fest
August 25th, 2015
Sierra Club Ohio Announces the Columbus Water Fest
A Celebration of Clean Water by
Local Businesses and Sierra Club Ohio
Columbus, Ohio: Sierra Club Ohio is proud to present the Columbus Water Fest, a three-month celebration of clean water through movie screenings, river cleanups, dining, live music, tree planting, and much more. Local businesses, the City of Columbus, and other organizations join the celebration through unique partnerships.
Central Ohioans can support and celebrate local clean water efforts by joining us for a movie, a massage, a gourmet meal, a concert, or a conservation event. Events include:
Impact Day at Lucky’s Market
Tuesday, August 25 from 7am-11pm
Lucky’s Market: 2770 N. High Street
When you shop at Lucky’s Market, they will generously donate 10% of all sales to Sierra Club Ohio so we can continue to plant trees, improve local waterways, and run the largest citizen-water testing program in Columbus.
Free Green Screening of ‘Bag It’
Tuesday, August 25: starts at 6p, movie at 8:30p
Lucky’s Market: 2770 N. High Street
Enjoy an outdoor screening of the award-winning film ‘Bag It’ that takes a humorous but educational look into how plastics are harming our waterways and environment. Turn an old t-shirt into a reusable shopping bag. Also enjoy wine and beer tasting, concessions, and other fun. Don’t forget to bring your lawn chairs for the movie and your plastic bags to recycle! A special thanks to our partners: Lucky’s Market, SWACO, and the City of Columbus!
Clean-up at OSU Wetlands: Pay It Forward
Saturday, August 29 from 10am-1pm
352 W. Dodridge Street
Located in the heart of Columbus, the OSU Wetlands offer learning and research opportunities for college students, essential habitat for migratory birds and other species, and recreational opportunities for all of us. Join us for a day of giving back as we remove trash and invasive honeysuckle along the Olentangy Greenway.
Tip for a Cause at Aveda Nurtur the Salon
The entire month of September!
Located in Grandview: 1325 Grandview Ave & Upper Arlington: 1581 W. Lane Ave
Nurtur is passionate about providing unique, relaxing spa and salon experiences to guests, utilizing Aveda products that are luxurious, effective, and good for the environment. In lieu of a tip, guests may donate to Sierra Club Ohio, and enter to win a rain barrel and other raffle items! Call the salon for details on their cut-a-thon!
Green Games at Open Streets Columbus
Sunday, September 13 from 12-4pm
Square One Salon & Spa: 275 S. 4th Street
We are excited to join Square One Salon and Spa for Open Streets Columbus, an initiative to temporarily close 4th Street downtown to automobiles for healthy and fun physical activities. Sierra Club will join one of our favorite Aveda partners, Square One, to offer crafts, massages, games, free prizes, and much more!
Fall Clean-up at Academy Park
Saturday, Sept. 19 from 9am-1pm
276 S. Nelson Road, Columbus
Honeysuckle is an invasive species, which crowds out native plants that help provide healthy habitat for wildlife. Join us and Friends of Alum Creek and Tributaries to remove honeysuckle and beatify Academy Park in the Bexley area.
Save Water, Drink Wine
Saturday, September 26 from 6-9pm
Nurtur the Salon: 1325 Grandview Ave
Nurtur will host an Open House and Fundraiser during the Grandview Hop. Stop by this modern Aveda salon, to sip wine, enter a raffle to win your very own rain barrel, and learn how to keep our local waterways drinkable, fishable and swimmable for all!
Sierra Club Annual Picnic
Sunday, September 27 from 1-5pm
Walnut Woods Metro Park at Buckeye Picnic Shelter
6716 Lithopolis Rd, Groveport, OH
Everyone is welcome to this free, family-friendly event! Bring a dish to share, go hiking, go biking, and enjoy being outside with new friends. This annual picnic is a great way to meet others who care about the environment and to learn how to get more involved with local Sierra Club efforts.
Lend a limb, plant a tree!
Saturday, October 3 from 9:30am-1:30pm
Anheuser Busch Sports Park
4900 Olentangy River Road
We need your help planting 1700 native trees. We are proud to partner with the City of Columbus to plant red dogwood, paw paw, bur oak, winterberry, and other native species with the goal of improving the health of the Olentangy ecosystem and providing butterfly and bird habitat.
Alana’s Sustainable Soiree
Tuesday, October 13 from 6-9pm
Alana’s Food & Wine: 2333 N. High Street
Join us for a meaningful evening of dining, benefiting local clean water efforts. Gourmet chef Alana will cook Mediterranean meal from local, sustainable, and seasonal ingredients. Vegetarian and meat options are available, and the Sierra Club staff and leaders will be your servers. Cash bar will open at 6pm, followed by dinner at 7pm. Tickets are $60 and will go fast! Reserve your spot now!
Global Give-And-Take
Saturday, October 17 from 11am-3pm
Global Gallery Coffee Shop: 3535 N. High Street
It’s a garage sale with a purpose; all the revenue will go to two great nonprofits– Sierra Club’s local clean water program and Global Gallery’s Fair Trade educational efforts. Bring your unwanted items to donate to the cause and name your price on other secondhand gems. Also sip a latte or a wine, and shop from local farmers until noon.
Halloween Hootenanny
Saturday, October 24 from 7p-Midnight
Rambling House Soda: 310 E. Hudson
Join us at our favorite music venue for a evening of live, local bands. Rambling House makes delicious soda pop from local and natural ingredients, serves locally crafted beers and liquor, and has a fabulous kitchen. Enjoy an evening of live jazz, bluegrass, and roots music. Get ideas for how you can use recycled products in making your Halloween costume. $5 cover, proceeds benefit Sierra Club Ohio.
About Sierra Club’s Clean Water Programs in Central Ohio:
- In 2014, Sierra Club organized more than 1500 volunteer service hours to remove invasive species, plant native trees, remove litter, and maintain Franklin County’s waterways.
- Sierra Club Water Sentinels sample, test, and monitor Franklin County waterways. The data is vetted, mapped, and made available online to the public and to researchers. Water Sentinels often raise the first red flag about possible pollution incidents and are vital to keeping our local waterways healthy.
- We regularly meet with the City of Columbus, Franklin County, and other agencies to advocate for and to partner on clean water initiatives.
- Our fellowship program offers college students the opportunity to gain experience in public education and clean water advocacy. Each year, our Clean Water Fellows contribute around 1000 hours and represent the next generation of leaders.
- We teach Central Ohio residents to be clean water champions through workshops on installing rain barrels, constructing rain gardens, incorporating native plants, using organic lawn care products, and water conservation techniques.
- Unfortunately Central Ohio faces many water-related threats, and we specifically work on finding sustainable long-lasting solutions to sewer overflows, nitrate contamination, harmful algal blooms, storm water pollution, invasive species, and plastic contamination. Our goal is create a sustainable future with Ohio waterways that are fishable, drinkable, and swimmable for all.
Our Latest Stories...
Sierra Club volunteers partner with ODNR Department of Natural Preserves to clean up protected Dunes
August 12th, 2015
On July 11, Sierra Club volunteers met with ODNR Park Naturalist Adam Wohlever for a guided tour of the protected Dunes at Mentor Headlands. Following the tour, the group rolled up their sleeves and cleaned up the Dunes. Though the park has machinery for cleaning [...continue reading.]
Full Article: Groups Pledge to Help Officials Curb Pollution for Clean Lake Erie & Safe Water
July 29th, 2015
On eve of Toledo drinking water crisis anniversary, groups offer support and recommendations to Ohio, Michigan governors, Ontario premier, to meet historic commitment to protect Lake Erie, public drinking water. (Toledo, OH - July 29, 2015)—One year after nearly half a million Toledo area residents were [...continue reading.]
USEPA Clean Water Rule – summary of changes
June 24th, 2015
The USEPA recently released a fact sheet summarizing the impacts of the Clean Water Rule. This includes details on how agriculture, stormwater systems, municipalities, etc. are impacted by the new rules. This fact sheet is a good quick reference for you…check it out!